Claude Montana was a French fashion designer who famously pioneered the strong shoulder pad and dramatic suiting of the 1980s. Operating his own ready-to-wear label from 1979 to 1997, Montana's appropriation of menswear and superior use of proportion and line propelled him into the ranks of the fashion elite, eventually designing for Lanvin from 1990 to 1992.

Michael Casey Couture was Michael Casey's eponymous brand, founded in the mid 1980s by the former costume designer and Fashion Institute of Technology professor. Casey dressed performers from Radio City Music Hall to the San Francisco Ballet before founding his own high fashion label, characterized by the same glitzy embellishments and glamorous silhouettes found in the costuming tradition.