Author: Louis Dell'Olio

………………………….What I first realized when I met Lorraine in the early 90s…..was…..What you see is what you get……She is just as gregarious as you might imagine, and just as friendly…….We were paired to do a “W Magazine” photo for their Fall Preview of the Designer Collections. I knew little about Lorraine except for what I had seen of her in her movies…….A meeting was set up for her to come to my studio to try on my new Fall collection to see what would suit her……I had no idea that before Lorraine became an actress she was a model in both the US, but mostly in Paris where she lived and married a French hairdresser who she met at the shows. They had a daughter, but the marriage didn’t last, and she and her daughter moved back to the US, and her acting career began…….I was pleasantly surprised to see Lorraine still had a model’s figure and was very slim. I knew her from “Goodfellas”, and “Someone to Watch Over Me”. We hit it off immediately…..Two Italians with similar backgrounds……The theme of my new collection was Menswear. After trying on quite a few things, that fit her perfectly, having lots of fun and laughs, we decided Lorraine looked fabulous in a two piece pant suit in two coordinating subtle tweeds, a simple silk shirt,  flat men’s wear lace up shoes with a platform, and minimal jewelry. She loved it, looked great in it, and felt totally comfortable…..The shoot took place and the photo of Lorraine and I was published. I only wish I had a copy!……Lorraine came to my show which was at Lincoln Center, and we became fast friends. She and Jac got along great, and found out they both had mutual friends in Paris…..How’s that for 3 degrees of separation!!!…..At the time Lorraine was seeing Edward James Olmos, and we had a few dinners together. When they got married at the Pierre Hotel, Lorraine invited us to the very small cocktail party…..Unfortunately, the marriage only lasted a short few years. I felt badly, because I really thought they were a great couple……..but…..as the saying goes…..you never know what goes on behind closed doors…………………Over the years, like so many relationships and friendships, we lost touch……..but I’m sure if I ran into Lorraine today we would greet each other with big smiles and hugs….I can hear her voice with her Brooklyn accent yelling…..LOUIS!….as if no time had passed!

……………………….I don’t have a picture of Lorraine in the suit she wore for the “W Magazine” Fall Designer preview, but I do have a picture from the “Look Book”, worn on model Elaine Erwin. The 2 piece pant suit was made in a combination of two coordinating subtle tweeds. A fabric I imported from an Italian men’s wear fabric company called Torello Viera. Under it was a simple multi ply silk blouse with silk covered buttons. The Bakelite stick pin was part of my Anne Klein jewelry collection.

……………..I knew I had more, not that many more, pictures from my High School prom….From L to R….my best friend Bobby, his date Phyllis, me and Mary….I had an enormous crush on Mary through out junior and senior high school, and we dated and went out all the time, but then we went to different schools, and our lives took different paths. We did however always keep in touch, and we did become BFF….As I said in another post I was the last friend she wanted to speak to before she passed away…….Jac used to jokingly say to me, “you should have married Mary”, because Mary became a real clothes horse. She used to come up to Anne Klein and buy lots of clothes [she married well]. Later she bought lots of clothes and jewelry from Linea…………..I miss our long telephone calls…..Mary was really a good friend who we both could confide in……I miss that.

…………………This was the formal picture taken at our High School. I know Mary’s mother took more pictures of us at Mary’s house, but I’m sure are gone…….That’s Mary’s High School senior picture that was in the year book……Mary’s father was very handsome Irishman. Her mother, was a beautiful Italian woman who’s family was Sicilian! What a combo………very fiery.