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Today’s Inspiration: Arnold Scaasi Scassi asked Jackie to pay for designs he’d made for her “on spec” in 1961, the he didn’t want to trade them for publicity that would be generated by the First Lady wearing his designs. “That was probably the dumbest decision I ever made in my life!” Jackie would pick Oleg Cassini to be her official designer. Born Arnold Isaacs (Scaasi is Isaacs spelled backwards) in 1930, in Montreal. Dad was a furrier, mom an opera singer. Scassi said his earliest memory was instructing his mother on where she should pin her corsage. He studied design in Montreal then attended the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture Parisienne, was an apprentice at Paquin. When Dior promised him a job “in 3 months”, Scassi was too impatient, Dior said “Why don’t you bring fashion to America? America is the future.” He moved to NYC, worked (briefly) for Charles James, went off on his own in 1956. 2 years later he won a Coty for “for greatest achievement in creative design by an American.” Scassi basically designed (mostly) formal evening wear, ball gowns. “I am definitely not a minimalist!” He did play around with some RTW, had a bunch of licences. But at heart, he was a couturier. By the early 1960’s, affordable fashion was becoming a world-wide trend. Price points dropped, there were more options for consumers than had ever been available before. Scaasi did the opposite- in 1964 he opened a couture salon, where he focused on creating decadent cocktail and evening wear, designs that dripped with beads, sequins, embroidery & feathers. He dressed Joan Crawford for Pepsi commercials, designed for Mamie Eisenhower, Hillary Clinton & Laura Bush, worked with Barbara Streisand for decades. His “Scassi Girls” included Lauren Bacall, Elizabeth Taylor, Catherine Deneuve, Brooke Astor, Shirley MacLaine, Elizabeth Taylor, and Mary Tyler Moore. In 1996 Scaasi was awarded the CFDA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. After decades of designing “exuberant creations” for generations of “first ladies, socialites and Hollywood stars” Scassi died in 2015 following a heart attack, he was 85. “Clothes with some adornment are more interesting to look at and more fun to wear.” https://www.instagram.com/p/B8PaRCQg6dt/?igshid=1bi5kqwws8h2r

Today’s Inspiration: Edward Steichen Steichen opened the Photo‐Secession Galleries with a partner in 1905; “artworks of all mediums were shown.” Through this gallery, Steichen, who became one of the most celebrated and highest-paid photographers in America, “introduced Cezanne, Picasso, Rodin and Matisse to the United States.” Born in Luxembourg in 1879 (as Éduard), the family immigrated to Michigan around 1880. Dad worked in a copper mine, mom for a milliner. Mom was a big influence on Steichen’s world-view “she talked to me quietly and earnestly for a long, long time, explaining that all people were alike regardless of race, creed, or color...about the evils of bigotry and intolerance.” He taught himself the basics of photography as a kid, left school at 15 for a lithography apprenticeship. During WWI he was an aerial cameraman (with the signal corps). “The wartime problem of making sharp, clear pictures from a vibrating, speeding plane 10,000 to 20,000 feet in the air had brought me a new kind of technical interest in photography.” In 1923 he began to shoot portraits and fashion spreads Vanity Fair in 1923. In 1932 he shot the first color cover for Vogue. A sample of his subjects would include Greta Garbo,Winston Churchill, Mary Pickford, Martha Graham, and Lillian Gish. Steichen also took commercial commissions. He won more awards that I can list. (around 1957 he grew a giant beard “gave him the appearance of a biblical patriarch, especially when he neglected to trim it regularly.”) He closed his studio in 1938 “work had become routine and repetitious.” Between 1947-1962 he supervised photo exhibitions for the Met, gave up his own work to “achieve objectivity.” After he retired from the museum, he returned to photography, never giving it up again. Stiechen spent much of his later life focusing on “my vital preoccupation”; delphiniums he cultivated at a breeding farm he owned in West Redding. He died at his home in 1973, on the day before his 94th birthday. He had been ill for many months. “Mr. Steichen, the country's most celebrated and highest priced photographer, was hailed as a craftsman of genius who transformed his medium into an art.” -NYT Obit https://www.instagram.com/p/B8MwLKwA8Zv/?igshid=3d2nkbkcg66f

