Lesson developed by: Betsy G. Hoffman M.Ed. student in Early Childhood Education Peabody College, Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN

NUDIE COHN: The Rodeo Tailor

Curricular connections: History, Art, Language Arts

Objective: Students will learn about Nudie Cohn and his innovative designs. Students will create their own clothing designs with materials provided.

Grade: 3rd- 4th grade

Prep time: Approximately 5-10 minutes for preparing materials

Teach time: Day 1= 15 minutes for overview and introduction Day 2= 1 1/2 hours for Hall of Fame visit Day 3= 30 minutes for initial sketches and material choices Day 4= 45 minutes for creating the costume Day 5= 1 hour for writing and presenting concepts and creations

Materials: Costume templates, paper, pencils, paints, markers, sequins, and glitter.

Procedures: Day 1: Overview and Introductions Objective: To learn about Nudie Cohn and his background and life. Materials: Recollections of a fan biography and photos of Nudie's designs. 2

Initial questions: Have you ever worn a costume? What made it special? Discussion about decorative accents. Was it worn for a special occasion?

Activity: Introduce students to Nudie Cohn. Give students a history of his life and his career. Show photos of his rhinestone-laden suits and boots. (Hand out worksheet)

Next steps: Tell the children they will have the chance to see his designs in person at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Compelling questions: What makes Nudie Cohn's costumes stand out? How is he like a picture book illustrator?

Day 2: Field trip to the Country Music Hall of Fame To give the students a chance to see the original Nudie Cohn designs. Materials: sketch pads and pencils

Day 3: Initial sketches and material choices Objective: To begin thinking like a costume designer. Children will learn to think about designs related to a specific theme or topic. Materials: Costume templates, paper, pencils, paints, markers, sequins, and glitter.

Initial instructions: Before the students begin working on their ideas, meet as a group to discuss what was observed. Revisit the compelling questions: What makes Nudie's designs stand out? How is he like an illustrator?

Discussion: What makes our class special. Are there parts of the day that are favorites? What could we celebrate about our class? What kind of symbols could help illustrate our class? Make a list on a big chart to help the children brainstorm and share ideas.

When students return to their workspace, they should be instructed to think about the class some more. What kind of materials, colors, symbols best represent our class? 3

Day 4: Creating the costumes Objective: To create the costumes. Materials: Costume templates, paper, pencils, paints, markers, sequins, and glitter.

Allow children to have the space and the materials to work independently.

Day 5: Writing an explanation and presenting ideas and finished creations Objecitve: To give the students the time to synthesize their ideas into a written explantation. This will allow for self-reflection. Materials: paper and pencil

Conclusion: Children will have a greater understanding of where Nudie Cohn came from and how he became a master tailor for the stars. Students will recognize the importance of planning before attempting to create. Students will come to understand the complexities of choosing materials to best illustrate their concept.

Assessments: The planning stages: Did the student take time to consider the various components of the lesson? Allow the students to follow a checklist to stay on task and self assess. Have each student present their costume and explanation to the class. This activity will aid students in improvement of oral language skills as well as critical analysis.

Resources: Nudie's website: nudiesrodeotailor.com Articles: Dixon, Chris. A Rhinestone Cowboy Who Grabbed Cars by the Horns. The New York Times. September 4, 2004. Book: Cabrall, M.L. & Nudie, J.L. (2004). Nudie: the rodeo tailor. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith Publishers. Beard, Tyler. (1993). 100 years of western wear. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith Publishers.

Teacher's note: Extensions Create paper mache boots and have the students design and decorate them. This project would give students a stronger idea about creating 3D works. Have students write a research paper on the life of a famous costume designer. Visit the studio of Manuel Cuevas (who assisted Nudie in the 50's and 60's then took over with highly embellished costumes). See attached article about Manuel. 4

Recollections of a fan: The life of Nudie Cohn By JOHNNY WESTURN. Excerpt from: 100 Years of Western Wear by Tyler Beard

Nudie Cohn was born Nudka Cohn in Kiev, Russia, in 1902. His father was a poor bootmaker. When Nudie was eleven years old, his family immigrated to the United States. Nudie got his famous name at immigration, not in Hollywood, when his name was misspelled on entrance papers. Nudie worked a variety of jobs in Brooklyn N.Y. before moving to California at age sixteen to pursue a boxing career.

At nineteen, he began getting non-speaking parts in movies in Hollywood. To earn more money, Nudie began whipping up costumes on an individual-order basis. While hitchhiking across the country to visit his family in New York, in Mankato, Minnesota, Nudie met his future wife Bobbie. 5

In 1934 Nudie and Bobbie married. With $300 between them, they returned from New York, to Mankato to open a tailor shop. In 1940 they sold it for $2,700 and moved to Los Angeles. Nudie worked in a few tailor shops, and was beginning to notice that Western tailoring was up and coming in Los Angeles. Turk had been in L.A. for at least 15 years before Nudie rolled into L.A. Turk was making fancy western suits for the Maddox brothers and Rose, and making equestrian riding gear, and other cowboy tailoring. Viloa Grae also had her shop in L.A. doing her fancy embroidery, which was her specialty. It didn't take long before the celebrities started to line up at Nudie's door.

Tex Williams got to know Nudie well and gave Nudie a horse and saddle for auction for $150. to get his first sewing machine. Nudie set up shop in his garage. Once again Tex Williams gave Nudie his second big brake when he asked Nudie to make costumes for Tex and his band. This was really the beginning of Nudie's success, he opened his shop in North Hollywood in 1947. He turned out thousands of garments. Hank Williams was one of the first in Nashville to wear a Nudie suit and after his big success everyone in Nashville Wore Nudie's suits. Throughout Nudie's career, he continued to make costumes for the movies (mainly westerns). John Wayne had clothing made by Nudie. Colonel Parker, Elvis's manager had Nudie make Elvis a 24k gold lame' suit at a cost of $10,000.for Elvis and $9,000 profit for Nudie. By the late 1960's Nudie had become a living California legend.

I was 19 years old and drove to L.A. from San Jose CA. to see Nudie's shop and it was quite the place, pictures on the wall of every star that Nudie made clothes for Steve McQueen, Johnny Cash, Roy Rogers, Buck Owens, David Allan Coe, Liberace, Clint Eastwood, and the list goes on forever. On the counter, I remember belt buckles all along the front of the counter that say things like to

Nudie from Hank Williams jr. and many other people who given Nudie belt buckles. To the Left of the shop was the tailor area, and a room for suits to be picked up. I remember seeing a suit waiting for Merle Kilgore to be picked up on the wall rack.

Nudie crossed the boundaries of fashion. He influenced the western wear industry for nearly forty years. In 1984, at age 81 Nudie succumbed to cancer. More than 800 people came to the the funeral all wearing Nudie suits, Dale Evans gave the eulogy. Country Music would have never been the same without Nudie, and the golden age of western wear might not have existed without Nudie Cohn, the original Rhinestone Cowboy. The shop closed for good in 1995. 6

Manuel: Nashville's Couture Cowboy

From Jan Duke, Your Guide to Nashville, TN. This article was found on www.nashville.about.com/od/nashvillesfamous/a/manuel.htm

All that shines really is Rhinestones and Gold Meet Nashville's Couture Cowboy: Manuel

For the last several decades, in Nashville and across the world, he is simply known by the single name of Manuel (pronounced man-well).

Manuel was born, Manuel Arturo José Cuevas Martinez, on April 23rd, 1938 in Michoacán, Mexico, and was the fifth of eleven children of Esperanza and José Guadalupe Cuevas.

Manuel's was taught to sew at the age of seven, by his older brother and tailor, Adolfo. He has made his own clothes ever since. During this time Manuel mastered a wide scope of the clothier's art, including leather working, hat making, silver working and boot making.

Manuel then attended the University of Guadalajara majoring in psychology before leaving his native Mexico for Los Angeles in the mid 1950s.

In Los Angeles, Manuel he took on several low wage jobs and eventually landed a job with master embroiderer, Viola Grae. Manuel was working for Viola Grae when he met Nudie and Manuel joined Nudie as his head tailor at Nudie's Rodeo Tailors in the early 1960's.

Manuel worked along side Nudie for fourteen years. While at Nudie's shop, he quickly became head designer and primary creator for many of Nudie's clientele, he also became Nude's son-in-law when he married Nudie's daughter Barbara.

After Manuel and Barbara divorced, Manuel left Nudie's employ and opened up his own business in North Hollywood in the mid-1970's.

Soon after opening his shop, Manuel purchased a dozen or so machines from the infamous designer, Nathan Turk. Turk had just closed up his business, Turk of Hollywood, due to health reasons. In a generous gesture, Turk never cashed Manuel's check for those machines. Manuel has always admired Nathan Turk and has given credit to Turk for some of his inspirations. Manuel, himself has also been known to be generous in giving a few of his creations away to some of the newer up-coming country musicians who otherwise would do without.

Manuel had found an unlimited outlet for his creativity working alongside great designers such as Viola Grae, master embroiderer, Nudie Cohn, the famous cowboy clothier, and Sy Devore, Hollywood Tailor to the Stars.

He found inspirations from such great clothiers as Rodeo Ben, Nathan Turk, and Nudie Kohn, all of which were immigrants to the USA, as he himself was, and all found fame in the world as clothiers as he had.

In the late 1980's, Manuel moved to Nashville, Tennessee nearer to where many of his clientele, most of which were in the Country Music Industry, and opened his business, Manuel's Exclusive Clothier's.

His creations are truly a work of art and can be found in museums nationwide, including Metropolitan, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and even the Smithsonian. Locally, in Nashville, you can find his works on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame and if you're just lucky enough to know Manuel's close friend, Marty Stuart, his closet is rumored to hold over 3000 pieces of Country Cowboy Couture that includes masterpieces from Turk, Nudie and, of course, Manuel.

Today, Manuel continues to craft western couture garments at his shop, Manuel's Exclusive Clothier located at 1922 Broadway, Nashville, Tn. 37205, 615-321- 5444. Most of Manuel's custom-made outfits, all of which are sold as custom- made with Manuel's direct involvement, will normally sell from $5,000 to $7,500, yet some can cost $20,000 or more. A buyer can also opt to buy from Manuel's' ready to wear line, Manuel Limited Collection is offered a lower cost across the country at only the finest of Western Wear Stores.

Manuel is an artist in the truest sense of the word, so make sure to stop by his shop and visit this Nashville Treasure on your next visit to Music City USA. You will recognize him by his big smile, signature scarf, charming and personable nature… he will also be the one charming all of the women within site.