The Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum is honoring fashion designer Carolina Herrera.
The 78-year-old Venezuelan-American designer will receive the museum's Designer of Excellence Award on May 15 in Chicago. The museum's council gives the award to designers who it says have "indelibly left their mark on the fashion world." Past recipients include Bob Mackie, Sonia Rykiel and Geoffrey Beene.
Herrera's first ready-to-wear collection debuted in 1981 and she opened a New York business shortly afterward. Celebrities like Renee Zellweger and Reese Witherspoon have worn her designs along with first ladies like Michelle Obama and Laura Bush.
The council maintains a costume collection and fashion artifacts, including items like Michael Jordan's basketball uniform, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson's choir robe and pieces owned by Abraham Lincoln.