Today’s Inspiration: Clare Potter Clare Potter was one of the first American designers to recieve name recognition, this was aided by the support of Dorthy Shaver (President of Lloyd & Taylor, the first woman to run a multimillion dollar company). In 1939 Potter designed the blue dress Elenore Roosevelt wore when meeting the King and Queen of England. Potter was born in 1903, in Jersey City. She took draping classes with the Art Students League, then studied design at the Pratt Institute. She found work with a dress manufacturer, took a 6 months “hiatus” in Mexico, then came back to 7th Ave to design for a RTW firm. In 1948 she founded Timbertop (with editor Martha Stout), . By the 1950’s she had her own, eponymous brand “Clarepotter” (a la Agustabernard; see past post). An avid sportswoman, Potter designed for active ladies like herself. “I aim to give them in a medium-priced, ready-to-wear costume what they would find in custom-made styles.'' In 1928, Vogue editor in-chief Edna Woolman brought 17 “notable” women together to form Fashion Group International, Inc., Potter was one of these women (so was Eleanor Roosevelt). In 1938 she was the first designer to receive the Lord & Taylor Design Award. She won a Neiman Marcus award in ‘39. & in ‘46 Potter shared a Coty Award with Omar Kiam and Vincent Monte-Sano. One of the designers credited with creating American sportswear in the 30’s & 40’s (along with McCardell & Lesser), Potter was known for her “imaginative use of color and simplicity of line.” In the mid 1950’s she purchased a farm, converted a barn into a workspace. “She wasn't influenced by Paris, but by the modern American leisure life style.'' In 1999 Potter died at her home in Fort Ann, NY at the age of 95; “at her death [she] was raising camellias and Dalmatians at her home on Lake Nebo.” Her husband (and patternmaker) had died in 1994. Potter left no survivors. “Clare remained physically active almost until the end.” ''She was incredibly important..she was one of that first group in the 1930's of designers recognized by name. She was recognized by American women for getting rid of ornamentation.”-Richard Martin (Met Curator) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8KIrm6AMRk/?igshid=15brotmf9z675

Today’s Inspiration: Adele Simpson Simpson was a post WWII innovator, she was among the first designers of her ilk to make coats with matching suits for the working woman, created a “career woman's wardrobe that included pants” & “introduced clothes that did not pull over the head.” Simpson’s designs “found favor among well-heeled women of her time in search of classic clothes that did not cost a month's rent.” Born in 1903 in NYC, she was the 5th daughter of Latvian immigrants, she was a child actor in vaudeville. She studied design at the Pratt Institute, after completing her degree she replaced one of her older sisters as lead designer for Ben Girshel “then an important Seventh Avenue manufacturer.” Within 4 years of beginning her design career she was “one of the highest-paid designers in the world.” After a few years she moved to Mary Lee, and in 1949 she bought the label, created Adele Simpson Inc. and presented her first collection. Simpson is credited with “Bringing cotton out of the kitchen”- she made it common to use cotton weave fabric in cocktail dresses. For a very long time cotton was considered cheap or informal. She won all the awards: 1946 Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service, the 1947 Coty Award, was the first winner of the Cotton Council's Cotton Fashion Award (there were more). Pat Nixon, Barbara Bush, & Lady Bird Johnson all wore her designs as First Ladies. Pat Nixon wore an ASI gown to the inaugural ball in 1973. Johnson wore a “wrinkle-resistant yellow silk street-length coat, matching princess-line dress and hat” designed by Simpson to her daughter’s wedding in 1966 (Luci). Her designs were sold at stores like B. Altman, Saks 5th Avenue and Bonwit Teller. Simpson continued to work well into her 70’s, eventually retiring around 1985. Her daughter ran the business for a few years, the family sold it to Barron Peters in 1991, “which has since filed for bankruptcy and discontinued the Adele Simpson line.” Simpson died at her home in Greenwich (Conn) in 1995 at 91. “The cause of death was not reported.” "She made clothes for ladies...were beautifully made and designed. It wasn't advanced, but that wasn't who she was after” https://www.instagram.com/p/B8HlCzQgA5I/?igshid=8jdpz3370tpd

