{"id":458182,"date":"2022-06-05T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-05T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/i-was-once-broke-and-homeless\/"},"modified":"2022-06-05T23:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-06-05T20:00:00","slug":"i-was-once-broke-and-homeless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/i-was-once-broke-and-homeless\/","title":{"rendered":"#I was once broke and homeless"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2d25251eb8a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2d25251eb8a\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/i-was-once-broke-and-homeless\/#%E2%80%9CI_was_once_broke_and_homeless%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;I was once broke and homeless&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CI_was_once_broke_and_homeless%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;I was once broke and homeless&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Elie Tahari now lords over a fashion empire, but his first job in New York City was washing cars for 50 cents an hour. <\/p>\n<p>He h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ily accepted the gig. In the early \u201970s, the Israeli had flown to the Big Apple with less than $100 in his pocket. He first slept at the YMCA for $2 a night. When he ran out of money, he slept on a bench in Central Park. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t feel it was dangerous \u2014 nobody attacks a little homeless kid,\u201d Tahari says in \u201cThe United States of Elie Tahari,\u201d premiering at the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brooklynfilmfestival.org\/festival\">Brklyn Film Festival<\/a> this weekend. <\/p>\n<p>The new doc traces his journey from poverty-stricken kid to self-made fashion mogul who built a business off a humble tube top. The film features interviews with New York style stalwarts such as Fern Mallis and Melissa Rivers as well as designers Nicole Miller and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2018\/09\/11\/dennis-basso-would-rather-the-queen-sit-front-row-than-meghan-markle\/?_ga=2.164580348.236840946.1654001115-13376124.1649352637\">Dennis Basso<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one gave him anything. He did this on his own,\u201d Basso says of his friend. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"603\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-12.jpg?w=603\" alt=\"A recent Elie Tahari fashion show.\" class=\"wp-image-22527009\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-12.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1206 1206w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-12.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=905 904w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-12.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=603 603w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-12.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=302 301w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-12.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 603px) 100vw, 603px\"\/><figcaption>A recent Elie Tahari fashion show.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Eilon Paz for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-15-1.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Elie Tahari\" class=\"wp-image-22529688\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-15-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-15-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-15-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>A new documentary, \u201cThe United States of Elie Tahari,\u201d charts the designer\u2019s rise.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">The United States of Elie Tahari<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Tahari, who has dressed Hillary Clinton and Joan Rivers, had a fraught childhood in Israel, where his parents settled after fleeing Iran. He was born in a refugee camp and lived in a metal-sheet house with no electricity, running water or indoor bathroom.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe other kids used to make jokes out of me because my clothes were dirty and wrinkled,\u201d Tahari, 70, says in the movie.<\/p>\n<p>But clothing was in his blood. His father was a fabric salesman, and his mother sewed his outfits. As a teen, Tahari entered the Israeli Air Force, where he became a mechanic. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-10.jpg?w=682\" alt=\"Elie Tahari with actress Katie Holmes at his Summer 2020 runway show.\" class=\"wp-image-22526903\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-10.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1364 1364w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-10.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1023 1023w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-10.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682 682w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-10.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=341 341w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-10.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\"\/><figcaption>Elie Tahari with actress Katie Holmes at his Summer 2020 runway show.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images For Elie Tahari<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When he returned home in his uniform, his father told him, \u201cWe don\u2019t have room for you \u2014 we are too many,\u201d Tahari recalls. He went to his one-bedroom apartment and \u201ccried for two days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His brother worked for El Al Air and flew free, so Tahari fudged the first initial on a ticket \u2014 from his brother\u2019s first initial of \u201cA\u201d to an \u201cE\u201d \u2014 and set off for the Big Apple.<\/p>\n<p>After scrubbing cars, he landed a gig in the Garment District changing light bulbs in fashion houses. Tahari, looking down from the ladder at the action swirling below noted: \u201cI\u2019m in the wrong job.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-14-2.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Elie Tahari Owner of Tahari Fashions for Financial. March 08, 1985.\" class=\"wp-image-22529498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-14-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-14-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-14-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Elie Tahari in 1985.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">David Handschuh\/New York Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He started working at a boutique owned by an Israeli man who also manufactured clothing. One day, Tahari had an apparel epiphany: an elastic, one-size-fits-all, strapless top that a woman could wear outside at the pool or beach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the tube top, it was a natural thing,\u201d Tahari says of his now ubiquitous invention. \u201cWomen in the \u201970s, when the hippie movement started, they let it all hang out. They didn\u2019t want to wear bra.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>He brought about a dozen tube tops to his boss. \u201cI put [them] on the counter and a couple of customers came and started fighting over them.\u201d Soon, the budding designer had his own business. \u201cIt just took off.\u201d <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-13.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Elie Tahari is interviewed at New York Fashion Week.\" class=\"wp-image-22526758\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-13.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-13.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-13.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Elie Tahari is interviewed at New York Fashion Week.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A self-proclaimed \u201cnight owl\u201d and avid roller skater, he held his first fashion show at Studio 54. Naturally, it featured flowy disco-inspired clothes. In the 1980s, as women entered the work force in droves, Tahari pivoted to the power suit, pioneering tailored, feminine versions of the men\u2019s office staple. In 1989, he opened a shop in Bloomingdale\u2019s on the designer floor; more followed. <\/p>\n<p>In the movie, Miller notes that Tahari is a \u201cmaster tailor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis jackets were exquisite,\u201d she says, recalling one she bought in the 1980s. \u201cIt was plaid with puff shoulders . . . I always got tons of compliments on it. I wore it forever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later, Tahari helped launch Theory and created a lower-priced line of suits that made his clothing available to a wider audience. In 2014, he designed a capsule collection for Kohl\u2019s.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-9.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Elie Tahari and Christie Brinkley close out his show in 2019.\" class=\"wp-image-22526769\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-9.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-9.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elie-tahari-9.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Elie Tahari and Christie Brinkley close out his show in 2019.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The married father of two still shows at New York Fashion Week \u2014 in 2019, Christie Brinkley and her daughter Sailor Brinkley-Cook walked his runway \u2014 and he credits the United States for allowing him to fulfill his dreams.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[The American flag] is a symbol of the free world. It\u2019s a symbol of freedom. It\u2019s a symbol that we can express ourself,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m very grateful to this country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For all of his accomplishments in the fashion realm, Tahari remains most proud of bringing his family to America from Israel. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI only thought about my family and how I could support them and help them. In the end, I brought everybody here,\u201d he says. \u201cSo that was my biggest trophy. My biggest success.\u201d\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/06\/05\/fashion-mogul-elie-tahari-i-was-once-broke-and-homeless\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I was once broke and homeless&#8221; Elie Tahari now lords over a fashion empire, but his first job in New York City was washing cars for 50 cents an hour. He happily accepted the gig. In the early \u201970s, the Israeli had flown to the Big Apple with less than $100 in his pocket. He&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":458183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/elia-tahari.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[129954,108436,129983,129984,129985,2184,95639,70796,129986],"class_list":["post-458182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-6-5-22","tag-christie-brinkley","tag-dennis-basso","tag-elie-tahari","tag-fern-mallis","tag-israel","tag-joan-rivers","tag-new-york-fashion-week","tag-nicole-miller"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/458183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}