Alvin Colt began work in theater costume design in New York in the late 1930s. He worked as a costume and set designer on more than 80 Broadway shows, in television and in movies. From 1963 to 1986, he designed the annual Neiman Marcus store Fortnight celebrations in Dallas, Texas. Each Fortnight had a different country theme. The Colt Fortnight collection includes original working drawings, sketches, designer elevations, blueprints, posters and photographic prints, correspondence from Stanley Marcus to Alvin Colt, and clippings relating to the Neiman Marcus department store's annual Fortnight event. Designs and many drawings are by Alvin Colt. Some renderings were drawn by Robert Eickmeyer and John Duncan

Mr. Colt was a Tony Award-winning costume designer who created both serious and amusing costumes for more than 50 Broadway shows.