Today’s Inspiration: Dame Zandra Rhodes Like the benevolent fashion Goddess she is, Zandra Rhodes released a 500+ image archive of her incredible body of work online (it’s free to dig through) in 2013, and not just because the clothing is drop-dead gorgeous. She’s one of an increasingly smaller group of designers who utilize teams of artisans using specialized, old-school techniques to make their apparel. Designers like her have prolonged the life of artisanal craft that is literally going extinct. Rhodes’ fascination with the preservation of garments led to her founding of the Fashion and Textile Museum, a contemporary fashion & textile museum in London in 2003. Born in 1940, in England (Chatham, Kent), mom was a fitter for the House of Worth before she taught art at Medway College (now University for the Creative Arts), where Rhodes would study textile design. “I am a textile designer who couldn’t find a job.” Early in her career she had a difficult time getting her fabrics produced; they “were considered outrageous by the traditional British manufacturers.”After a year partnering with another designer (1968) Rhodes started her own studio in West London, began to release her own collections. In 1970, Diana Vreeland a spread in Vogue that Rhodes credits for launching her career, pieces from Rhodes’ first collection, modeled by Natalie Wood. For the span of her career (and she still works) she used a traditional, done-by-hand process for creating the patterns on the textiles she used in her apparel. This comes from her training, Rhodes had studied textile design in college and her fabrics are integral to the look of her designs. The fabrics she uses are Silk-screened in-house before pieces are/were cut, sewn and then hand embellished. The best description I’ve read of Rhodes’ work is “audacious but feminine”. It’s an apt phrase, given that she designed for Princess Diana (for whom she made “fantasy dresses”), Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie-O & Freddie Mercury. “Rhodes' own lifestyle has proved to be as dramatic, glamorous and extrovert as her designs… she stamped her identity on the international world of fashion.” She was appointed CBE in 1997, DBE in 2014. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7_4q1TA1jm/?igshid=fvbqfqm30j49

Today’s Inspiration: Donyale Luna In 1966 Luna was the first Black model on the cover of British Vogue. Then editor, Beatrix Miller, said she picked Luna for her “bite and personality...her look was otherworldly. Luna was the first African American supermodel. Born in 1945, in Detroit, her parent’s marriage was bad, dad was a violent alcoholic. In 1964 photographer David McCabe saw Luna in Detroit; 'She was so tall and so slender...had the most incredible bone structure.” (This was the year of the Civil Rights Act.) McCabe asked Luna to call him if she ever came to NYC, and when she did, he introduced her to Avedon, then a staff photographer for Harper’s Bazaar (“I said you’ve got to see this girl. She’s just unbelievable.”). A caption from Avedon’s 6-page feature of Luna in 1965: “As worn by Donyale Luna with all the grace and strength of a Masai warrior.” Later that year, a sketch of Luna was on the cover. Hearst, the owner of HB did not approve, advertisers pulled their support, southern readers canceled subscriptions. Her career stalled, Avadon said this was due to 'racial prejudice and the economics of the fashion business'; 3 months later Luna’s mother killed her father in self-defense. Luna moved to London, found more success, photographer David Bailey said “Europeans didn’t have that kind of racial phobia that Americans had.” She gained “superstar status” in Europe; “Back in Detroit I wasn’t considered beautiful or anything, but here I’m different.” She was friends with rock stars, worked with Klein, Newton, and Warhol; Dali called her “the reincarnation of Nefertiti'. In 1969 she played Oenothera in Fellini’s Satyricon. Luna was muse to Rabanne & Gernreich. Luna began to use drugs and alcohol to excess (Klaus Kinski broke up with her over this). Her work suffered; she wouldn’t show up for jobs, 'She didn't have a hard time, she made it hard for herself.' In 1975 she posed for Playboy, married the photographer and in 1977 they had a daughter. Luna died in 1979, at 33, of a drug overdose (in Italy), leaving her (then estranged) husband to raise their daughter. “She didn’t have the time on Earth to have a legacy.” https://www.instagram.com/p/B79UL0Lg9dK/?igshid=m5aucj36t1wh

