Fashion Journalism: Barbara Cloud’s Tenure Translating Pittsburgh Clothing

Barbara Cloud reported about fashion for her American readership for more than three decades. Her writing was truly for a local market, Pittsburgh – her sources were often those who visited her city, as well as Pittsburgh residents and the department stores who dominated the fashion market. Her job includes traveling to fashion shows across the country. She regularly covered the New York City fashion shows and well-known designers. She described the clothing of designer Oscar de la Renta, as well as who was in the audience – celebrities Estee Lauder, Nancy Kissinger and C.Z. Guest. In 1968, she traveled to Los Angeles and wrote about clothing from Hawaii. She described pant-shifts which looked like skirts but made it easier to bend over. There were also jumpsuits, bareback dresses and built-in bradresses. During her career, she reported on hundreds of fashion and cultural trends.