Designer

…………………….There are two portraits of me that are my absolute favorites…….In 1981 Lord and Taylor presented me with a portrait of myself by Kenneth Paul Block. It is inscribed “With Appreciation and Gratitude, Lord and Taylor September 15th 1981”. Honestly, I don’t remember what it was for!!!!! LOL…but I’m happy to have this special sketch done by KPB!…..I didn’t sit for this portrait, and I assume it was done from the photo though I never found out for sure. Lord and Taylor kept the original art work and I got the framed copy…..That was fine with me! Somewhere in this world the original, I hope, exists…..The photo was taken of me by a wonderful photographer named Michael Doster. He did a series of photos of me to be used as publicity shots. They were the BEST photos of me ever taken. I remember him telling me I had “a good side”, meaning the planes of my face were sharper on one side than the other. No one’s face is totally symmetrical. He went on to say I really couldn’t take a bad picture no matter what side was taken. A perfect gentleman, and a true diplomat, but as a photographer it was something he saw through the lens. I have always remembered it, and from then on I was very aware when I posed for photos that I had a good and bad side….LOL…Way too much information for me!…..I was 33 years old, and having a wonderful time!!!!! Good side or bad side…who cared! Michael was a wonderful fashion photographer, and we worked together many times. He moved back to Munich Germany where he continues to work and produce wonderful photos. I understand he now lives in both Germany and NYC, but I haven’t seen him in ions…..He moved on from fashion, and is now mostly taking wonderful photos of architecture and landscapes and has had many exhibits and books of his work. It would be great to run into him again after all of these years……. I wish him all the best.

……………………Kenneth Paul Block was one of America’s greatest fashion illustrators. He worked for 40 years as Women’s Wear Daily’s in house illustrator, but he also did illustrations for store advertisements, and magazines. For me he was the greatest among so many great illustrators of the time…It truly was the “Golden Age” of fashion illustration……..Antonio Lopez, Joe Eula, and Steven Stipleman were also incredible illustrators at the time….all having their own signature look……It was a period in fashion when wonderful illustrations were used for everything. Today illustrations aren’t used the way they were, and maybe that is the reason that great illustrators aren’t as well known…The illustration above is one KPB, as he was known, did of my Anne Klein outfit for the cover of WWD. He was an extremely quiet, and private man. Sometimes, I would come to work and find him alone in the showroom, with a model, busily sketching clothes from the collection to be used later for WWD. His sketching was so free and spontaneous. He was always dressed impeccably, and always held a cigarette in a cigarette holder in one hand. He was simply a genius. He traveled all over the world for WWD sketching the collections of every famous designer in every country……..There are many books avail. on these illustrators. They have all had exhibitions of their work around the world. KPB died at the age of 84. Unfortunately, Lopez and Eula are gone but, their work is a testament to their incredible talent! I highly recommend you google these great artists and take a look at their beautiful sketches.

…………………………His COMPOSITION, his COLOR, his LINE, and his ability to capture the ESSENCE of a garment was unsurpassed! He was able to illustrate a garment in motion as if they came to life on the page. He was simply a genius, and the likes of his talent will never be seen again. After his death he left behind a treasure of works for us to enjoy over and over again. It was my pleasure to meet this brilliant, quiet man.

……………………Each sketch illustrates this man’s brilliance! Every sketch offers something new………..something that should be studied like any work of art hanging in a museum.

……………………………..His BLACK & WHITE illustrations are just as powerful as are his color illustrations. His joie de vivre, his enjoyment of life, his comprehension of joy shows in every picture. The power of his pen, his sureness with every line and stroke….his intention and  concentration takes a mind and hand in full control………..Again, there will never be another Kenneth Paul Block.