Yearly Archives: 2022

On February 3rd, 2000 Jac and I became man and wife. Today would have been our 22nd Anniversary. We got married in Las Vegas at the famous “Little White Chapel”. There were so many pictures on the wall of all the celebrities that got married there…..some twice and three times! It was strange that they would have pictures of all their spouses posted on the wall! We were married by Reverend Stone. Andrea Pfister and Jean Pierre Dupre, our best friends, were our witnesses……Actually it was their idea that we accompany them to Vegas for the international shoe show that they were showing in. It was all spur of the moment! We were having dinner in NYC and Andrea said, “come with us to Vegas and get married”….It was so random…Jac and I looked at each other and thought why not! We knew we were going to get married, but we were always so busy we never could plan for it ….so let’s do it!. Off we went. We asked the concierge for help, and he recommended a few chapels. Jac wanted Elvis to marry us, but I said if an Elvis impersonator married us I would never feel it was real….so we went with The Little White Chapel…..We bought their package!……A limo…..a video and the music on a  boom box. They also offered a bouquet, but Jac said no. She also said she wanted a black limo, but they only had white or pink. I explained to Jac that in Vegas they used black limos for funerals. So the white limo showed up in front of the Bellagio Hotel where we were staying. Andrea thought Jac should have flowers so he went into the flower bed and picked some red flowers and handed them to Jac…..It was all a little crazy….but so memorable.

…………….This is one of my favorite photos of Jac and me…………We were in Greece [look at the newspaper], and spent the day site seeing with Elena. First we went to the Goulandris Natural History Museum of Athens. It is owned by the Goulandris family, one of the wealthiest in Greece……Elena worked for Nikki Goulandris as her personal assistant. Nikki was a lovely older lady, and for all of her wealth was very humble. She invited us to dinner at her modest home where we met her husband. I remember Nikki, who was about 5’3″, reaching up to me and taking my face gently in her hands. She said to me…”you could be Greek”…..Elena latter told us she was flirting! How cute is that!! Next we went to the National Art Museum. There were incredible things to be seen, but I was a little surprised at the condition the museum was in. It certainly was not up to par with the standards of American, British and French Museums. It really is a shame that masses of Greece’s treasures and artifacts were stolen by the English, French and even the USA……..Next we went to the open air market, or as it is know in Athens…The Placca…..It was brutally hot, as Athens can be, but we shopped anyway!!. Elena took us to the famous tiny sandal shop that made sandals for many celebrities over the years, and there were photos of them all over the walls. There were photos of Jacqui K Onassis having sandals made. The owner, a slight older man was there. He helped Jac and I, and we bought three pair of strappy sandals each. They looked like something ancient Greeks would wear….I still have a pair in the back of my walk in closet…..We were starting to melt so Elena suggested we go for an iced drink and ice cream! PERFECT! It was just what we needed. The photo was taken by Elena at an outdoor restaurant. I think I had three iced coffees!. I just had to rest my weary head on a wonderful welcoming pillow. I remember this moment as if it were yesterday! The very best memories!

……………..I was looking at e-bay this morning, which I hardly ever do, and to my surprise was the “LEMON TEE SHIRT”! This was supposed to be on my Spring 2021 show that never was. I’m can only suppose that Elaine sold off her remaining samples, and this was one……so it’s brand new, a size sm sample…….100% cotton, and lots of fun for a one of a kind tee at $13.99. It would look great with the white tiered eyelet skirt, the boho, shorts, carpis, and white or blue jeans….It would even be cute under a jean jacket or white or navy blazer. I thought I’d pass this along, because I don’t think it will last long….I think it’s on page 10 or higher.

………………….Just the other day I got a surprise phone call from one of my dearest friends……….ELENA………….Elena lives in Athens, Greece, and she was checking up on me to make sure I was OK. Even in Greece she heard about the terrible snow storm on CNN we had here in New England……..I assured her I was fine…………………….Elena was actually a dear friend of Jac’s, and I met Elena through Jac. Elena was also a model. She was born in Sweden, and is a true Swedish beauty. I’m not sure if they met in NYC or in Europe….Elena will have to tell me that story…..The belonged to the same Model Agency….Anyway they worked often together doing the same shows. Because they were both tall, blond and had a similar look and body type…they were often paired together. Jac knew Elena way before Jac and I were together. Jac told me one summer she traveled with Elena and a small group of musicians and a female singer that were all friends of Elena’s. They traveled that summer all over the Peloponnese, the southern tip of Greece, in a small van…..They would stop along the way, and the band would play in tavernas to make money……..Jac said they had a great time……a great adventure ……It was in one of these tavernas that Jac met Angelo Vassiliou. He tried to pick Jac up, but Jac instead introduced him to Elena…..THAT WAS IT…….SPARKS FLEW!!!!……..I think it may have been love at first sight, because Elena stayed in Greece, gave up modeling, and married Angelo, which in Greek means “little Angel”. Angelo lived in a beautiful, well known part of Athens…..The very first time I met Angelo I was on my way home to NYC from a vacation I took with friends in Mykonos….Jac was visiting with Elena and they invited me to stop in Athens for a few days before returning to NYC. Angelo and I hit it off immediately…kindred spirits……Elena was very pregnant, and Jac wanted to spend time with her before the baby came. A few months later they had a son…..Yanni……The next time Jac and I went to Greece together to visit Elena and Angelo…..Yanni was now 3 or 4. He had Elena’s blond hair and Angelo’s big brown eyes…..he was a beautiful little boy, but not very trusting of strangers….especially strangers who couldn’t speak Greek!……..However, Jac easily won him over with the presents she brought for him!……..,TRANSFORMERS!!!!! They were very hot and very new at the time, and they couldn’t be gotten in Athens. He was so excited with his new toys. We all became fast friends…….To this day he still speaks of the transformers Jac brought to him…..he still may have them!?…We all went off to Mykonos…..This was about 30 years ago. Mykonos was a fun island, but nothing like what it is today…..There were very few hotels, and many visitors rented rooms in people’s houses…..It was much more laid back, and not the scene it is today……We went to the beach every day, and I played with Yanni in the sea….We went to a taverna on the beach for lunch where we had cold white wine, and wonderful Greek salads……..The large picture above is of Jac, Elena and me at a sea side restaurant that we went to for dinner. Elena was picking out the lobsters to give to the chef for our dinner!…..During our recent phone conversation Elena and I discussed the fact that Angelo isn’t in any of the pictures!….because he was always taking them!!!…….I had many more photos, but I can’t find them…..It’s been so many years ago I have no idea where to look……..Elena and Angelo are now grandparents to a little girl named Phoenix who is 9 months old! Elena promises to send pictures, and some with ANGELO!!! However, Yanni and his little family live in Belgium, and Greece is under a lockdown….AGAIN!…..so Yanni can’t go to them for a visit……Elena tells me how difficult it is for her to know Jac is no longer here, and there is no possibility of us visiting them again…..She has such wonderful memories of her times with Jac….it makes it all the more sad for her……She has pictures of us taken so many years ago in her home……….She has the one with the lobster too! ……………….It’s always wonderful to speak with my dear Elena.

……………….I found these photos of Jac on the runway. They are from four different shows. The Nautical jacket at the upper left was from a Spring show. The four center black and white photos were from the same Fall show. Three of the coats were in a wool twill, and the coat where Jac has her hands on her hips was shearling. The taupe sequin jacket and the quilted jacket were from two other Fall shows. The quilted Satin jacket trimmed in sheared mink also had a top coat of sheared mink to be worn over the quilted coat….a twofer!