Monthly Archives: July 2021

…………………….I had my Ink Blot design printed on Silk Cady in Italy….Silk Cady is a multi ply silk which is heavier than a silk crepe de Chine. It is also MUCH more expensive, and is used only on Designer lines and for the Couture. Meghan Markle’s wedding dress was made in Silk Cady…. It can go up to 8 or 10 ply. It has a matte finish and is often double faced. It is only sold in Italy, and is not avail in this country…The silhouettes were always simple. To the left a long zip front V-neck jacket over a black pencil skirt. To the right an Ink Blot elongated blazer over a matching pencil skirt. The red tank was a sweater knit…..The printed Silk Cady was sent to my shoe manufacturer to have the shoes made……….The shoe made the whole look so much more exciting and very “DESIGNER”!

……………………….THE SILK CADY A-LINE DRESS in the Ink Blot print was a beauty…….simple, but very CHIC…….and the jewelry……OH LA LA!!!! One might think that on a dress like this you should keep the accessories simple……..au contraire…..ask Iris Apfel………”a little is good a lot is better!”…..It is exactly on a bold print like this that a BOLD necklace is needed or else something simple will be lost and insignificant….The necklace and earring were made of Black Glass Jet and Glass Pearls. The clip back earring was a cluster of jets with hanging jets and tiny pearls, and then the larger pearl tear drops. The magnificent Bib/Choker necklace again, was rows of black jet and small pearls with layered hanging teardrop pearls. It truly was a spectacular piece, and the fashion jewelry buyers of the best stores and boutiques went wild when they saw these pieces. They all wanted “show stoppers” in their jewelry cases just to get the customers to stop and look….and that they did. These pieces got a lot of editorial exposure….This print and jewelry was not for the faint of heart, but when you are designing an expensive Designer line, the faint of heart is not the customer you are designing for…..Doesn’t Christy look amazing! She was and I’m sure still is one of the sweetest most professional models I ever worked with. She was “super” in every way.

……………….I designed this print and it was actually an INK BLOT! I had sheets and sheets of super large white paper, and dropped blobs of black paint on the paper. Then folded it in half to get the other matched side. Once they were dried I hung them all around the design studio, and all of my assistants voted on which they liked best. They were numbered 1 through 10, and they wrote the number they liked down on a piece of paper and put them in a box. I then tallied them up. Of course I made the final decision, but it was a fun game to play, and they all felt involved in the process. This coat was printed on a heavier weight wool crepe.The coat had a zip front with a shirt collar and the Trapeze shape showed the print well……..The sleeveless wool crepe skimmer dress was in the red of the collection. I also had the print done on a Silk Cady, and that is what the pump is made of……I loved designing shoes, and it was so much fun to be able to have them in the matching prints……..They were fabulous shoes on their own.

…………………KELLY GREEN done well is a beautiful rich , and wearable color. It shouldn’t have too much yellow…..it should be on the bluer side of the spectrum…..The simplicity of a wool crepe TRAPEZE short dress with short sleeves, and band pockets is all you need to tell the “color story”……..The zip front elongated jacket with the shirt color, and gently shaped body, looks fresh over a matching  short sleeve sweater and ivory crepe walking shorts…………..GOLD looks perfect as an accent in the door knocker earring and bold link belt.

………………….The Coty Awards were the most prestigious award given in the Fashion industry. It was to fashion what the Oscar is to movies. Five  designers were nominated [Donna and I were a team], and two would win. Perry Ellis, Steven Burrows and Charles Suppon were the other designers. Perry and Steven were older then us, but Charles was our age. Charles, Donna and I decided to give a BIG BLOW OUT PARTY at Studio 54, win or loose! We had photos done of the three of us together playing the parts of a trio. They were blown up to this huge bigger than life size, and 10 of them were hung from the ceiling of Studio 54, and one was at the entrance. It was an invitation only event and we took Studio 54 over for the night….The place was packed with designers, models, people from the fashion industry, friends and family. We won that year [Charles lost], and I don’t remember who the other designer was that won. Actually, I don’t remember much of what happened that night, but from a few remaining pictures we all had a GREAT TIME! This was our second win! Donna and I went on to receive another Coty Award in 1981 which made three. Then we were inducted into the Coty Hall of Fame in 1982……all before the age of 34.