Designer

…………………….I always wish I had dated pictures, but for some reason at the time I never found it necessary…….Now, years later I can only guess that this was in the 70s……What I do remember was inviting Jac to a family picnic somewhere on Long Island. I know she was nervous meeting my parents, my brothers and sister in laws, and all of the nephews and nieces for the first time, but they all loved her immediately, and it was a good day…..We were not an official couple at the time, just very good friends, but I had only introduced my family to very few of my “girlfriends”……so they thought this was a special event. Jac was still very very young, and i was not ready to settle down or make a commitment….. It was a few years after this that we moved in together…..Like all relationships we hit some early bumps in the road, and there were times when she didn’t speak to me, because I acted like an ass….but all true love finds a way…….Looking back this was definitely the start of our long and wonderful relationship.

…………………..I feel sorry for children today……..When I was growing up in the 50s we didn’t even know what technology was…..it was so far beyond our reality…..like science fiction…..We spent our days outside playing with our friends, and inventing all sorts of games…….games that don’t exist today…..I think it’s terrible how children rely on technology for most of their entertainment…….BUT….the adults are just as bad…..The other night I went to dinner with two male friends of mine…..They sat at the table with their phones in their hands looking at God knows what! Stupid crap! I finally said “if you two don’t put those phones away I’m leaving. I feel like I’m sitting here alone…..If you have nothing to say…..I’m gone.”…….They put them done, but I could tell they were having separation anxiety! This world has become a very insular sad place. I’m sure there are exceptions, but for the most part when I walk through the streets of NYC most people are looking at their phones……like Zombies……Technology has taken over.

……………………………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!

…………………..I don’t remember what the occasion was, but we were all together for a Sunday dinner on June 25th 1994. It’s nice to see we all have big smiles on our faces……….The back row from left to right, my SIL Carol, my Mom, my brother John, my Dad, me and Jac……front row from left to right…..my niece Jeannine, her Mom, my SIL Kathy, and my oldest brother Mauro……These pictures are bittersweet…….My Mom and Dad are gone and my brother John and my Jac are gone too….way too soon I can only hope that there will be a time when we are all together again……having another Sunday dinner.

……………..It’s prom season so I thought I would post this picture………I graduated from Elmont Memorial High School in 1966. My best friend since 7th grade, Robert Tirman, BOBBY, and I double dated. Actually, we triple dated with another couple. Bobby took a friend named Phyllis and I took my HS crush Mary. Bobby and Mary both became my life long friends. I’m wearing a silver boutinnere because Mary wore a silver mini dress that she made. She was a terrific artist, and goy a scholarship to NYU. She and one other girl were the only ones in mini dresses. Andrea’s way neon pink! All of the other girls wore typical prom dresses. I thought Mary looked fabulous…..After the dance at the HS gymnasium we all drove into NYC, [I drove]. and we went to the ROYAL BOX, a night club in the Americana Hotel. Edie Adams was the performer. She spotted our table right away….we sort of stood out! She came over during her act and asked us questions, and of course flirted with us young guys! Needless to say we were the youngest people in the place!!!….and the cutest!! The audience applauded! She sang a song that she dedicated to us. We had a great time…..Then we went to a disco named CHEETAH. It was located somewhere in Times Square. The huge place was entirely covered in Cheetah fabric! There were huge screens showing the dancers…Once again we stood out. The girls in their minis fit right in, but us guys in our tuxedos were prom night giveaways!!! .We got home in the wee hours of the morning, We went home to change and then we all went to Jones Beach on Long Island….I know I have more pictures somewhere, but I can’t find them…..I will keep looking……Graduation was bittersweet……Mary went to NYU, Bobby went to Wisconsin and I went to Parsons…..so our lives separated. Of course we all kept in touch, but it was so different from our HS days when we saw each other everyday, and were attached at the hip…..We were all onto new adventures. Bobby and I eventually traveled around Europe when he was studying in Sweden, and we went to Alaska and than our trip to Rio….but our lives were to take us on very different paths…….Mary moved to California and became an art teacher. She married and had two daughters…..Bobby lived in NYC and became a psychologist. We all kept in touch and saw each other when we could, but we were all so busy with our  come visit her in Calif,……Maya called the next day and told me Mary had a heart attach and passed soon after she spoke to me…….Mary and Bobby died within three months of each other. These two people meant so much to me. They were such an important part of my life…… After Jac, they were the most important people in my life……..I miss them everyday. There’s a whole in my heart and a space only for them that will never be filled……I hope someday we will all meet again…….healthy and young and beautiful.