Yearly Archives: 2021

………………..I can only assume, my memory not being as sharp as it once was [it was never very good as Jac always told me], that these clothes were for a special PM Style presentation for the Holidays…….Starting at the bottom left…..this SUEDE and METALLIC LEATHER jacket was very elaborate. It was inspired by an exhibit I had seen many years before…..1983…..It was the YSL exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art, organized by Diana Vreeland. It was the first time an exhibit was done for a living couturier’s work. I remember going to the black tie event, and being overwhelmed by the amount of beautiful clothes in magnificent settings, and music chosen for each rooms theme of clothing. It was a star studded gala of all the “beautiful people” of NYC, Chicago, Dallas etc. Socialites and more socialites…..all customers of YSL…. Diana Vreeland was wearing a YSL black velvet jacket with stupendous Pagoda sleeves [the shoulders were very extended and turned up into peaks], and it had elaborate gold emb. placed somewhat like my jacket….only MORE. My zip front jacket however was not short on details! The entire jacket was banded in the metallic leather. Chinese scroll work patterns went around the armhole and continued unbroken across the shoulder and down the front. These scroll work bands also outlined the pockets……It was truly a gorgeous jacket…..It came in Black with matte gold metallic leather……The next very 60s/70s dress was in a cotton/acrylic Milano stitch, so the knit held the A-line shape beautifully. The dress was bordered in EMERALD cut SQUARE sew on beads….one right next to the other. They bordered the square neckline, the short sleeve and the bottom hem. It came in Black with Black Jet beads and Magenta with tonal Magenta stones…..It really looked like a boutique dress, without the boutique price!……..The next outfit consisted of a tunic and pant. It was in a poly blend Ponte knit. This Ponte compared with the Super Ponte [which was primarily rayon], had a warmer hand and was softer and had more drape. The Super Ponte is more substantial…..The tunic had a wide funnel neckline, and long sleeves. Both the sleeves and the bottom hem were bordered with 2 1/4 inches of BLACK BUGLE BEADS. There was also a separate Ponte pull-on straight leg  pant……..It always reminded me of Rosalind Russel in “Auntie Mame” hosting one of her cocktail parties……The next top was in STRETCH VELVET. It was styled from a dancer’s ballet top with beautiful embroidery…The embroidery was a mix of the flat back emerald cut stones in squares and oblongs in different sizes, mixed with  cupped sequin also in two sizes. Unfortunately, I don’t have a layout of the emb. for you to get a better idea, but it was very beautiful and very special……It came in Black with Matte Gold beads and sequins, and Gunmetal with gunmetal emb.

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……………………….This “Runway to Reality” show had only a few “designers” in it. We had to have the actual runway piece the QVC garment was inspired by. Both the original and the one created for QVC were shown on the runway. It was a fun concept, and a fun show to do……..Naturally, I had an Anne Klein Boucle Tuxedo. The fabric was French and the satin was nice and weighty so no backing to beef it up was necessary….just some fine tailoring. Elaine did a marvelous job of reproducing it, and I’m sure many of you still have it….a TIMELESS PIECE…….It came in Black with Black satin, and a Deep Magenta with Black Satin…There were matching boucle skirts…..The next sweater was I believe in silk/nylon. It had small cupped sequins sewn upside down so they had a slight dome. It came in RED with Matte Gold sequins, and BLACK with Silver Matte sequins……..The original piece it was inspired by was an Anne Klein mini dress with spaghetti straps. It was a sort of slip dress, but the neckline just went straight across the chest with the straps to hold it up. The emb. pattern was the same swirling pattern, and was inspired by a combination of Van Gogh’s Starry night and an Italian fabric I used in a similar pattern……However…..the dress was complete covered in Swarovski BLACK JET BEADS and CRYSTAL BEADS….The dress was quite weighty but FABULOUS. Jac wore it in the QVC show, and in the Anne Klein show. She also wore it to a few very special events, but it was the type of very memorable dress you couldn’t wear often. I had asked her if it was too heavy to wear. She had worn many many embroidered and big gowns that were even more heavy in fashion shows, and answered me with a smile on her face, “one must suffer for fashion!”

