Voting Station

Rudi Gernreich

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Designer

The Resume

    (August 8, 1922-April 21, 1985)
    Born in Vienna, Austria
    Best known for designing the topless bathing suit, aka monokini (1964)
    Designed the Moonbase Alpha uniforms for the TV series Space: 1999
    Founding member of the Mattachine Society, the first gay rights organization in the US (1950)

Why he might be annoying:

    His first job in America was washing corpses in preparation for autopsies.
    Several of his designs -- such as see-through blouses and transparent underwear -- received a burst of publicity, then quickly faded away.
    As part of his promotion of the unisex look, he had his male and female models shave their heads bald.
    His last design before his death was the pubikini: a bikini with a window in front to reveal the pubic hair.

Why he might not be annoying:

    When he was eight, his father committed suicide.
    He and his mother fled Austria for the US after the Anschluss with Germany (1938).
    He was a dancer and costume designer for the Lester Horton Modern Dance Troupe (1942-48), which influenced his interest in non-restrictive clothing for women.
    His bold and colorful designs were considered the epitome of the Swinging Sixties.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 77.78% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 85.71% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 10 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 76 Votes: 65.79% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying