Remembering Victor Joris (April 25, 1929 – March 12, 2013)

Distinguished fashion designer Victor Joris was born on April 25, 1929, and passed away peacefully on March 12, 2013, in Shreveport, Louisiana, with his family by his side. Honoring Victor’s wishes, a private celebration of his life was held at Northwest Louisiana Veteran’s Cemetery in Keithville, Louisiana.

Victor led a quiet and unassuming life. A consummate perfectionist, artistic talent led to an internationally acclaimed career in fashion design, and his love of dogs fostered extensive research and writing.

Graduating from Byrd High School at age 16, Victor later studied at the Traphagen School of Fashion in New York City. He graduated with honors, specializing in fashion design, sketching, and art history. He continued his studies at the Cambre Syndical de la Couture Parisienne in Paris, France, where he was an assistant to Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain. Upon returning to the United States, he enlisted in the Army for two years, serving in a technical service unit, assigned to the post newspaper and headquarters division.

Victor’s first job was at Columbia Pictures in Hollywood as an apprentice and sketcher for famed movie designer Jean Louis. This led to a design position with Cuddlecoat and with the Jones Apparel Group in New York City, where he designed the Christian Dior Designer Sportswear Collection and the Jones New York line of women’s apparel.

Throughout Victor’s thirty-three year career in fashion design, he received many awards for his creations, including two Coty American Fashion Critic Awards. Three First Ladies, Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, and Pat Nixon, all wore his designs. Other highlights included costumes worn by Barbra Streisand in “The Way We Were”, Ali McGraw in “Love Story”, and his close friend Julie Christie as she received her Academy Award. Publications such as Look, Harper’s Bazaar (in which he was featured on the cover), and Women’s Wear Daily, as well as The World Book Encyclopedia 1970 Yearbook, printed articles about him. Many of his designs are featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Collection in New York City. Victor was a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the United Scenic Artists Guild.

As illustrious as was his career in fashion design, Victor also made his mark in the world of dog breeding and judging. From childhood, he was a dog lover, but his career made it impossible for him to be heavily involved in that field. After Victor’s retirement from fashion design, he became a breeder of Shih Tzu dogs, many of them receiving awards. He was also involved in researching and writing numerous articles and three published books on Shih Tzus. Victor frequently appeared as a judge on Animal Planet, as well as being a guest columnist for numerous canine publications. He also served as a judge for various prestigious dog shows around the country, including Westminster, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, Bucks County and the Astro Series Dog Shows.

Victor Van Joris was preceded in death by his parents, Gertrude and John C. Joris, Sr., his brother and sister-in-law, John C. and Jean Ford Joris, Jr., brother-in-law, Mac Long, and niece, Barbara Long. Left to treasure his memory are his sisters, Ruth Long of Mesquite, Texas, and JoAnn Gallagher and Mary Joris of Shreveport, Louisiana. A world traveler and avid story teller, his nieces and nephews, their children and grandchildren, will cherish the memories of his adventures, and the fun of card games, dance contests, jokes and magic tricks, and portrait sittings with “Uncle Bud”.

Victor’s family would like to express their appreciation to the doctors and staff at Christus Schumpert Highland Hospital and LifeCare facility for their professional treatment. Special thanks to Dr. Paul Stafford and Dr. David Greene, Shelley, Robert, and Phyllis for your kind and compassionate care of Victor.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice. Please leave an on-line remembrance of Victor at www.osbornfuneralhome.net .

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Posted by Geoff on Mar 21 2013. Filed under Breaking News, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.