In Fashion, One Day You're In, And The Next You're Out....

Who is this?

Christian Loubitin, the embodiment of the '80s. His pouf dresses were all the rage for the opulent, over-the-top decade.

Can you still find his stuff?

Now, I thought he was dead...

Alexander who?

Colors?

Oh, I remember this place.

Adriane Vittidini

^^^ MMPH... I'm gonna need my Google machine...

Chiang Kai-shek was a designer? Who is this?

Stephen Sprouse.

R2, oh dear. Lacroix, sweetie.

And, who did this?

Fiorucci, bitches!

Perry Ellis....

He was definitely a contender. I liked his stuff better than Calvin Klein. It's interesting how AIDS took out one but not the other. From what I always heard, Calvin needed A LOT of dick to fully satisfy himself. One was not enough! With Ellis, you heard very little about his sex life.

Marithe + Francois Girbaud

Sergio Valente

Some of you are showing your fashion ignorance AND poor critical thinking. For example, Elio Fiorucci is DEAD. We KNOW why Galliano was kicked to the curb. Stephen Sprouse is DEAD. Jean Paul Gaultier never went away, is a perennial in French fashion, and still mounts Haute Couture. Idiots.

R9 you are a racist troll. Miyake is doing fine, everyone knows his face, and he isn't CHINESE you silly twat!!!!!!

Jessica McClintock

"You've got the look I want to know better. You've got the look that's all together. Working, playing, day, or night Jordache has the look that's right. The Jordache look."

This thread is tearing us apart!

[quote]Sergio Valente —yes, I know it was a made up name

The brand dates to 1975, but its supposed original designer - 'Sergio Valente' - is fictitious. Mr. Valente, in fact, never existed. The actual creator of the Sergio Valente brand jeans, was Englishtown Sportswear Ltd., a New York City-based company formed by William Hsu, Martin Heinfling, Brian Leung, Tony Lau, Eli Kaplan and Leo Zelkin. Kaplan was bought out around the early-to-mid 1980s, and Zelkin and Heinfling left the company by 1992, the latter a prominent Broadway producer at that point. The remaining shareholders, Leung and Lau, merged Englishtown into Seattle Pacific Industries, which relaunched Sergio Valente sometime thereafter.

[quote]Some of you are showing your fashion ignorance AND poor critical thinking.

I believe that is the purpose of the thread, R17. Many of the above names used to be household names, so to speak. The average person had no need to be a fashion savant in order to know these people are things were.

Plus, fashion houses obviously continue. If I'm not mistaken, Coco Chanel is dead.

I suppose however I read this differently:

Then... POOF! They were gone... What the hell ever happened? What went wrong? This thread is about those designers, and those creative others, who were the toast of the town but who went KABOOM!

But is R2 making a joke - confusing (and misspelling) Louboutin for Lacroix. I suppose there are some tales to tell about how Lacroix lost his allure, relatively young in the game.

[quote]But is [R2] making a joke - confusing (and misspelling) Louboutin for Lacroix. I suppose there are some tales to tell about how Lacroix lost his allure, relatively young in the game.

I would not be surprised if there were those under the age of 35 who had no idea who or what a Christian LaCroix was.

What happened to Todd Oldham? One day his clothes were at Neiman Marcus, and then he was gone.

Oldham made decisions (or was forced into actions) throughout the 90s which led his name/brand into a race to the bottom. Similar to Isaac Mizrahi. I like both guys and they didn't bankrupt themselves personally so who can blame them? Got to bring home the bacon.

Okay... here's the riddle; What was the name of the female designer whose clothing was very popular in the mid-eighties to late nineties. Her clothing and distribution were on the level of Donna Karan, and Kenneth Cole. In fact, I believe the same conglomerate bought her company that owned those two. I remember after she died from cancer the line jut seem to disappear. I believe her first name began with an "L". That's all I can remember. OH! And, that Lord & Taylor was a BIG buyer of her line.

Liz Claiborne died of cancer but years after she retired from active management of her design company, which otherwise does match your timeline for it's rise and position.

[quote]Liz Claiborne

THAT'S HER!!!! Oh, thank you so much,R30!!! I was about to drive myself crazy because I couldn't remember the name. But, that is EXACTLY who I was referring to!!!

Thank you, so much!!!

Liz Claiborne is still a popular brand with the fraus, sold at JC Penney and such.

Galliano's been at Maison Margiela for five years now.

[quote] JC Penney

Who?

John Galliano destroyed himself with drugs and alcohol. Of course, he had his personal issues and therefore the drugs and alcohol. He's trying to make a comeback as noted by R33. But' he is now where near as known as he was in his heyday.

Yeah and his position there doesn't receive much press. Maison Margiela is quite niche but better known currently in Asia.

R17:

This store was EVERYWHERE at one time.

[quote] John Galliano destroyed himself with drugs and alcohol. Of course, he had his personal issues and therefore the drugs and alcohol.

Fashion is a harsh mistress. Lots of these guys destroy themselves with drugs--and not the fun kind. They are expected to put out so many collections per year--the brilliant ones fall apart because what they want to do takes time. The survivors are smart, but mediocre in terms of creativity.

WilliWear!

Willi Donnell Smith (February 29, 1948 – April 17, 1987) was an American fashion designer. At the time of his death, Smith was regarded as one of the most successful African-American designers in the fashion industry. His company, WilliWear Limited, launched in 1976 and would go on to sell $25 million worth of clothing a year. After Smith's death, his business partner continued the line with various designers creating collections. Without Smith, the company floundered. Due to financial problems and poor sales, WilliWear Limited ceased production in 1990.

Good lord, I'm not sure what was in my Cheerios this morning, but I do apologize for not getting Lacroix's name correctly. Thank you all for the corrections.

Funny....

I'm reminded of two entirely different things with this design.

1) That Carol Burnett skit that was a parody of "Gone With The Wind"

2) A Diana Ross entrance

This is a Jean Paul Gaultier

10 points if you remember his name.

DON'T CHEAT!

Cold Water Creek.... gone.

R43, that was Marcus Sekemburg (SP)

Clovis Ruffin - designed a shirtdress that could - and was - worn by million of secretaries. Sold the company, got rich, and died young of AIDS.

Does Halston belong here? A household name, Studio 54, multi millionaire, drugs, AIDS, forgotten?

Grace Mirabella's autobiography "In and out of Vogue" rips Lacroix for destroying fashion.

Now, how sad is this? You travel the world. You dine in the finest of establishments. You wear the most beautiful of clothing created by the top designers in the world. But...

Pat Cleveland Diagnosed With Colon Cancer After Walking Paris Fashion Week--A GoFundMe has been started for the 68-year-old supermodel whose Medicare won't cover treatment in Paris.

[quote]The supermodel doesn't have health insurance and her Medicare won't cover treatment outside of the United States. Cleveland’s husband, Paul Van Ravenstein, set up a GoFundMe page to assist the family's medical expenses. "This was totally unexpected, but Pat is doing OK, she is staying very strong. She is going to have to undergo chemotherapy after a month, and we are hoping she’ll be home in the US to do that. We have to wait to see what the doctor says about travel for Pat. It’s a shock, how is it possible that this could happen to somebody so healthy?" Van Ravenstein told Page Six. Since the family launched its GoFundMe campaign on March 31, the page has raised $58,000 of its $150,000 goal. Fashion industry insiders including Zac Posen, Kimora Lee Simmons, and Anna Sui are amongst those who have donated to the supermodel's medical expenses.