Today’s Inspiration: Donyale Luna In 1966 Luna was the first Black model on the cover of British Vogue. Then editor, Beatrix Miller, said she picked Luna for her “ bite and personality..her look was otherworldly. Luna was the first African American supermodel. Born in 1945, in Detroit, her parent’s marriage was bad, dad was a violent alcoholic. In 1964 photographer David McCabe saw Luna in Detroit; 'She was so tall and so slender...had the most incredible bone structure.' (This was the year of the Civil Rights Act.) McCabe asked Luna to call him if she ever came to NYC, and when she did, he introduced her to Avedon, then a staff photographer for Harper’s Bazaar (“I said you’ve got to see this girl. She’s just unbelievable.”). A caption from Avedon’s 6-page feature of Luna in 1965: “As worn by Donyale Luna with all the grace and strength of a Masai warrior.” Later that year, a sketch of Luna was on the cover. Hearst, the owner of HB did not approve, advertisers pulled their support, southern readers canceled subscriptions. Her career stalled, Avadon said this was due to 'racial prejudice and the economics of the fashion business'; 3 months later Luna’s mother killed her father in self-defense. Luna moved to London, found more success, photographer David Bailey said “Europeans didn’t have that kind of racial phobia that Americans had.” She gained “superstar status” in Europe; “Back in Detroit I wasn’t considered beautiful or anything, but here I’m different.” She was friends with rock stars, worked with Klein, Newton, and Warhol; Dali called her “the reincarnation of Nefertiti'. In 1969 she played Oenothera in Fellini’s Satyricon. Luna was muse to Rabanne & Gernreich. Luna began to use drugs and alcohol to excess (Klaus Kinski broke up with her over this). Her work suffered, she wouldn’t show up for jobs, 'She didn't have a hard time, she made it hard for herself.' In 1975 she posed for Playboy, married the photographer and in 1977 they had a daughter. Luna died in 1979, at 33, of a drug overdose (in Italy), leaving her (then estranged) husband to raise their daughter. “She didn’t have the time on Earth to have a legacy.” https://www.instagram.com/p/B79RnA5Ay6z/?igshid=iq5j00bdnenx

Today’s Inspiration: House of Weeks There is very little information about Maison Weeks. Here is what I know: The Parisian haute couture atelier was located at 156 Boulevard Haussemann, in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. It was run by a Monsieur Weeks, likely the designer/proprietor of an eponymous house. “It is always a pleasure to visit the Maison Weeks; the salons are beautiful, and there is a quiet dignity about the place which is very agreeable and restful. Monsieur Weeks is kindness itself, always willing and glad to do anything in his power to please his customers...his taste is absolutely perfect, and he has thoroughly grasped the art of making a woman look chic and yet ladylike- a difficult art with the short skirt in fashion.” (Harper’s Bazaar, November of 1916) Weeks produced evening wear and clokes, dramatic pieces, incredibly expensive. Monsieur Weeks played with silhouettes, blending the revival of Empire Style lines with the S-Curve Corset, resulting in languorous shapes and soft, feminine curves. “Weeks as usual created his designs with the idea of conserving the youthful lines. There was no attempt to be eccentric.” (HB, 1916) These exquisite designs were made of silks, taffetas, satins, and tulle. They were ornately decorated with rhinestones, pearls, crystals, and lace. The work interesting, some of the dresses above mix contrasting patterns or motifs- like paisley against the polka dots, or decadent embroidery set against high contrast design elements. The latest references I can find about Maison Weeks are from 1920. Weeks pieces are in some of the world’s best museums; the Met, Victoria & Albert, the Chicago History Museum; donations from wealthy society ladies like Mrs. Bertha Palmer, an American who commissioned a Weeks evening gown for King George V’s coronation. (1914 ad by Marshall & Snelgrove for a Maison Weeks collection: “We are exhibiting in our show-rooms the entire collection of gowns, cloaks and furs originated by Maison Weeks of Paris for the present and winter seasons...Mr. John Marshall, or Mr. Bell, Directors, will be very glad to meet American Buyers who wish to get to the heart of things without delay.”) https://www.instagram.com/p/B76sSBTAW_r/?igshid=mss8h3gsvonj

