Referred to as the "Dean of American Designers,” Bill Blass was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1922. After he finished high school, Blass sent his sketches to several New York companies, who purchased many of his designs. At the age of 17, he left Indiana and moved to New York where he studied fashion design at Parsons School of Design.
Following his graduation from Parsons, Blass went to work as a sketcher for David Crystal, a Sportswear manufacturer, after which he was drafted for military service. After World War II, he became a designer for Anna Miller & Co., and at the time of her retirement in 1959, he was her chief designer. By the late 1960s Blass’s designs were incredibly successful and the company had begun to take on his image. In 1970 he bought Miller and her brother out and named it Bill Blass Ltd.
Best known as a designer of American daywear, Blass’s designs were traditional with soft lines, gentle bends, and tailored curves. He was also innovative in his mixing of patterns and textures, and his use of ruffles was very effective.
Blass, who passed away in June of 2002, designed clothes for almost 50 years. His clients included Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Barbara Streisand, Candice Bergen, and Barbara Walters. Following Blass’s death, Michael Vollbracht was appointed creative director of Bill Blass Ltd.
Bibliography
Blass, Bill and Cathy Horyn, ed. Bare Blass. New York: Perennial, 2003.
O’Hagan, Helen. Bill Blass: An American Designer. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2002.