Mary Brooks Picken was an influential American author of numerous books on needlework, sewing, and textile arts. Born in Aug. 6 1886, she attended the Women's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences. A fashion expert and author, Picken was an authority on dress, fabric, design, and sewing. She taught "Economics of Fashion" at Columbia University and was one of the five founding directors of the Costume Institute. She was the first woman to be named a trustee of the Fashion Institute of Technology..