Today’s Inspiration: Paco Rabanne A believer in past lives, Rabanne publicly claimed that he “traveled to Earth from the planet Altair, to organize civilization on this planet 78,000 years ago”; predicting that Russian Space Station Mir would fall on Paris in 1999 didn’t help his “flighty” reputation. But Rabanne has always been a progressive, forward thinker & his pedigree in fashion could never be questioned. Rabanne was born outside San Sebastián, Spain in 1934. Mom was head tailor at Balenciaga; Dad, a Colonel, was executed by Fascists, they became refugees in 1939, fled Spain for France. He studied architecture in Paris while designing ostentatious costume jewelry on the side. Though “Most couturiers gave me the boot”, houses like Schiaparelli, Balenciaga & Givenchy bought his work. In 1965, at 30, the Basque designer released his first apparel collection “The Unwearables” (how can you NOT love a name like that?). His runway show used music (which simply wasn’t done) and featured models of color. Saying “sewing is a bondage”, his designs were made of metal & plastic (his fav? Rhodoid an incombustible thermoplastic). Coco Chanel famously dismissed him as “that metallurgist” (he would release Métal “a fragrance for young women who adore metal accessories” in 1979). In ‘67 he made paper dresses,‘68 was beaten aluminium, ‘72 was ostrich & velcro, ‘82 was reflective glass, ‘84 was chainmaille. His jewelry & accessories were fantastic commercial successes. He sold “Paco’s Sewing Kit” for DIY enthusiasts to remake one of his pieces at home (I need one, BADLY). Peggy Guggenheim was one of his most faithful (and first!) clients; he also designed for Françoise Hardy, Brigitte Bardot, Mylène Farmer & Liz Taylor. He designed the green costume Jane Fonda wore in Barbarella. Donyale Luna was his muse, arguably the first Black supermodel. Rabanne retired in 1999, though the brand continues on today. In 2005, the 72 year old had an exhibition of his drawings in Moscow. He was made an Officer of the Legion d’Honneur in 2010. “It is important to remain impertinent, radical...Creation must ‘shock.” -Rabanne https://www.instagram.com/p/B74DDHLA4V1/?igshid=mkq7cn5jpiz4

Today’s Inspiration: John Rawlings 1912 - 1970 When he left Condé Nast around 1945, Rawlings had shot the cover images for more than 200 issues of Vogue and Glamour, left an archive of more than 30k photographs of his work for the publishing giant. Between 1936-1945, Rawlings was a staff photographer, worked at Nast’s studios in New York City, London and Paris. Born in 1912, in Ohio, Rawlings studied at Wesleyan University, graduated in 1930. After getting his degree, Rawlings moved to New York where he worked as a window dresser. Condé Nast hired him in 1936. He was an apprentice to, and prop builder for, Horst P. Horst and Cecil Beaton. He was quickly promoted, had his first photos published in Vogue the same year that he was hired (in the September issue, no less). His wife, Babs, was a fashion illustrator/editor, the NYT wrote that “[when they] were not producing stories, they were in them...Babs was famous for her Champagne-soaked barbecued seafood and tarte tatin, as well as her tart remarks.” (Babs needs her own profile, coming soon, I promise.) Rawlings played with lighting in his images, real and artificial, used mirrors to play with reflected light. He kept a list of his favorite models to work with. It included Helen Benett, Dana Jenney, Betty McLauchlen and Meg Mundi. He was one of the editorial photographers responsible for creating the iconic, mid-century “American” look. In 1945 he opened his own studio in NYC, focused on commercial/editorial images, did some work on commercials (TV). Rawlings published 2 books on photography; one in 1951 (100 Studies of the Figure), the other in 1966 (The Photographer and His Model). Over the course of his career he shot nearly everyone who mattered in fashion, film and high society, including Marlene Dietrich, Salvador Dalí, and Veronica Lake. Rawling died on a Sunday in 1970, from cancer, at the Roosevelt Hospital. He was 58. “[Rawlings was] The first major Conde Nast photographer to demonstrate a truly American eye.” -Charles Dare Scheips Jr. (Former Director of the CN archive) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7ylcZLArnU/?igshid=15o6lv1tcze9b

