Lore Ferro, 94, fashion industry design director

Lore Ferro

Lore Ferro, (Gausmann), who fled World War II Germany and became a New York City fashion industry design director, died Nov. 20. She was 94.

Her family said that at an early age, Ferro experienced the worst of war, fleeing her family home in Dessau, Germany, in 1945 as a teenager. She made her way to fashion school in Paris, France, and emigrated to New York City to find work in the fashion industry. 

Her determination paid off in the form of career successes as design director for the major pattern makers of the day — Simplicity, Butterick, Vogue, McCalls. Her iconic designs reflected the culture and sensibilities of the ‘60s and ‘70s as sewing captured the imagination of that generation.

Along with her husband, woodcut artist Walter Ferro, she made her home in Pound Ridge. Together, they traveled the world in both professional and personal capacities. She, on buying trips to find the latest fashion trends, and he, for inspiration for his work. 

Ferro is survived by stepdaughters Paula Ferro Osenni of Middletown, Elizabeth Devine of West Hartford, Conn., and nephew Marc Gausmann of Germany.

A private service was planned.