When it was time to decide about college, Elaine knew that creativity had to be part of her future. After earning a bachelor’s degree in French from

Brooklyn College, she fantasized about somehow finding work in France. The next step, receiving an associate’s degree from the

Fashion Institute of Technology, majoring in Fashion Buying and Merchandising, brought her closer to that dream when she and two friends launched the college’s overseas work/study program in London, working at Simpson’s Piccadilly.

After graduation, she parlayed her crafting hobbies and studies into a career in magazine publishing, first as an Assistant Editor for

McCall’s Needlework & Crafts

magazine, followed by several years as Fabrics and Crafts Editor for

Seventeen

magazine.

Encouraged by a colleague to pursue writing and journalism despite no training in that area, Elaine refocused her career on writing about ready-to-wear fashion, textiles, and fibers for many publications, companies, and trend forecasting services. Since her first journalist’s job as Assistant
Fashion Editor and later Sportswear Editor for the

Daily News Record, her work

has appeared in a variety of media, including: trade and consumer print
publications; promotion and advertising materials; television and video. She has
an impressive roster of publishing credits in such publications as

Women’s
Wear Daily,

The New York Times, and

Western Styles.

Journalism segued into fashion trend forecasting and promotion, first as a consultant for
such companies as

Celanese Fibers,

then creating her own menswear trend reporting
service,

Phases.

Then the opportunity of a lifetime came knocking and with it the fulfillment of her dream—to live and work in Paris. Without hesitation, her bags were packed to take on the challenging position of

Men’s Fashion Director

for the fashion office of the British nonprofit,

International Wool Secretariat (Woolmark). For six years, she traveled the globe researching and reporting on fashion trends and presenting them to industry groups in many countries. She was the first American to participate in the prestigious color committee of the Première Vision fabric show and on the multinational Intercolor group.

After returning to the US, as

Fashion and Promotion Director

of the

American Wool Council

she coordinated domestic and overseas promotions and fashion forecasting services, also representing the organization as a member of

Fashion Group International

and the

Color Association of the US.

But the writing life beckoned. Among her proudest accomplishments is writing and coauthoring

Halston: An American Original (Harper Collins), a lavishly illustrated biography of the late fashion designer and the definitive work on his contributions to fashion.

At the same time, she created and directed a marketing and consulting service,

EGI (Elaine Gross International), where she provided trend forecasting, reporting, and promotion services for such clients as Tencel, Masters of Linen, Dupont, Cotton Incorporated, Federated Department Stores, Joseph Abboud, and Ike Behar, and directed promotional activities for the National Knitwear and Sportswear Association and its trade show, Yarn Fair International.

After many years working exclusively in fashion and textiles, Elaine is now dividing her time between

editing

for

publishers

and

marketing/advertising agencies,

 and working as a

crafts editor and designer. She has edited several crafts and design titles for such publishers as Rockport Publishing, Workman Press, and Soho Publishing, including the highly successful sewing book,

Generation T, and Sasha Kagan’s

Crochet Inspiration.

As designer and distributor of her own company,

All Ears, she devised a method for knitting or crocheting earmuffs including earphones that she sells in kits to retailers and direct to consumers on her website www.allearsearmuffs.com.

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