Susan Morgan Rolontz, Tobe Executive Editor, Dies at 91
Susan Morgan Rolontz, a fashion editor, forecaster and former executive editor of The Tobe Report, died Jan. 29. She was 91.
Rolontz was a regular presence at fashion shows and showrooms in New York City, London, Paris and Milan during her 50-plus-year career at the Tobe Report, a weekly publication filled with trend information, news on designers and fashion forecasts. Each season, Rolontz photographed more than 100 runway shows. She also closely associated with fashion journalists and guided them in their coverage. Tobe is part of Doneger-Tobe, a leading fashion trend merchandising firm for retailers and brands. The Doneger firm bought Tobe in 2005.
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“Sue was very knowledgeable, very well respected throughout the industry by all who knew and worked with her,” said Abbey Doneger, president and chief executive officer of Doneger-Tobe. “She was an integral contributor and leader at the Tobe Report. She took pride in working closely with the team, and mentoring the staff. She was recognized as an authority within the fashion retail industry.”
Muriel Gonzalez, retail veteran and president of The Vitamin Shoppe, said: “When I worked at Saks Fifth Avenue in 1990 as a divisional merchandise manager for contemporary sportswear, we eagerly awaited the delivery of the Tobe Report every week for its incisive fashion coverage and unerring understanding of trends, and Sue Rolontz was the important editor who wrote about designer apparel.”
Rolontz began her career at Tobe in June 1956 as a childrenswear and accessories editor, and advanced to covering designer collections. She consistently championed up-and-coming designers, and her lively and urbane “Street Scene” photo feature was an industry favorite. She retired from Tobe in December 2008.
Rolontz was born in New York City in 1933 as the only child of Ray Tennyson Morgan, a newspaper journalist. She was a graduate of Pembroke College, the coordinate women’s college that merged into Brown University in 1971.
On Fire Island, N.Y. in 1957, she met Bob Rolontz, a staff record producer for RCA Victor, Groove and Vik record companies and later vice president of advertising and promotion for the New York Cosmos professional soccer team. They eventually got married, and for 43 years the couple spent their summers on Fire Island.
“Imagine my surprise when we bought a house in a small town in Fire Island called Lonelyville,” Gonzalez recalled. “The fact that Sue lived here with her family was incredible validation. Ever since, we’ve had the pleasure of knowing Sue as a neighbor and advocate — with a great eye, who always wanted everyone to look their best.”
Rolontz is survived by her daughter, Lee; her son, R. Morgan, and four grandchildren, Maddy, Pauline, Sawyer and Finley.
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