Isaac Mizrahi  

Premier American fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi made a name for himself with his high-end label, but he is now equally known for his exclusive Target line. His over the top personality has also helped him land notable guest appearances and exposure.

Isaac Mizrahi was born October 14, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York. He is of Egyptian and Jewish heritage. Mizrahi attended school at Yeshivah of Flatbush followed by High School of Performing Arts. He finished his education at Parsons School of Design.

Mizrahi’s first foray into entertainment was, surprisingly, not associated with fashion. Rather, he portrayed Touchstone in the 1980 film version of Fame. The movie also featured future television star Paul McCrane.

He also appeared as Julian Russell in the 1993 comedy For Love or Money with leads Michael J Fox, Gabrielle Anwar, and Saverio Guerra.

By the mid-90s, Mizrahi was a seasoned enough designer to warrant a documentary of his collection for fall 2004. Entitled Unzipped, it featured a slew of fashion and celebrity notables such as Sandra Bernhard, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Faye Dunaway, Liza Minnelli, John Galliano, Kate Moss, Veronica Webb, and many more.

Established as a personality rather than just a designer, Mizrahi earned his own talk show in 2005. Known simply as Isaac, the show ran for two seasons and featured a wide range of guests from Amanda Bynes to Keira Knightley to Dolly Parton.

In 2006, he was named a correspondent for the Golden Globe Red Carpet Show. His performance, however, was met with mixed reviews as he looked down Teri Hatcher’s dress, grabbed Scarlett Johansson’s breast, and questioned Hilary Swank about why she was there alone when she had just gone through a very public and very messy divorce from ex-husband Chad Lowe. He also raised eyebrows when he asked several of the nominees and presenters if they were wearing underwear.

But no matter how much people question his personality, they agree his designs are something special. In addition to Mizrahi’s designer line, a cheaper bridge line can be seen exclusively at Target.

He also lent his costume expertise to the Broadway revivals The Women, Barefoot in the Park, and Threepenny Opera. He was recognized for his work on The Women with a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design.

Completely outside of the fashion world, Mizrahi proved he was a man of varied talents when he created the comic book Sandee, the Adventures of a Supermodel. He further proved this point when he became the spokesperson for an anti-wrinkle cream.

Most recently, he appeared on an episode of Ugly Betty, which stars popular newcomer America Ferrera.