Today’s Inspiration: Thea Porter 'Thea's are the only clothes I never throw away.' - Joan Collins During the 1970’s kaftans from Turkey and Afghanistan became immensely popular in the west, thanks to, at least in part, Thea Porter. In 1964 Porter moved to London “Half-French, half-English” Porter was born in 1927 in Jerusalem, was raised in Damascus. Dad was an Arabist theologian, mom was a French missionary. She began her career working in interior design, for Elizabeth Eaton. Inspired by (and obsessed with) the luxurious fabrics which surrounded her youth, Porter began to create her own versions of chazara jackets, sirwal skirts, kaftans, abayas, Berber djellaba and African dashiki. She used the best fabrics; vintage 1930s French voiles, Ottoman velvets, Swiss chiffons, & brocades; as well as various on Indian handprints and traditional Islamic embroidery. Her first wholesale client as a fashion designer was Henri Bendel, in 1968. By the 1970’s Porter had basically created, or at least elevated, the concept of bohemian chic. She dressed some of the most fashionable women in the world including Elizabeth Taylor, Faye Dunaway, Joan Collins, Barbra Streisand, Lauren Bacall, Talitha Getty, Bianca Jagger, Princess Margaret, Edna O'Brien, & Sharon Tate. Porter’s work was sold at “Magnin in San Francisco and Giorgio of Beverly Hills.” Hardy Amies once described a costume she made for Begum Aga Khan as ''pre-guillotine.'' Porter was a designer without much business acumen- though her clothing sold exceptionally well (there were years when Giorgio BH sold about $300,000/year in just Thea Porter). She was constantly opening one business, closing another. There was a whole string of studios, shops & boutiques that opened briefly and closed with varying degrees of personal devastation. In 1994 Porter was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, moved to a nursing home in Kensington. She died in July of 2000 at the age of 72. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7ee_gkgNnT/?igshid=lqe8qaex6ia9

Today’s Inspiration: Norman Parkinson When Parks opened his studio (at 21, 1934) he went “wild”. He had trained and worked at Speaight & Sons (court photographers), once free he did exactly what he wanted “luring debutantes to his studio with promises of a ride in his four-seater tourer.” He blended names with a friend to create the Norman Parkinson Studio, the partnership lasted a few months. He kept the name though, worked under it professionally his whole life. Cecil Beaton (rival?) called him “‘a bit flash.’ Ronald Parkinson Smith was born in 1913, dad was a lawyer. By the mid-30’s he was working for Harper’s Bazaar, taking pictures that were nothing like the elegant, static editorial images people were used to. ‘I only knew girls that jumped & ran. So I started to photograph these girls. Everyone said, “How bold!”’ A pilot in WWII ‘doing reconnaissance, that sort of thing’ (supposedly, apparently this is unconfirmed) In 1941 he began to work for Vogue , became one of their “star contributors”, worked with them for about 40 years. In 1956 he did a “groundbreaking” shoot in Kashmir. Diana Vreeland said “How clever of you, Parks, to know that pink is the navy blue of India.” He took famous photos of Jerry Hall, Grace Coddington, Carmen Dell’Orefice, and was the photographer Twiggy asked to photograph her while pregnant with her daughter (Carly) in 1978. His other images are mostly portraits, like the one he took of Princess Ann for her 21st birthday in 1971 (also shot one of the Queen Mum in 1980). Twiggy once called him ''one of the great eccentrics of the photographic world. He was a perfect gentleman and an amazing creative photographer.'' He was 6’5”, had a flair for personal style, kept a “ large white last-days-of-the-Empire moustache”. He spent the last 25 years of his life living on the island of Tobago, where he bred horses and pigs, indulged in his favorite hobbies: “sun worshiping, bird watching”. Parks died in Singapore, at 76, in 1990. He’d suffered a brain hemorrhage in his hotel room, had been working on a shoot for Town & County in the Malaysian jungle. “His illness was complicated by bronchial pneumonia & heart problems. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7bqvufAkoD/?igshid=wwmepzydrsco

