Monthly Archives: May 2023

………………….In the late 70s a major event that was televised was created.  It was called “NIGHT OF 100 STARS”…..It paired designers with celebrities……..Armando, who I’ve mentioned in a previous post, was both a dear friend of mine and of Linda Evans. He always did her hair for “Dynasty”, and all event’s she had to attend. He told her she should have Donna and I dress her for this major TV show. The woman was like 6 feet tall, size 12 shoulders with size 6 hips!…..A true GLAMAZON! We designed and made for her an ivory cashmere knit long dress with dolman sleeves. It was high in the front but had a deep V in the back to the waist. Around her waist was a thick ivory silk cord with tassels which was attached to a large Ivory CARA CRONNIGER infinity buckle. She also wore two large carved Ivory cuffs also by Cara…….She absolutely loved it, and said it was the perfect dress for her……..She looked stunning….We gave her the dress and accessories…….After all it was made to fit her body, and no one else could possibly wear it………Linda was just as you would have thought she would be……the sweetest, friendliest, down to earth LADY…….I could certainly understand why she and Armando were so close.

……………….You may recall my tale of Barbra Streisand coming up to the Anne Klein Studio because she had seen beautiful CHENILLE SWEATERS and HATS that I designed in a recent VOGUE magazine…..She loved them and WANTED them under no certain terms. However, they were flammable, and we couldn’t sell them to her….She wasn’t hearing it, and after signing all kinds of releases we ended up just giving her what she wanted. That’s her wearing the hat and cardigan. She wore them in the 1979 movie “The Main Event” with Ryan O’Neil………Going back in time to 1978, Donna and I with four models did a cover shoot for Women’s Wear Daily for the 1978 Fall previews……In the center is a model named Beverly wearing the PURPLE CHENILLE SWEATER and matching CHENILLE HAT with a silk and wool challis floral print skirt in coordinating colors……That season Vogue photographed  three or four of the sweaters, and this was one of the outfits they editorialized…….I just recently found this very old and very worn piece of newspaper I had badly stored away…..I thought it would be interesting to tie the stories together. I wish I had the pictures from Vogue. They must be in their archives. The sweaters were beautiful made from a very special Italian yarn that I had never seen before, and never used again!…….It was an extraordinary chenille…..too bad all of the sweaters and hats had to be destroyed……….except for the samples Barbra had.

……………………This photo was taken at an airport photo booth. I don’t remember where or where I was going?……..I was in my uniform…….black turtle neck…..Burberry trench coat…….and Carrera sunglasses…….It looks like a mug shot.

………………HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to the best Mom in the world!!!!!! My Mom taught me so many many things starting with the basics…..being polite, cleanliness, having good manors [no elbows on the table and a napkin in the lap]…….Being a good thoughtful considerate person was very important to her. She helped me with my school work, and she taught me how to drive……She realized from an early age that I had a talent in art, and did what she could to nurture it….I had the best collection of coloring books and crayons….the box of 64!….She bought me my Jon Gnagy learn to draw DELUXE set!! I used to watch him on TV all the time….She always supported me in what ever I wanted to do. When I told my parents I wanted to go to design school she made sure my Dad was on board….Her sense of style was always an inspiration to me….. She also taught me my love of gardening, but mostly flowers. Her favorite flowers were ZINNIAS, which quickly became mine too. Where ever there was an empty patch of dirt my Mom would plant her Zinnia seeds……The house was always filled with vases of Zinnias…..In the fall we would cut all of the dying flowers off, and let them dry in a paper bag…….then we would pull all of the dried petals out and pinch off the dark seeds at the base…….My Mom could never have enough seeds!…..In the early spring we would get the beds ready to plant……Out came the bags of seeds that had been safely stored away, and we would  kneel and plant each seed one  by one…..hundreds of seeds. She would start at one end of a bed, and I would start at the other until we met in the middle…..Every bed around the house had Zinnias. My Mother was the Queen of Zinnias! We had the most colorful flower beds well into the fall….Without her knowing it she taught me about the beauty of color….Her love for me was unconditional…..and I knew it….I was her baby…..a Momma’s boy……When my Mom passed at the age of 95….it was the first time I knew what deep grief was…..I was heart broken……I think about her everyday……There are no words to express my love for my Mom…..she was the most important thing to me. She was the most caring and loving Mom in the world……The ABSOLUTE BEST!

……………With Mother’s Day this coming Sunday I was feeling a little nostalgic…..This picture was taken soon after my parents marriage…….It says 1938 on the photo, Florida, but I’m not sure if it was taken in Florida or the country in the north east? It says Florida, but it doesn’t look like Florida to me….I have to say they were a beautiful young couple!!! My DAD!!! in his white shirt, white pleated trousers and white shoes with his low buttoned cardigan could have been right out of a men’s fashion magazine…He had great taste….and that HAIR! That’s exactly where I got my hair from, and that’s exactly how they combed my hair!. He was quite handsome…….Now my Mother was something else! You have to imagine my Mother was a REDHEAD! My dad used to call her “Red”…..or so I was told. When I was born it was already grey!…She told me it turned prematurely grey soon after I was born….I always thought it somehow was my fault?!…..I love her summery shirt dress with the panel pleated front, her clutch bag, and her two tone spectator ankle strap sandals…….They always had great style!….They were married over 70 years!………..They were quite the couple!!