Emil DeJohn, of Ambler, an award-winning fashion designer and educator whose garments were sold at stores including Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue, and worn by stars such as Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli, died of age-related ailments June 24. He was 88.
For over 40 years, DeJohn designed signature American sportswear that was part of clothing lines by Donna Karan, Carolina Herrera and Bill Blass, as well as his own label, Alex by Emil DeJohn. He traveled frequently to overseas fashion capitals and showcased his designs in cities such as London, Milan, and Hong Kong.
On a trip to Paris, he bumped into Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in an elevator.
“Elizabeth said to me, ‘You do the most fabulous designs,’” DeJohn told the Local. “What a thrill that was.”
But despite working in New York City and traveling the world, DeJohn refused to leave his hometown. Instead, he traveled back and forth daily to New York and returned home to Montgomery County, where he lived with his wife, Bette Anne, who he met when she was 14 and he was 17.
“When I started working in New York,” he told the Local in 2020, “a monthly train pass cost $28.75. Today, it costs $1,500. I loved working in New York, but I didn’t want to live there because it is a phony world. It always felt so good to come home.” DeJohn lived in Wyncote for 60 years before moving to Ambler last year.
DeJohn came from humble beginnings. He grew up in a row house at 30th and Tasker streets and showed talent as a child, attending classes at age 7 at Fleisher Art Memorial. He started sketching garments in junior high school and later attended Bartram High School in Southwest Philadelphia.
After enrolling in the Museum School (formerly the University of the Arts), Emil compiled a portfolio to take to New York. A teacher he had admired, though, told him, “Forget it. You don’t even have a chance,” DeJohn admitted, “I went home crying.”
For 11 months, though, DeJohn dashed from showroom to showroom in New York City showing his portfolio. And he was rejected by every single one. “I was falling apart,” he said. Finally, DeJohn went to Henri Bendel, a former luxury store on Fifth Avenue. Unannounced, DeJohn walked into the office of Bendel’s president, Geraldine Stutz, and showed her his portfolio.
“I told her I would work for free,” DeJohn said. “She looked at my work and said, ‘I love it! I will get you work.’ She called Bill Blass and Anne Klein, who sponsored me and another young designer at a luncheon at The Plaza.”
But on the day of the show, New York was hit with 17 inches of snow. Sherry Cole, whose dad owned a dress company, was one of the few who showed up at the luncheon. The company hired DeJohn. He went on to design for other major firms and had his own department at Bergdorf Goodman, where he designed for over 30 years.
DeJohn also taught fashion design, heading the department at Moore College of Art & Design, directing career development at Drexel University and serving as a faculty member at the Art Institute of Philadelphia.
He is survived by his wife, Bette Anne (née DeChiaro); two children, Leisa DeJohn Nappi and Christian DeJohn; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His nephew, Ray DeJohn, is a graphic artist who was formerly the production manager for the Local for 10 years.
A viewing was held July 2 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Ambler. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in DeJohn’s name to Carmel of Jesus Crucified, Attn: Mother Pia, P.O. Box 308, Muenster, TX 76252.
Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.