Today’s Inspiration: Bill Tice Bill Tice staged elaborate fashion shows to present his new work; held them at “major” art museums, once his models were skiers coming down a dark mountain in Alaska, another at a Monte-Carlo tennis tournament. He had “the flair of a showman.” Tice was born in Indiana in 1943, studied apparel design at the University of Cincinnati, began working in fashion (NYC) in the 1960’s at variety of RTW brands. By 1969 he was a VP at Royal Robes, launched his own brand, ESP, a few years later, between 1975 - 1984 he designed for Swirl. He designed for Malcolm Starr and received awards from the American Printed Fabrics Council in 1971 & 1988, the Coty Award for lingerie in 1974. In ‘85 he published a book called "Enticements: How to Look Fabulous in Lingerie" (yes, I need to find myself a copy of it). “Tice gives some good tips for the kinds of lingerie that suit various body types and help to disguise figure flaws, but other than that the book seems to have no other purpose than to feed the readers' fantasies. That it does well. The photographs are gorgeous, the prose lush. A pleasant piece of fluff, no more.” Tice was known for lounge-wear, was one of the 1970’s designers who created relaxed, dresses, pajamas and robes that could be worn at home or out on the town, “closely pleated caftans, jersey floats, and the quilted gypsy look.” He used natural fibers (like silk or cotton) in wild colors and loud patterns. His price points were were affordable. Tice moved to Phoenix, AZ in the early 1990’s; died of lung cancer in 1995, after about 30 years in the fashion industry; he was only 52. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7ZQLKcBU_G/?igshid=t4mfrwitgy04

Today’s Inspiration: Michel Goma Because he began his career at such a young age, Goma was sometimes called the “baby of couture”. The first collection he designed for the House of Jean Patou was “exceptionally well-received”. Born in France in 1932, Goma studied fine art before moving to Paris (circa 1951) where he began his career in apparel design. He started by selling fashion illustrations, got a design job at Jeanne LaFaurie (1951-58), worked his way up to the position of house designer. Around 1958 he bought the house, renamed it, and designed under his own name until 1963 when his house closed. In 1963 he began to design for Patou, Jean Paul Gaultier was his assistant, he would stay at the house for about a decade (Gaultier would take over designing when Goma left). Around the same time, Goma was also designing the RTW lines for Carven, also doing freelance design work for a Japanese line of stores called Isetan (designing everything from wedding gowns to luggage and vehicles). He designed some exceptional dresses, gowns, coats and suits; Goma dressed Jackie-O and the Empress of Iran. Between 1987-1992 Goma was the head of Balenciaga’s RTW line, it was the rebirth of the house, which had been closed since 1968 (the Master Of Us All died in ‘72). Before and after this 5-year stint Goma was known for his “Balenciaga-like precision”, in many ways he was a sculptor of fabric. Goma was always noted for his craft, his ability to create minimalist designs that oozed elegance. Goma was apparently “self-conscious about his weight”, but he used this insecurity productively, designed clothing in many more (and larger) sizes than couture houses generally offered. Now retired, it is difficult to find much information about Goma and his current life, though he apparently does take on some (occasional) freelance design work, hand-picking the projects he wants to work on. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Wne5OgX0_/?igshid=1ys4f9b7hs6