As one of the first African American models to achieve runway and editorial success in the fashion industry, Cleveland rose to fame in the 1960s and 1970s. During that time, she was photographed by legends from Andy Warhol to Richard Avedon and walked for major fashion houses from Yves Saint Laurent to Valentino and Dior. She was also notably one of the Halstonettes, Halston's go-to model troupe that helped define '70s fashion.

[quote]Does Halston belong here? A household name, Studio 54, multi millionaire, drugs, AIDS, forgotten?

Ha! I actually debated with myself on that one, R46. But, then I came to the conclusion that Halston is "arguably" more well known than all of the people that have been listed this far. A LOT of people STILL know the name Halston.

Anna Sui

Not sure that Perry Ellis (the brands, not the man) belongs on this list. Their annual sales are nearly $1 billion and the corporation owns many brands in addition to the eponymous one, including Original Penguin and Laundry by Shelli Segal.

Macy's carries more than 300 [deadly dull] Perry Ellis items.

Are we referring to brands that are defunct (or nearly so) or just ones that are "dead to me"?

Didn't SJP resurrect the Halston fashion line several years ago?

There's a new Halston documentary coming out soon.

MArc Jacobs owns this thread. Yes, he's still working (i guess) but he closed hundreds of store in the last years and he's nowhere near his status in the early '00s when he was the coolest name for celebrities and stars.

[quote]Are we referring to brands that are defunct (or nearly so) or just ones that are "dead to me"?

It could be either one--although, I interpret "dead to me" as being more snarky. However, it could work because I was unaware of how "successful" the Perry Ellis line still was until the post by R50. I knew that the line was trying to resurrect but I have heard very little from or about the company. So, in a sense, the line was "dead to me" but clearly it isn't.

Roberto Cavalli

The Perry Ellis brand now does very basic, MOR stuff. Same designs you would find at Zara or Uniqlo. There's nothing "fashion" about it. Check its website.

BTW i bought a polo by Marc Jacobs like ten years ago in a Marc Jacobs boutique. A simple blue polo that i paid around 100 $. It was the shittiest polo i've ever bought in my life. I wore it maybe 3 times and the fabric became so "old" and dull. Just shit. I've had H&M stuff that was better and costed a fraction of the price. I guess i know why he's over.

Well now marchesa.

R46 I LOVE that book. My mom gave me a signed copy. It was such a cool look at Vogue before it became all about Anna Wintour

Halston is sold at Dillard's. I bought a cute Halston shirt there

Donna Karan owns this thread!

R46 and r48 retail sites like Ooh La La and Gilt sell the Halston Heritage line, which does not have vanity sizing but which sells for much less than Halston’s line in the old days. I think that Nordstrom has them sometimes, too

Pierre Cardin. Clothes to schlock you could get at Ross or Tuesday Morning

[quote]Donna Karan owns this thread!

And, she couldn't care less since she made her money and jumped ship. She probably doesn't even know what the Donna Karan line is anymore.

The trendy Martinique boutiques are all gone (that I know of). Andre Courreges (he's dead but at one time he was the shit). Guy LaRoche (also the shit, also dead). Carolyn Herrera was everywhere and you barely hear about her these days.

[quote]Guy LaRoche

Now, THAT's a name I haven't heard in quite sometime...

[quote]Carolyn Herrera was everywhere and you barely hear about her these days.

She's 80 years old now. There are probably succession issues going on there now. Ha! But, I just read this; "In 2018 Herrera showed her last line for her eponymous brand and handed creative directorship of the brand over to Wes Gordon." So, this was fairly recent.

[quote]Wes Gordon

It will never last....

[quote]Pierre Cardin. Clothes to schlock

TOTALLY bastardized that name. There is NOTHING, (well, st least in my opinion), that can save it.

Pierre Cardin used his name as a brand, initially a prestigious fashion brand, then in the 1960s expanded successfully into perfumes and cosmetics. From about 1988 the brand was licensed extensively, and appeared on "wildly nonadjacent products such as baseball caps and cigarettes". A 2005 article in the Harvard Business Review commented that the extension into perfumes and cosmetics was successful as the premium nature of the Pierre Cardin brand transferred well into these new, adjacent categories, but that the owners of the brand mistakenly attributed this to the brand's strength rather than to its fit with the new product categories. The extensive licensing eroded the brand's credibility, but brought in much revenue; in 1986 Women's Wear Daily (WWD) estimated Cardin's annual income at over US$10 million. 1995 quotes from WWD included "Pierre Cardin—he has sold his name for toilet paper. At what point do you lose your identity?" and "Cardin's cachet crashed when his name appeared on everything from key chains to pencil holders". However, the Cardin name was still very profitable, although the indiscriminate licensing approach was considered a failure.

In 2011, Cardin tried to sell his business, valuing it at €1 billion, although the Wall Street Journal considered it to be worth about a fifth of that amount. Ultimately he did not sell the brand.

I knew a man who worked with Pierre Cardin: the old man (he is 96 yo now!) is literally richer than god.

That's why they call it fashion!

[quote] I knew a man who worked with Pierre Cardin: the old man (he is 96 yo now!) is [bold]literally[/bold] richer than god.

I think that word does not mean what you think it does.

I'm not saying she's in this category, but I haven't heard much lately either from or about Stella McCartney.

Ann Klein at one time had beautiful expensive designer clothing and also the cheaper but still nice Ann Klein II label.

[quote]Stella McCartney

She's smelling her own panties. She did Meghan Markle's dress and got all sorts of good publicity. Now, she has bought the 50% financial stake of her partner. She'll grow the business and then do a Donna Karan.

[quote]The Perry Ellis brand now does very basic, MOR stuff.

MOR? More off the Rack?

What does MOR mean?

FUBU--For Us By Us

[R76] MOR = Middle Of The Road

Alber Elbaz’s fashion spotlight has waned some since leaving Lanvin.

Rudi Gernreich

Rudolph Moshammer

This woman who was famous for 5 minutes in the 80s who sewed roses onto everything. She was a Madonna favorite for a while.

Bill Blass

R82, Winner of this thread!

What was her name?

[quote]Rudolph Moshammer

OH! She had it coming, R81

[quote]Bill Blass

Why Bill Blass? Didn't the "ladies who lunch" keep his bar cabinet well stocked?

Rudolph was the toast of Munich high society, but when he was strangled to death by a rentboy no one showed up at his funeral.

Mary McFadden.

Betsey Johnson.

[quote]Mary McFadden.

GOOD ONE! Where the hell is she? And is she still marrying 15 year old boys?

Carolyne Roehm

Where's Kate Spade been hanging out?

^Booooooo. That was awful of you, R92

Carolyne Roehm

Oh! What a cute jacket and top. I'll copy that.

For men, ZARA does very well done, quite fashionable and affordable clothes that look good on fit YOUNG men. It's a market H&M abandoned for men. I don't know the lines in the USA but in Europe ZARA is not MOR.

I wanted to hate Carolyne Roehm in the 80's for being such a pushy fake cunt, but she was kinda fun and her decor had great colour and compelling dramatics.

She has some talent

R92 preparing a spot for georgina chapman in the afterlife. (Sorry!)

Carolyne Roehm always had great flowers, too.

No one talks about Helmut Lang anymore.

Claude Montana

One of the biggest scams ever pulled off

[quote]Why Voss water is so expensive?--It's only famous because the company that produces it pays a lot to advertise it. And it's only expensive because they decided to price it that way. Technically speaking it's just tap water that happens to come from a particular aquifer in Norway. The same water source the locals use for everything. Voss is Norwegian based and headquartered in NYC. ... They announced that Voss' source simply could not be artesian. They continued by saying that Voss water is no different than the tap water in the municipality.

