Bill Blass
| Bill Blass | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
William Ralph Blass June 22, 1922 Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| Died | June 12, 2002 (aged 79) New Preston, Connecticut |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Parsons School of Design |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Awards | Coty Award seven times;Fashion Institute of Technology Lifetime Achievement Award, 1999 |
| Labels | Bill Blass Limited |
William Ralph "Bill" Blass (June 22, 1922 – June 12, 2002) was an American fashion designer, born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was the recipient of many fashion awards, including seven Coty Awards and the Fashion Institute of Technology's Lifetime Achievement Award (1999).
Blass was the only son of Ralph Aldrich Blass, a traveling hardware salesman, who committed suicide when his son was five years old, and his wife, the former Ethyl Easter (died February 27, 1951, age 57), a dressmaker. He had one sister, Virginia Mae (born 1920).
In his autobiography, Blass wrote that the margins in his school books were filled with sketches of Hollywood-inspired fashions instead of notes. At fifteen, he began sewing and selling evening gowns for $25 each to a New York manufacturer. At seventeen, he had saved up enough money to move to Manhattan and study fashion, and, at eighteen, he was the first male to win Mademoiselle's Design for Living award. He spent his salary of $30 a week on clothing, shoes, and elegant meals.
In 1942, Blass enlisted in the Army. He was assigned to the 603rd Camouflage Battalion with a group of writers, artists, sound engineers, theater technicians, and other creative professionals. Their mission was to fool the German Army into believing the Allies were positioned in fake locations. They did this by using recordings, dummy tanks, and other false materials. He served in this unit at several major operations including the Battle of the Bulge, the Rhine River crossing, Sicily, the Normandy breakout, and North Africa.
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