Tiger Morse

Joan "Tiger" Morse (April 23, 1931 – April 22, 1972), was an American fashion designer, businessperson and socialite. She was known for her 1960s avant-garde clothing design and had owned a few boutique shops in New York City, with celebrity clients. Morse was the subject of the Andy Warhol film, Tiger Morse (Reel 14 of ****). She also worked as a costume designer for John Chamberlain film The Secret Life of Hernando Cortez (1968). Morse lived most of her life in New York City, with a period in London in late life.

Early life and education Joan Sugarman was born on April 23, 1931, in New York City, the daughter of Marcia Sand (née Freedman), and Russian Empire-born architect Morris Henry Sugarman. Her family was Jewish and her parents divorced in 1944. She attended the Lincoln School,

Morse attended Syracuse University and Sorbonne University. She also owned Tiger's Toys and the "Teeny Weeny", She sold ready-to-wear, Her stores were decorated eccentrically. and Twiggy.

In her early career Morse was interested in working with saris, kimonos, and textiles from Asia.

Her work shifted in the early 1960s towards fluorescent colors and more dramatic dress silhouettes; signaling an early change towards counterculture fashion. paper dresses, In 1967, Morse was working on designing clothing with kinetics (early electronic clothing) for the "psychedelic collection".

Death and legacy She moved to London towards the end of her life.

Her fashion work is in museum collections including at the Museum of the City of New York; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is included in the historical archives at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History; and the Toronto Public Library Archive.

Around 2013, the Warhol film featuring Morse, Tiger Morse (Reel 14 of ****) (1967) was restored and has been shown during screening events. In 2015, the art exhibition "Tiger Morse by Mark Shaw: Jet-Set Style Quest 1962" curated by Alan Rosenberg with the Mark Shaw Photographic Archive, held at the Liz O’Brien Gallery in New York City. In 2017–2018, her work was part of the group exhibition "Mod New York: Fashion Takes a Trip" at the Museum of the City of New York.