Sonia Rikiel is pushing up daisies now but her line had fizzled long before.

Charles Jourdan was a leader in high-fashion shoes before Blahnik, Choo and Louboutin. They were sold at top-end stores and also had their own boutiques before spiraling into obscurity.

Thierry Mugler

[quote]Thierry Mugler

He shall NEVER go out of style! NEVER!

Norma Kamali

At one point in the 90s, she was evicted from her apartment and when the cleaners came in, they found gallon white wine bottles fill with pee stashed in the closets. She sells at Walmart now.

Prada mismanaged Helmut Lang and Lang retired. Montana went bankrupt, lost his name brand, and disappeared when he was only in his 50s so there is probably a story there.

I have 2 pairs of lang leather jeans which I cherish and take pains to stay slim enough to wear. But I need to give them to some young stud as they are ridiculous on me at my age.

Wowee! These are getting real good now! Well, all of it has been good. But, I'm motivated to learn what happened to these companies. Norma Kamali was EVERYWHERE!!! Charles Jourdan was Imelda Marcos "go to". And, Claude Montana... wow...

[quote]But I need to give them to some young stud as they are ridiculous on me at my age.

Nonsense. My hairstylist is 70 something (78, I believe) and he is still styling hair to perfection. He wore his leather jeans the other day at my appointment. HE LOOKED FANTASTIC! I must admit that I was a little jealous over how well he pulled off that look.

Guess

Max Azria and his other brand Hervé Léger. His company filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and he died this year in May.

Nautica.

Tragic. Just simply tragic....

Certainly not 'designer' but if anyone remembers....

WEHT Rifat Ozbek?

R70 I have also heard that he's incredibly rich as he retains full control of the licensing business, although I also have to agree with R69 in that Cardin has lost its high-end appeal decades ago. Product with his his name on them are still readily available all over Europe. They're usually reasonably priced, but of mediocre quality.

*Products

Gianfranco Ferré's brand has kind of descended into obscurity.

Fascinating...

Nino Cerruti

In 1996 Nino Cerruti named Narciso Rodriguez, a former Anne Klein, Calvin Klein and TSE designer, to be creative director of Cerruti. In 1997 Cerruti replaced Rodriguez with Peter Speliopoulos, a DKNY designer.

In October 2000 Nino Cerruti sold 51% of his company to Fin.Part, an Italian industrial group. Less than a year later the group bought the rest of the company and forced 71 year old Nino Cerruti out of it claiming irreconcilable differences. "There was a perpetual conflict of interest", Cerruti said later. Hence, the Spring Summer 2002 collection marked the end of Cerruti fassion being designed by Nino Cerruti.

In autumn 2001, Fin.Part installed Roberto Menichetti, who previously was responsible for the creative revival of Burberry as a creative director. Menichetti left the house of fashion after only one season and has been replaced by Istvan Francer, a former DKNY designer. Francer stayed on for two seasons.

In spring 2003, David Cardona, who had worked for Richard Tyler and Chrome Hearts, replaced Istvan Francer as a creative director at Cerruti. Scotsman Adrian Smith was appointed head of the menswear collections.

By 2004, Fin.part was in a deep finansial crisis and declared bankruptcy in 2005. In the same year Cerruti brand survived unsuccessful takeover attempt by another Italian menswear manufacturer - Manifattura Paolini.

In August 2006 Cerruti finally was sold to American private equity firm MatlinPatterson. MatlinPatterson intended to revitalize the Cerruti brand by taking on Nicolas Andreas Taralis, a former designer with Dior who also owned his signature fashion label Homme, was appointed creative director in the summer of the same year.

In October 2007, Taralis was replaced by Belgian Jean Paul Knott, a former Krizia, Yves Saint Laurent and Louis Féraud designer who also owned an eponymous fashion label. Knott had originally been hired by Taralis to oversee the label's diffusion line Cerruti 1881 in March 2007.

Since his departure 2000 Mr. Cerruti has concentrated on the family-owned textile mill business called Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti, which is located in Biella. He did not cut all ties with the fashion house and always attends to the Cerruti fashion shows at the front row.

In 2004, Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti company bought the Italian furniture design company Baleri.

Ed Hardy! LOL.

i LOVED Helmut Lang in the late 90s -early '00s. I had a fantastic black leather wallet with a big industrial rubber band to close it off. It was amazing. I still keep in my closet one of his "bondage" bombers. I think i could sell it for at least 500$ now, it's in some design museum collection somewhere.

well, what do you know... Helmut Lang apparently still exists. I wonder who the designer is now.

Todd Oldham. Patrick Cox shoes were everywhere in the 90s, now not so much. Katherine Hamnett.

Christian Lacroix really owns this thread from the POV of "Everywhere to complete disappearance within five years".

If we do this thread again in five years, Alessandro Michele of Gucci will have wrested that crown from Lacroix.

Anna Sui

Our Glorious Gloria.... Duh!

Gloria Vanderbilt

(PIC: Halston, Mackie, Vanderbilt, Beene)

Diesel was everywhere just a few short years ago and is now nowhere to be found.

R107- Is that TRUE about Norma Kamali?? I saw her in a Documentary on Netflix recently- I think it was about Studio 54, and she was absolutely lovely. After all these years she was still genuinely moved by the loss of so many gay men. I came away very impressed by her. She was truly wonderful. I remember when she that line with then Everlast boxing logo back in the 80's/90's- it was pretty cool.

IIRC Cardin had his name on products sold in CHINA long before anyone else.

Tangent - Alain Delon has his name on mass market fragrance that has disappeared mostly from the West but is still "big in Japan". Samourai smells delicious, has a decent bottle, and is very inexpensive. It wouldn't still be produced if it weren't good and selling somewhere. I have to order it online from a crap store that discounts fragrances.

Oh, wow R83... Bill Blass is indeed pretty much dead....

Bill Blass Ltd. filed for Chapter 7 liquidation (the chapter of the Bankruptcy Code provides for "liquidation" - the sale of a debtor's nonexempt property and the distribution of the proceeds to creditors), citing $192,000 in total assets with debts of $829,000. WWD reported at the time that NexCen – the owner of Bill Blass – was suffering so significantly that it planned to sell the furniture in the Bill Blass showroom. The bankruptcy filing came on the heels of creative director Peter Som exiting the label, retailers losing interest in the brand, and parent company NexCen enduring significant trouble in selling off the brand.

Bill Blass Limited – now known as Bill Blass Group, LLC – was acquired in December 2008 by Peacock International Holdings, LLC. In late October 2014, designer Chris Benz was appointed Creative Director of Bill Blass, which relaunched during the Spring of 2016. Upon his appointment, Benz said he was "...planning an e-commerce push, collaborations with up-and-coming designers and established artists, an accessories range and, possibly, a line of home goods."

NOW: Still standing, the brand currently sells on Amazon and its own e-commerce site. (BUZZARD) It's all gone. Only shoes now. But, they're still trying to reboot the name; "In November 2014-2019, Chris Benz was appointed as Creative Director, as a part of a new rebranding effort. Benz stated that “I have forever admired and have deep respect for [Blass] as an original American designer.”

[quote]Christian Lacroix really owns this thread from the POV of "Everywhere to complete disappearance within five years".

It seems that he never could come up with a big seller;

Lacroix's fashion house operated at a loss every year since it was founded in 1987 under the umbrella of luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. LVMH's plan was to create a fashion house which would sell products from haute couture to handbags and perfume. But Lacroix never had a hit perfume or an “it” bag.

In 2005 LVMH sold the firm for a nominal sum to the Falic Group, owner of Duty Free Americas, a retail chain. Lacroix persuaded the Falic Group to take the brand further upmarket. The new owners closed two cheaper but profitable lines, Jeans and Bazar, and raised prices for ready-to-wear. Per Forbes, “after 22 years of bucking trends and ignoring the bottom line, Christian Lacroix filed for the equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in France.”

NOW: Lacroix, himself, is consulting and working as a costume designer for some of Europe’s top cultural institutions. The brand, which no longer stages runway shows or sells runway garments, sustains itself through the sale of Christian Lacroix branded home goods.

Brands like Bill Class (and it was once very good!) should disappear with their designer. Peter Som - a name I haven't heard in awhile but he was up and coming fashion DARLING in noughts. Well is he still around? He attached his name to shitty fading fashion empires, I guess he needed to bring home the bacon.

Carolyne Roehm

R128, Diesel is still around and has revenue in the billions. In the U.S., they are at Neiman Marcus, Saks, Nordstrom, etc. I just bought a Diesel shirt from Saks last week.

R127 is that from their Love Boat episode?

Harriett Selwyn

And yes, Bill Blass back in the day was considered one of America's finest menswear and womenswear designers.

I don't know, R136. I was just looking quickly for a picture that would show our Glorious Gloria with her iconic hair-do

Paco Rabonne

R138 there is a love boat episode with all them GV, Halston, Bob Mackie, Geoffrey Beene.

Well, does anyone know whatever happened to the daytime dresses by Pat Perkins????

R130 I liked Iquitos by Alain Delian

Martine Sitbon

Sybillia though I heard she was designing again.

Mr. Blackwell

Mossimo. I hear he stopped to coach his kids...

Joseph Abboud

Michael Vollbracht

John Romain

[quote]Joseph Abboud

I would think that what is killing Joseph Abboud (for lack of better words) is that many men are no longer wearing suits. If we're talking about men under 40, probably 90% have no idea of who Joseph Abboud is and the quality of his clothing. I don't think that many would buy at those price points either.

But, how is anyone learning about fashion now? There aren't many magazines and who really spends time looking/reading a magazine online? I cannot begin to tell you the last time I saw a Joseph Abboud advertisement.

Surprising. I rarely see the brand or advertisements for it.

Tommy Hilfiger

Before becoming an American fashion icon, Tommy Hilfiger launched his first brand, People's Place, in 1971 – but after six years in business he filed for bankruptcy. Speaking of the expiree, he has said: “We went bankrupt. I was devastated. I was embarrassed. I had started with nothing and worked so hard, and we were so close to making it really big, but I had taken my eye off the ball. I believed that the business would just continue to do well. But it didn't, because I wasn't paying attention to the ‘business’ part of the business … I forced myself to learn the nuts and bolts of the business, and not solely on the creative side. I got hyper-focused on it. I learned how to read a balance sheet. I figured out how to control expenses and figured out a way to build a business on a shoestring budget.”

In 1985, Hilfiger launched his eponymous label with backing from the Murjani Group. In March 2010, Phillips-Van Heusen (PVH) bought the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation for $3 billion, in a deal that was nearly seven times what PVH had paid for Calvin Klein in 2003.

NOW: Tommy Hilfiger, himself, remains the company’s principal designer, leading the design teams and overseeing the entire creative process. In fiscal 2015, the Tommy Hilfiger brand accounted for 43.5% of PVH’s total revenue and 44% of its operating profit. As of December 1, 2016, Tommy Hilfiger revenue increased in the quarter to $927 million, and international revenue increased 16% to $525 million.

Terrible that another celebrity could not have been found to keep the mysticism of this product going. It made a helluva load of money. So did the other fragrances. I wonder who owns them now because The House Of Taylor went bust

[quote]Taylor was the first celebrity to create her own collection of fragrances. In collaboration with Elizabeth Arden, Inc., she began by launching two best-selling perfumes – Passion in 1987, and White Diamonds in 1991. Taylor personally supervised the creation and production of each of the 11 fragrances marketed in her name. According to biographers Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger, she earned more money through the fragrance collection than during her entire acting career, and upon her death, the British newspaper The Guardian estimated that the majority of her estimated $600 million-$1 billion estate consisted of revenue from fragrances. In 2005, Taylor also founded a jewelry company, House of Taylor, in collaboration with Kathy Ireland and Jack and Monty Abramov.

R151 Her perfumes were always a collaboration with Elizabeth Arden Inc., so they still own and produce them. The House of Taylor survives as the name of her estate that manages her brand assets.

Helmut Lang and Jill Sander were IT in the 90s - minimalist chic at its best. The brands are still around but pretty much dead now.

Ha! Jil Sander... that's another name I haven"t heard in ages. It seems that it became s step child when it was bought by Prada and she quit

In 1999, Prada Group bought a 75% share in her company. Sander remained creative designer and became chairwoman in the new joint venture. Six months later, in January 2000, Sander unexpectedly resigned abruptly as chairwoman and shortly thereafter as chief designer after confrontations with Prada's CEO, Patrizio Bertelli. Nearly all the design and production staff left after her departure. For 2001, the Jil Sander Group reported a net loss of $9.4 million, its first ever. The brand lost 26 million euros (about $30.4 million) in 2002 on flat sales, in part because of the costs of adding retail stores in London and in New York.

"Sander returned to the company as head designer and partner in a surprise decision in May 2003, after her noncompete clause had expired. Officially, Bertelli "approached Ms. Sander and began negotiating a truce". Bertelli had, with regard to Sander's departure in 2000, boldly stated before: "A brand as strong as Jil Sander doesn't need to rely on the name of a designer". She was rehired under a six-year consulting contract and also received an undisclosed stake in the company and a seat on Prada's strategic committee.

In November 2004, Sander terminated cooperation with Prada for good and resigned from her post again after insurmountable differences with Mr. Bertelli. Prada announced in an official statement that "the decision by Patrizio Bertelli and Ms. Sander to end her involvement in the company was amicable." She withdrew from her involvement in her namesake brand. She continued her contributions and work at Uniqlo. The white stucco building in Hamburg that was once the Jil Sander showroom was re-proportioned by the New York architect Michael Gabellini. She returned to her brand in February 2012, only days after the then creative director, Raf Simons, was released from his position. Sander left the brand again in October 2013.

I guess they couldn't get along....

Romeo Gigli.

MARCH 5, 2019 (Reuters) - Diesel USA Inc, the denim and accessory brand known for its jeans, filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday, blaming mounting losses, a sales plunge, expensive leases and cyber fraud.

Barbara Hulanicki.

BIBA is still one of the coolest stores that ever existed.

Remember Units and Multiples from the 80s? Designed by Sandra Garratt.

Garanimals

I don't understand why this isn't just pinned to the top of every DataLounge screen....

Lots of the designers mentioned worn by the superstars of the site.

Have to hand it to Calvin Klein....he's still a name and the dress on Brooke Shields is still attractive and wearable.

^ That's actually a great moment in television, R160. Imagine coordinating all of those egos--designers & celebrities. Hmm... Fabrice Simon! Another forgotten name. Another victim of AIDS

An here's a look a year or so later...

Much better choices.

Armani, Missoni, Lanvin, Lagerfeld, Herrera, Valentino.

A few forgotten ones... Fernando Sanchez? Tracy Mills?

What happened to Oleg Cassini? Galanos?

Dyan Cannon must have kept that Carole Little in business because that outfit is the only one I have ever seen her in in the 80s.

No mention of me and my glorious caftans yet?

I just loved Dina Merrill's walk, R160 . Jewels, ball gown, ... it was just all second nature for her.

French Connection UK

Fashion—an Industry Dressed in Mourning

[quote]“There’s a finite fund of talent in any generation,” says Holly Brubach, fashion writer for the New Yorker. “There is an assumption that if a great designer dies, someone else will step in to replace him. But if AIDS keeps up as it has, we are going to be living in impoverished times. Each time a person of great talent dies, the landscape gets a little more drab.”

While the specter of AIDS has haunted the industry for nearly a decade, its first crushing blow came in 1986 with the death of Perry Ellis. Charismatic and handsome, the popular designer and exuberant father of an 18-month-old daughter seemed the embodiment of vitality. Indeed, with his sporty, elegant styles, he had taken his profitable Perry Ellis International firm to the pinnacle of success. When he succumbed to AIDS at age 46, the public, which had accepted his wholesome image, was startled. Still, the official company line was that Ellis had died of viral encephalitis, despite the fact that his companion and president of the company, Laughlin Barker, 37, had died of AIDS four months earlier. Even now, after the AIDS-related death last month of Barker’s successor, Robert McDonald, 45, who shared a New York City home with Ellis for 15 years, the real cause of Ellis’s death has not been formally acknowledged.

Halston... the designer whose designs embodied the 70s...Studio 54 era.

Diane von Furstenberg's little wrap dress was a sensation in the 70s., and is still a classic today... very wearable for many women.

Koala Blue - Olivia Newtons John had over 40 stores then quickly flamed out

I loved this...

James Galanos (September 20, 1924 – October 30, 2016) was an American fashion designer and couturier. He was one of Nancy Reagan's favorite designers.

Galanos never married. He was the uncle of fine jewelry designer Diana Vincent, of Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania. He retired in 1998 and lived in Palm Springs, California and West Hollywood.

Galanos died on October 30, 2016 at the age of 92

Was he homosexual?

Isaac Mizrahi

WHET Scassi?

[quote]Brands like Bill Blass (and it was once very good!) should disappear with their designer.

I agree with this. If a designer hasn't built a business and/or a style to survive them and thrive on their legacy then it is best to just let them go. It's best to remember them for what they contributed to fashion and what fantastic dress makers they were. But, bottom line that's what they were--dress makers.

Betsy Johnson. Hipster girls in the 90s loved her. Never see the dresses anymore. I believe she started the babydoll dress trend

I have NEVER EVER seen this before!!! Oh! Just look at how HAAPY he is!!!

Prince in Betsey Johnson.

I like the tag line: "Inside every Prince is a Princess."

Badgley Mischka were always dressing the Hollywood stars in the 90’s. Haven’t seen the brand in 15 years.

Jhane Barnes. I win!

Mary Quant - no I win!

[quote]Mary Quant

(eyes widen in surprise) YES! The inventor of the mini skirt and the hot pant!

Gianfranco Ruffini. I adored his line then he seemed to disappear in the early 90s.

Olivier Theyskens. You don't hear too much about him these days.

Badgely Mischka clothes are still available at Neiman's and other high-end retailers.

I agree that when someone like Bill Blass dies, the brand seems too, as well. But he probably employed hundreds if not thousands of people so totally understand why they would want to keep the business going.

I remember seeing either a documentary or a 60 Minutes episode about John Bartlett when I was in high school and searched desperately for any news about gay people. He was making a name for himself selling things that looked like Boy Scout uniforms for fully grown men. For some reason it sticks in my head he was in a snit because someone called him out for having a canteen that cost $500 or something.

Flash forward to a few years ago, and my mother sends me box filled with nice casual button-downs in interesting plaids and patterns. Decent, but certainly not fancy. All of them had the label "John Bartlett for Consensus." I called and asked her (she's a shopaholic) why she sent them to me. She told me a department store chain based in my hometown was going out of business and selling things for incredibly cheap. The shirts were less than $5 a piece.

I like them, and wear them a lot. However, that's a huge come-down from $500 canteens.

Looks like he sells t-shirts with his dog's picture on them online now.

And, that's what piques my interest, R182. I must say that I'm REALLY enjoying this thread. I've read names that I haven't heard about for a long time and I learned about designers that I have never heard of before. This thread has been quite educational for me.

But, the story is indeed in the business. What happened that caused these businesses to go under and/or lose appeal. As someone noted above; " Fashion is a harsh mistress..." From what I can read, Blass never had a succession plan for his business. He was a glorified dress maker. A very good one but a dress maker none the less. His business was in shambles and he depended upon the "ladies who lunch" crowd to keep him afloat. The Nino Cerruti and Jil sander stories were fascinating.

John Bartlett -- Now, here's an interesting character . I've always thought that he was trying to find himself. A Harvard and FIT graduate? He's always come across to me as a designer that has no direction or style to his design approach. He's still dealing with his gayness. I think he designs for dogs now.

[quote]He was making a name for himself selling things that looked like Boy Scout uniforms for fully grown men.

Think "Nifty" here...

John Bartlett's gay pride shirt.

Does anyone remember Bill Blass chocolates? Similar in taste to Godiva, they were in a silver box with gold Bill Blass signature on the top. I bought a box in Bloomingdale's for my grandmother while on a weekend trip to NYC in the 80s. (I googled to get an image but came up with nothing)

Did Blass leave any longtime lover behind to inherit his fortune?

They used to make Bill Blass chocolates in Reading, PA (very near my hometown.) Reading is known as a major outlet town before the term "outlet" was totally meaningless. For example, I remember sitting on the floor while my mom and grandmother fought other ladies over giant bins of factory second bras at the Vanity Fair outlet twice a year.

Anyways, we went once and there was a huge bin filled with boxes of Bill Blass chocolates. My grandmother was very fancy but cheap, so she bought TONS of them and kept them in her freezer for YEARS for "company."

And just in case anyone else out there thinks they are being fancy now... Godiva "Belgian" chocolates are now made in the same factory in Reading.

[quote]Did Blass leave any longtime lover behind to inherit his fortune?

What fortune?

The fortune he should have made from licensing his name for chocolates, Lincoln automobiles and fragrances.

R190 he did make a pretty sizable fortune with licensing, plus he owned a penthouse in a prime Sutton Place coop and a beautiful house in NW Connecticut.

According to wiki, Blass died with a fortune of $52 million, half of which he left to the Met museum.

BLASS ACT: DOG GETS 100G FROM $70M ESTATE

Late fashion designer Bill Blass bequeathed the bulk of his $70 million fortune to friends, family and organizations close to his heart – but he kept a cool $100,000 aside for doggie care.

The 79-year-old Blass, who died on June 12 after a long bout with throat cancer, adored his overweight, yellow Labrador named Barnaby.

The portly pooch now lives with Blass’ butler, Al McGloin, who inherited the $100,000 on Barnaby’s behalf, according to Blass’ will, which was filed in District of Washington Probate Court.

“The tidy sum should take care of him,” said McGloin, who was left $50,000 personally.

McGloin said he’s unsure where he and the canine will live after Blass’ sprawling Connecticut estate is sold.

Under the butler’s care, Barnaby has already shed at least 20 pounds from exercise and a healthy diet.

A copy of Blass’ will, obtained by The Post, includes bequests of $1 million each to the Animal Center of New York and the New York chapter of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The never-married Blass left $500,000 apiece to his niece Barbara Camp and nephew Walter Camp, and $250,000 to each of his three godchildren.