Today’s Inspiration: Wallis Simpson “That Woman” had a pillow with ''One can never be too rich or too thin” embroidered on it. An American, part of an “international social set that flitted in & out of London in the period between WWI & WWII”, was on her 2nd marriage when she met Prince Edward VIII (Ed) in 1930. Born in 1896, parents were from “long-established American families”; Dad died young, Wallis & her mother lived in “genteel poverty” (Baltimore); family paid for her schooling. In 1914 she debuted into society, at 20 she married, first divorced in 1927. She met Ernest Simpson (British) in NYC, married him in 1928; they split their time between NYC & London. She made friends with Vanderbilts, Morgans, & Lady Furness (Ed’s “most frequent female companion”). Furness helped Wallis get her official court presentation, not easy for a divorced American to arrange. Everyone became friends; in 1934 Wallis & Ed “crossed the line that marks the indefinable boundary between friendship & love.” Wallis had a dominating personality & Ed liked this, his official biographer wrote that he was "slavishly dependent" upon her. 1936 was a debacle: King George died, Wallis got divorced again, Ed was awaiting coronation; expecting to marry Wallis but was told that if they married, his government would resign, he would be unable to form a new one. ''It now comes to this: Either I must give you up or abdicate. And I don't intend to give you up.'' Ed’s brother became King, he married Wallis in ‘37; left England for France, was governor of the Bahamas for 5 years. They were too close to the Third Reich; socialized with Hitler’s envoys, though Wallis would deny being pro-Nazi (not exactly sure how that works). They spent the 50’s & 60’s “living a life of leisure as society celebrities.” In 1956 she published her memoirs ''The Heart Has Its Reasons.'' They were socialites; served on committees, attended charity galas; Wallis spent years on the International Best Dressed List. No kids. Edward died of cancer in 1972, Wallis was allowed to stay at Buckingham Palace for the funeral. Then she left society, had dementia, & died in 1986, having refused any visitors but doctors. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7T_MRkAXxL/?igshid=1ru4zbgbx1ez3

Today’s Inspiration: Julie Harris Harris had an incredibly diverse fashion and costume design career. She costumed Roger Moore’s James Bond movie Live and Let Die (1973), dressed the Beatles for two short films (“I must be one of the few people who can claim they have seen John, Paul, George and Ringo naked.”). She won an Oscar for Darling in 1965, the last year that black and white movies were in a separate category from color films (Harris was too busy working to attend the ceremony), and won a BAFTA for The Wrong Box. She even worked on ‘The Great Muppet Caper” and dressed Frank Langella for 1979’s Dracula. Born Diana Julie Harris in 1921, she was educated at the Chelsea Art School, then worked as a “high-fashion dressmaker”. Harris was seriously injured when the German’s bombed a nightclub; this led to her serving in the British Army (women’s branch) during WWII. after the war she apprenticed as a designer in the British film industry, trained under Elizabeth Haffenden. Her first solo credit was 1947s “Holiday Camp” (Gainsborough Pictures). In the early ‘50s she got a contract with Rank, dressed starlets on film and created gowns for them to wear down red carpets and to festivals like Cannes. She created costumes for directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder and John Schlesinger; designed apparel for clients like Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall, & Jayne Mansfield. Harris’ favorite project was The Slipper and the Rose, a 1976 Cinderella adaptation directed by Bryan Forbes. While working on A Hard Day’s Night, the band found out it was her birthday. Harris would tell people she “dined out for years afterwards telling friends that I’d been serenaded by the Fab Four all singing Happy Birthday to me”. After a more-than 40 year career, 80+ movies, Harris retired in ‘91 to paint. She had spent the last years of her incredible career focusing on TV movies, but continued to apply her work ethic like no other. In 2015 she died, at 94, in London after suffering “complications following a chest infection”. She never got married and had no children. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7MQ10MAU9k/?igshid=158us60j6n5pt

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