………………………….For the “RUNWAY TO REALITY SHOW” that QVC did there were about 5 of us who participated. The Tuxedo was the inspiration for one of my garments. The QVC Tuxedo was very similar to the AK Tuxedo……They were both made in BOUCLE. The fabric for the AK jacket came from France. The satin trims were almost the same. The QVC jacket had the satin lapels, covered buttons and pocket bands, but the AK Tuxedo also satin bands at the hem of the sleeves. The DB silhouette and the cutaway bottom were the same. Elaine sent Jac’s Tuxedo jacket to China to copy so they could really get a good look at the fabric, shape and details. Jac wasn’t very happy about sending one of her favorite jackets to China, but Elaine promised it would be back in a week. The jacket above was fit on Jac, and it fit like a glove! It was returned in one week, and I have to say they did a fabulous job of recreating the Anne Klein Tuxedo. I showed it on the AK runway with sheer silk georgette pants completely embroidered with small bugle beads. The top was a sheer stretch mesh THONG BODYSUIT. It too was strategically embroidered from the bust line down with bugle beads, so when you wore the Tuxedo all you saw was sheer black mesh, but when you opened it up….WOW! I just recently gave the pieces to Chantal, and she looked fabulous. I hope Jac is happy with my choice of who to give it to……………Unfortunately I couldn’t find a photo of the crystal and jet swirl pattern spaghetti strap mini dress.

……………………….The Oct 08 group of clothing brought the coming Holidays to mind……Starting at the bottom left the Stretch Gaberdine Blazer. It had four patch pockets with bands of black flat sequins on Ivory and Black.It had three beautiful black jet faceted buttons down the front and one on each sleeve……The Black cardigan was in Rayon/nylon [WK]. It was a ribbed sweater and every other row had sequins in the rib, and it was emb. all over, front, back and sleeves.The next two pieces were wonderful as a two piece dress, and on their own as fabulous separates. The short sleeve wide V-neck sweater had a band of sequins on the V, and a panel of sequins down the front. The pull-on skirt had sequins all over. It looked fabulous with the blazer and the cardigan…..The next sweater was a direct reproduction from one I did at AK which Jac still wore. The AK top was in a cashmere/lycra jersey fabric. The one for QVC was a cashmere/silk/lycra sweater. The collar was very versatile and could be styled many ways….off the shoulders, off one shoulder, worn up on both shoulders or pitched forward like a luxurious cowl……….The jacket at the upper left was made in a marvelous fabric. The look was that of an antique silk woven with a metallic thread., and it was stretch….It looked like a fabric you would see in Florence, Italy. It was a swing jacket with raglan sleeves. The center of the sleeve from the stand collar had a deep stitched down invert pleat that was released just below  what would have been the cap of the sleeve. This gave the sleeve a beautiful poetic  fullness that was held by a two inch cuff. There were slanted band pockets in the front that lined up with the A-Line swing. The back had a V yoke and an invert pleat that added to the sweep of the jacket………….The last blouse was in georgette in RED and IVORY. This was inspired by a blouse that Valentino, the master Italian designer had given to Jac as a gift when she worked for him creating the looks for his show. Hers was in Valentino RED. My blouse for QVC didn’t have the volume or billowiness or the amount of ruffles that Jac’s blouse had, but the size and type of ruffles was the same. It was a beautiful dress blouse and wonderful with the sequin pant, but it would have looked just s beautiful with jeans and high heel sandals.

………………For Oct. these 4 pieces were also part of the presentation……The Acrylic/Wool Dress was I thought at the time very clever!??? and something interesting for someone to buy. It had a raglan sleeve and a funnel neck, but it was a FOUR FOR ONE!. It had two HORIZONTAL ZIPPERS. First you had a DRESS….zip off the bottom and you had a TUNIC sweater…..zip off that section and you had a fun CROP SWEATER which I thought looked very ski resort with ski pants. If you zipped the bottom of the dress to the top, without the center band, you had a short dress…….It came in Black and Royal both with gold zippers. I always thought it would be fun to get the two colors and create color block dresses and tunics……The sweater to the right was in the acrylic/wool Milano stitch, so it was more of a sweater jacket weight……It had fun details. The bands down the front, [upper and lower level], and the bands on the side slits [upper and lower] were Gros Grain ribbon. It had half ball snaps closures…..It came in RED and GREEN…..no BLACK….shocking……The two center pieces were in a very special GUTSY STRETCH SATIN…..The inspiration was Cristobal Balenciaga…one of the true geniuses of Fashion! This jacket was all about form and shape. Pleats and the back invert pleat helped to add the shape and volume I was looking for. Even the horizontal band pockets helped to push the shape out. The full 3/4 sleeve was much in the feeling to C.B. There was also a coordinating pant…..The colors were Black and Pewter.