He divided the remainder of his hard-earned loot among close friends and organizations close to his heart.

Blass donated three marble sculptures, five bronze helmets and a bronze breastplate to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Greek and Roman Art Department.

He also left that branch of the museum one half of his residual estate.

“His generosity is extraordinary and will enrich the collections for the benefit of the public for generations to come,” museum spokesman Harold Holzer said yesterday.

“The Met and Bill Blass enjoyed a very long and very amicable relationship,” Holzer added.

Blass also donated $1 million to the Robin Hood Relief Foundation, which was set up after the Sept. 11 attacks to help New Yorkers suffering from the economic aftermath.

He designated $1 million each to Indiana University and the Fashion Institute of Technology for general purposes.

The rest of the bequests – ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 – were left to 10 friends, another employee and his chauffeur.

The other half of his residual estate was left to the AIDS Care Center of the Society of New York Hospital Fund Inc.

Locals in Connecticut remember the doting designer escorting groups of New York friends to an array of antique shops during weekend retreats – and when they’d finished their rounds, Blass sent McGloin back to make the purchases.

(Former Bill Blass Manhattan Penthouse Hits the Market for $6.75 Million)

To wit about Blass from various NYT articles:

“...by the 1990s, he was so famous that his company had more than 40 licenses with annual sales of $500 million of Bill Blass products.”

“...last week worked out a deal to finance the purchase of Bill Blass Ltd. through bonds. In the transaction, which an executive who worked on the deal said is expected to bring Mr. Blass, 77, more than $50 million.”

Well I guess this just about wraps up R190 getting his blASS handed to him.

^^^^ I’ll be here all week! Don’t forget to tip your server!

Maud Frizon and Pappagallo for overpriced little flat shoes

Z Cavaricci

When I was in NYC, Norma Kamali was everywhere. Her early stuff was basically sweatshirt material separates with peplums and shoulder pads.

All you needed was a pair of metallic leaf earrings and you were ready for a big night out.

Last I knew she was doing a line of swimwear.

The urine in containers is not uncommon in the drug world. People get so high they just can't make it to the bathroom.

Very sad to hear.

John Bartlett. Hot men’s designer. Briefly hot in the 90’s - 00’s, then nothing. Was it drugs?

Disregard my last...I see that someone posted about Bartlett above. My goodness, what calves he has!

Smalto... You make me weak

I remember his store

the big fashion houses have survived because their founders were the best

Marilyn-era Pucci designs need to make a come back.

The GLORIOUS Alexander Julian of Colors By Alexander Julian, OOPSIE!! MY mistake

COLOURS BY ALEXANDER JULIAN!!!!!!

Was this prick even real? It was an Outlet store in the early 90's

Hmm! Alexander was far more successful than I realized!

Sorry Alexander!!!!

Tracey Reese, one of the few women of color who made inroads into the white male dominated fashion industry under her own name...where is she now?

She's around, R208. I don't know if she should be included in this listing because she was never as big (yet) as most of these designers that have been listed this far.

Esprit

That was the clothing of choice for the preps in my high school in the 80s.

I hated all the people who wore it because I was too fat to wear it.

[quote] I must say that I'm REALLY enjoying this thread. I've read names that I haven't heard about for a long time and I learned about designers that I have never heard of before. This thread has been quite educational for me.

I'm so happy!

FF R210- FAT BITCH!!!!!

ESPRIT 4 EVA!!!!!

SKINNY 4 EVA!!!!!!!

Just kidding R210.

Maybe it's a Canadian thing, but growing up in the 90s, I remember Club Monaco being really popular. There are still a few stores around in my city, but I never see anyone in them. I know they were sold off to Club Monaco and one of the founders created Joe Fresh (ugh) for Superstore.

Their sweatshirts used to be everywhere.

John Bartlett interview from a few years ago...he’s almost fifty now!

I can't believe someone remembered Bill Blass chocolates. Yes, I've looked for pics of them but to no avail.

And Lincoln automobiles used other designer names: Cartier - Givenchy - Emilio Pucci - Valentino - Gianni Versace.

I used to think Todd Oldham was cute.

The first cologne I ever bought was Halston Z-14.

I found a bottle of Z-14 at an estate sale a few years ago and it was apparently kept in a dark cool place for 30 years. It was still in the original wrappings,and when I opened it smelled wonderful. I use it very sparingly and every single time I wear it people comment on it !

[quote]I found a bottle of Z-14 at an estate sale a few years ago and it was apparently kept in a dark cool place for 30 years.

But, how much did you pay for it?

$5 R217 !

May 2018 - Rockport Group

Footwear group Rockport has filed for Chapter 11 protection. Newton, Massachusetts-based Rockport Group will sell its assets to private equity group Charlesbank under a bankruptcy plan as the shoemaker struggles to compete in a tougher retail market. With brands that include Aravon, Dunham and Rockport, the group says it will maintain operations through the sale process to stalking horse bidder Charlesbank.

Rockport was founded in 1971 as The Rockport Co. and eventually became part of Adidas before being sold again.

Ecko

Kenneth Cole. Used to see his ads everywhere...

JNCO

Comtesse Jacqueline de Ribes.

Juicy Couture.

Was there really a ...

Dotty Smith

Etienne Aigner

Was there really a ...

Dotty Smith

Etienne Aigner

Oleg Cassini

Lilly Pulitzer

Lilly Pulitzer

Nicole Farhi

The HOUSE OF WORTH

Liz Clairbone

DON LOPER

Yammamoto, darling.

He was the thing in the early 80s and we just adored his schmatta.

I'm really surprised by how many designers have died, (but they mad a mark upon fashion), and their house and label dies with them

Pauline Trigère. was an innovator of cut and construction. She was the jumpsuit, the sleeveless coat, the reversible cape and the embroidered sheer bodice. Also, she pretty much reinvented the ready- to- wear concept. But, very few even know who she was. Also, I believe she was the first to hire black fashion models.

"Footwear group Rockport has filed for Chapter 11 protection."

Well that's a bummer, I know a few guys who don't want to wear any shoes but Rockports!

I've got a few myself, they're great, and have lasted years to date. Maybe making long-lasting shoes doesn't pay any more.

His name was mentioned in one of the article excerpts posted earlier, but I'm surprised no one has brought up Richard Tyler. Back in the 90s he was one of THE designers for the red carpet, and then he fell off the face of the earth.

[quote]DON LOPER

Don Loper (April 29, 1907 – November 21, 1972 was an American costume and necktie designer, as well as a screenwriter, choreographer, associate producer, actor. He began his career as a dancer.

Loper is also known for introducing Judy Garland to her future husband, director Vincente Minnelli ....

Kathie Lee Gifford's clothing line

Jaclyn Smith clothing

I guess all of those celebrity clothing lines which were at one time considered hot properties.

Loving this thread, bringing back lots of memories.

My mother always bought Etienne Aigner handbags -- one in the fall and one in the spring, always with the burgundy leather. She even had matching mirrors, compacts, contact lens container, wallets. Are they still around?

[quote]Richard Tyler

WOW! YES! Now, that was a GOOD one! I wonder what is the story behind him because he sure was the toast of the town and now it seems as if he has totally disappeared.

Narciso Rodriguez... at one time so hot he designed Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s wedding dress. Now he’s still around but not nearly as well known.

Apparently his fragrances still generate a lot of sales though.

Nicole Miller

Richard Tyler's wiki page. Talk about sparse. Last mention is 2006.

WEHT Stephen Burrows?

