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……………………………This picture was recently posted on FaceBook…..photos from Fire Island. To my surprise the photo was of three of Jac and my very best friends…i would guess in the 80s…The thing about working in the fashion industry and going to a fashion school is that 90% of your friends are in the industry in one capacity or another……..From left to right….Frank Massandrea….Richard Assatly, and Maurice Antaya….Each one a great talent with impeccable taste…The blond fellow just happens to be the artist David Hockney. They were all designers. Frank was one of the very best bridal designers in the industry and was ground breaking in not only his incredible creations, but they way he presented his collections. While other bridal designers did very simple straightforward shows in their showrooms…..Frank always put on extravaganzas outside of the showroom. They were truly incredible. Jac did all of his shows, and loved being a bride in his incredible gowns…..Richard was a brilliantly talented designer too, but he went through a rough patch and got caught up in the drug scene. He eventually straightened himself out, but in the process lost his business and backing…..Maurice, who I always said looked like a devil really had a heart of gold…..They all did. Jac and I shared a house on Fire Island with these three for many years. Jac and Frank, an Italian through and through, cooked many of our meals. Maurice, a French Basque, also was an incredible cook. Richard and I, who couldn’t boil water, were responsible for keeping the house clean and tidy, and taking care of the pool…..Yeah, we were the pool boys! LOL We had an incredible brand new house right on the beach……..Years later I heard it got washed away by a hurricane……Richard and Maurice eventually worked for me at Anne Klein 11…..They were co-designers and as the head of all divisions, I supervised them. I was actually the referee when they couldn’t agree on something…..I’d get a call and they would tell me I was “NEEDED”. I knew what that meant. They both had strong personalities, but sometimes Richard could steam roller Maurice, and I was called in to keep the peace and make the final decision……….Frank and Richard were victims of AIDS and died in their early 30’s…..First Frank then Richard…….It was such a tragic time. So many of Jac and my friends were dying…..so talented…..so young… At the time that Richard was seriously ill I was no longer working at AK, and it was before I started working for Bergdoff Goodman, so I had free time every day… Richard lived right around the corner from jac and me so I spent many days taking care of him. He was basically bedridden, and a nurse would come in once a day. Jac, after her modeling gigs, would come and relieve me. Richard and I would just sit and talk and watch TV. I basically just kept him company, and tried to keep him positive. One early morning I got a phone call from Ellen Harth. She ran the Elite modeling agency which Jac belonged to. She too was watching over many of her friends dying with AIDS. She would make Richard these special soups made from mushrooms that actually cured the horrible itches he suffered from. Ellen called to tell me Richard passed overnight…….I was asked to speak at his ceremony……so I started to write a speech. I read it to Jac and she softly said, “Hon, that’s not the essence of Richard”……I knew she was right. I threw it out and decided to just speak from the heart about my dear friend. I got up in front of the crowded room not knowing what I was going to say. I just started talking about my loving friend. I don’t remember much about what I said, but I did notice when I was done everyone was crying……I just hope I did right by my dear friend……Jac said I did………It’s been over 40 years since they left this earth, and I think about them all the time. I have some great pictures around the house to keep their memories alive…..I was so happy to see this picture posted on Facebook….I’m happy to say, Maurice, the very first person I met in the biz, and who I’ve spoken of before, and my oldest friend is still with me…….He’s in his 80s now, and is still a little devil!