In the late 60s/early 70s my sister loved Bobbie Brooks. I for got all about the brand until I saw some Bobbie Brooks clothes in Dollar General when I dropped in to purchase an emergency sports bra.

Emergency sports bra?

Helmut Lang sold his business to Prada in the early 2000's, and made quite a lot of money.

He retired from fashion and lives in the Hamptons and has become a respected abstract sculpturist.

No mention of Posen thus far? I 'm sure you all saw the doc on Netflix. Based on that, I'd say he qualifies for this thread.

I am into perfume so a lot of the names mentioned here still appear in that world. And Lacroix does some cool stationery. I even find some of his bags at discount stores -- even the lowest end like dd's Discount, ha. I buy them up out of loyalty.

[quote]Lacroix does some cool stationery

Stationary? There is still a compelling market for it?

Not really. I've seen it show up at Tuesday Morning. But he does try to sell $60 notebooks (see ebay). And cool cushions via Horchow via NM. Where he went when the clothes dried up, I guess.

I'll be designing for think women now.

byblos

The sad recent bankruptcy of Hardy Amies (have many suits, hats and ties). I think an Australian outpost shall continue in some capacity. Reflecting on ties specifically, WHET Countess Mara, and Lilly Daché?

A couple of things here;

-We've become much more lazier. Not many want to walk around and shop anymore. People want to sit on their asses and do online shopping.

-The quality, creativity, and craftsmanship just isn't there anymore for many brands and items. It's truly about the bottom line. To do it as cheap as possible but charge as much as possible.

Would you pay $1800 for just... the jacket?

Polyester and cotton, machine made? Gee... it's imported from Italy...

I see notebooks and cards, but not stationery.

For R256

Daniel Hechter

Henry Grethel

Max Azria, BCBG, Max Mara, and the eighteen other brands under his umbrella.

Lillie Rubin, South and West

R258 is that a precursor to a la page, briefly known as a la plague?

I loved Patrick Kelly.

Tom Ford

[quote]WEHT Stephen Burrows?

He's still alive and designing. He designs for Target now. I hate to say it but probably many of those buyers don't have a clue of who he is and how popular he was.

Funny, R262. It was a little old lady that really put Patrick Kelly on the map.

Just one of many talents taken too soon by the AIDS epidemic.

Not Susan Graver.

Re: Pierre Cardin, there's an exhibit now at the Brooklyn Museum that showcases room after room of his intriguing couture designs, including some beautiful lacquer furniture.. It starts with documenting his work for Jackie Kennedy, including a video shot when JFK was running for president. The exhibit does document his pioneering idea of selling his name for pretty much anyone who wanted to pay, but doesn't bother showing any of the mediocre results.

[quote]Pierre Cardin

He sold his soul for.... money.

Pierre Cardin used his name as a brand, initially a prestigious fashion brand, then in the 1960s expanded successfully into perfumes and cosmetics. From about 1988 the brand was licensed extensively, and appeared on "wildly nonadjacent products such as baseball caps and cigarettes". A 2005 article in the Harvard Business Review commented that the extension into perfumes and cosmetics was successful as the premium nature of the Pierre Cardin brand transferred well into these new, adjacent categories, but that the owners of the brand mistakenly attributed this to the brand's strength rather than to its fit with the new product categories. The extensive licensing eroded the brand's credibility, but brought in much revenue; in 1986 Women's Wear Daily (WWD) estimated Cardin's annual income at over US$10 million. 1995 quotes from WWD included "Pierre Cardin—he has sold his name for toilet paper. At what point do you lose your identity?" and "Cardin's cachet crashed when his name appeared on everything from key chains to pencil holders". However, the Cardin name was still very profitable, although the indiscriminate licensing approach was considered a failure. In 2011, Cardin tried to sell his business, valuing it at €1 billion, although the Wall Street Journal considered it to be worth about a fifth of that amount. Ultimately he did not sell the brand.

He's 97 years old now, and.... RICH!

Bette really did wear those Patrick Kelly dresses quite well!

[quote]He's 97 years old now, and.... RICH!

Is he single?

House of Derrière.

R 269, she looks fab! I wonder how old she is in that photo.

Another designer lost too soon to AIDS was Angel Estrada, does anyone else remember him?

Argh, I meant R269 at R272.

United Colors of Bennetton

I never heard of him, R272. But, that doesn't mean anything. I found an interesting article about him by Isabel Toledo (now dead too)

I thought the article below an interesting article and relevant to this thread

[quote]In an informative review of the inaugural New York Men's Fashion Week, Financial Times' Charlie Porter mused on whether New York as a fashion industrial complex had yet fully recovered from the 1980s, when AIDS claimed the lives of name designers (including Perry Ellis and Willie Smith) and many other creative men and women in the fashion industry. It wasn't just designers but showroom assistants, stylists, photographers, creative directors, window dressers — an entire generation of creativity, completely decimated.

Stanley Blacker. His label lived on it seemed forever after his death, but then one day it seemed only with licenced products, (especially accessoires) in Japan.

[quote] What the hell ever happened? What went wrong?

I know! All I did was drunkenly tell a bunch of Italian tourists in a bar I love Hitler, and that people like them and their ancestors would have been gassed under his regime. And then when I denied it I was found guilty (since making anti-Semitic comments in public in France is a crime, and there was video of me saying these things).

Can you imagine getting so upset over nothing?

[quote] I wonder how old she is in that photo.

She was 78 or 79 about that time. Here's an article I found for you, R272. It was written by Miss Davis's assistant and it's about her friendship and collaboration with Patrick Kelly. She really liked him and was even buried in one of his designs.

Bette Davis and Designer Patrick Kelly Made Oddly Perfect Pals--She was one of Hollywood’s most revered stars. He was an emerging force in French fashion. But when they met on Christmas eve in Paris, it seemed ordained by fate.

[quote]John Galliano destroyed himself with drugs and alcohol. Of course, he had his personal issues and therefore the drugs and alcohol.

[quote]Fashion is a harsh mistress. Lots of these guys destroy themselves with drugs--and not the fun kind. They are expected to put out so many collections per year--the brilliant ones fall apart because what they want to do takes time. The survivors are smart, but mediocre in terms of creativity.

Huh?

Galliano got his ass fired from Dior by becoming marketing poison, not because he couldn't design as he wanted.

[quote]In the video, shot on a mobile telephone in December, Mr Galliano can be seen blind drunk at La Perle bar in the trendy Marais district of central Paris.

[quote]A woman's voice asks Mr Galliano, "Are you blond, with blue eyes?" Slurring his words, he replies: "No, but I love Hitler, and people like you would be dead today. Your mothers, your forefathers, would be all be gassed and dead." The two women he was referring to were Italian, not Jewish.

[quote]In France, expressing anti-semitic ideas is illegal. It was reported on 2 March 2011 that Galliano was to face trial in Paris for allegedly "making racist comments to customers in a café". The trial commenced on 22 June 2011. Galliano's lawyer argued that the "series of public outbursts during which he uttered racist and anti-Semitic insults in a Paris café" were the result of "work-related stress and multiple addictions." On 8 September 2011, Galliano was found guilty of making anti-semitic remarks and sentenced to pay a total of €6,000 in suspended fines after a French court found him guilty of voicing public insults on account of race.

Dooney & Bourke

But, this might be a good thing. If the brand can get back to the basics of producing a quality crafted, luxurious product, it might reclaim its past glory.

They were the shit, r280.

Abercrombie & Fitch

Isn't referring to Dooney & Bourke or Abercrombie as "those designers, and those creative others, who were the toast of the town but who went KABOOM" a bit of an exaggeration?

What is odd to me (because it’s always about me) is that I’ve forgotten most of my edgy designers.

I made most of my gambles in black and they’re. all a blur.

R279 Galliano is a disgusting pig and a disgrace. He had gone after several young women in cafés for quite a stretch. It is funny how several were not even Jews. He did go after Natalie Portman though, and it was especially ugly. I don't buy normal healthy people spout off racist or bigoted epitaphs merely because they're under diress, tired and overworked, or drunk. In Vino Veritas. I was madly disappointed others chose to work with him again.

[quote] I don't buy normal healthy people spout off racist or bigoted epitaphs merely because they're under diress, tired and overworked, or drunk.

NONE of these people are normal or healthy.

Perfumes had some of the best print ads. This ad made quite an impression on me as a young gayling.

Now I am intrigued by her art and life.

R154

The Brand Jil Sander is alive and kicking.

Lacroix seems to be about the biggest to me. His clothes were everything in the early 90s.

Galliano is a racist, a bigot - and a total genius in fashion design. Artistically, he's not comparable to any of the other people in this thread. He's the perfect starting point for any debate about personal life v art: but the fact is, once you start making a noise about your obnoxious views in public, you're dooming yourself.

Jil Sander has one really great perfume but I am spacing on the name of it. Smells like a Dreamsickle. :)

Paco Rabanne

Sean John

[quote]I don't buy normal healthy people spout off racist or bigoted epitaphs merely because they're under diress, tired and overworked, or drunk.

[quote]NONE of these people are normal or healthy.

[quote]Galliano is a racist, a bigot - and a total genius in fashion design. Artistically, he's not comparable to any of the other people in this thread. He's the perfect starting point for any debate about personal life v art: but the fact is, once you start making a noise about your obnoxious views in public, you're dooming yourself.

Hmmm...

[quote]But Italian designer Giorgio Armani said he felt "sorry for" his colleague.

Emanuel Ungaro

Dapper Dan

Hugo Boss. Oh, wait . . .

Thierry Mugler

[quote]Thierry Mugler

NEVER!

Cross Colours

Geoffrey Beene

That’s Samuel Albert Bozeman Jr. to you R301

She by Shereé.

R263 Isn't Tom Ford still making bank?

R268 what else would you sell your soul for? Starburst?

Quiksilver, anyone?

Heatherette, a fav of the Hilton sisters

Tommy Hilfiger

Versace

Hardly. Betty Gilpin looks fabulous in Versace in the September issue of Vanity Fair.

John Bartlett, Tracey Reese. Where’d they go? Tracey had been on the rise - a true rarity for a fashion designer of African American descent...but it’s like she just stopped.

Ta-Ta Zac Posen

Zac Posen Is Shutting Down His Fashion Brand--The designer started his namesake label in 2001

Zac Posen is closing its doors.

The beloved designer — a red carpet go-to for celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Katie Holmes and Coco Rocha — is ceasing operations and the Spring/Summer 2020 collection shown in September will not be shipped.

The brand confirmed the news (which was first reported by WWD) in a statement to PEOPLE. “The owners of the Zac Posen fashion and accessories brand, announced today that the Company has determined to cease business operations and carry out an orderly disposition of its assets.”

“The Board of Managers of the Company made this difficult decision following a comprehensive strategic and financial review of the businesses and pursuit of a going-concern sale process,” the company said. “The Board of Managers is disappointed with this outcome but can no longer continue operations and believe an orderly disposition at this stage is the best course of action, under the circumstances.”

Posen also spoke about the situation, reflecting on “the journey of nearly 20 years.”

“I want to express my appreciation to our extraordinary team and for all those who have stood by me and the brand. I owe a great deal of gratitude for their unwavering support for and dedication to the company,” the designer, 39, said in a statement. “The management team at the Company worked extremely hard to navigate the increasingly challenging fashion and retail landscape, consistently evaluating strategic options to strengthen our financial profile and fuel potential growth.”

“We are disappointed that these efforts have not been successful and deeply saddened that the journey of nearly 20 years has come to an end. I am grateful to the team who lent their incomparable talent and commitment along the way. I remain incredibly proud of what we created and hopeful for the future

Posen started his namesake label in 2001 and quickly became a smashing success in the industry. In 2003 Vogue reported he was “22 years old and Designer of the Year five minutes out of fashion college.”

By 2004 he was awarded the Perry Ellis Award for Womenswear by the CFDA and was dressing every big-name celebrity for every major award show, including Gwyneth Paltrow’s 2007 Oscars dress, Rihanna‘s 2008 Grammys dress and Sandra Oh’s 2019 Emmys gown. He also designed Princess Eugenie‘s wedding reception gown for her 2018 royal wedding.

In 2008 he expanded his reach with a collection for Target, became a judge on Project Runway in 2012 and stayed on for six seasons and was even named the Creative Director for Brooks Brothers in 2014.

Most recently, he used innovated 3D technology to create the gorgeous gowns worn by Katie Holmes, Jourdan Dunn and Nina Dobrev at the 2019 Met Gala, created two custom designs for Winnie Harlow at the Harper’s BAZAAR Icons party in September and designed a special opening night look for producer Jordan Roth to wear to the premiere of Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway.

An very engaging analysis of why the brand collapsed (20 min)

Someone should bring back the pouf dress. A vintage 80s LaCroix would be a fun look for, say, an awards show.

Last one about Posen. The problems don't go away

Former Zac Posen CFO files lawsuit against shuttered fashion house

While celebrity-beloved fashion designer Zac Posen’s brand was abruptly shuttered last week, it isn’t the end of the firm’s financial woes.

Former chief financial officer Dominic Miachon-Hobson has filed a lawsuit claiming he’s owed nearly $200,000 by House of Z and Posen, famed for his couture gowns. And now he’s preparing to widen the suit against billionaire Ron Burkle and his company ­Yucaipa, Posen’s major investor.

Miachon-Hobson filed his suit Oct. 11 in New York Supreme Court, claiming he is owed $167,177.51 in unreimbursed expenses.

He states in the suit that he paid for business expenses — including taxes, utility bills and shipping fees — with his personal credit card, and the company failed to pay him back. He ­alleges his wages have not been paid since Aug. 30, and he is seeking damages, attorneys’ fees, punitive damages and interest.

He claimed to Page Six, “Even after Ron Burkle and Yucaipa acquired a large portion of the business, it has been wildly underfunded . . . I was told to clear everything up with no money coming in . . . Everybody was so committed to Zac and the company, many of us put our own money in. I allowed them to use my credit card to help the company get credit. I even paid the payroll taxes from my own account.”

But a source close to the company tells us, “The business was failing and that’s why the funds weren’t there.” Personal payments made by Miachon-Hobson were “against company policy,” adding, “He wasn’t authorized to put expenses on his card . . . He signed a clause saying he wasn’t going to put in his personal money.”

The source added that “no one wanted him to be owed money, but he shouldn’t have done what he did. [But] no one will fault him for being loyal to Zac. Everyone was trying to make it work.” Posen’s board said it was “determined to cease business operations and carry out an orderly disposition of its assets.”

Yucaipa had been trying to sell its stake since April. Its reps had no comment.

Mossimo Giannulli.

Sergio Georgini

Remember International Male?

Zac Posen

Charles James

Mark Badgley and James Mischka are still around and making bank. Those old girls have things everywhere from Nordstrom, to Bloomingdale's .

Though like everyone else the brand was sold; first to Escada, then to Candie (remember those Candy shoes?), who in turn became Iconix brands.

In 2017 2017, Iconix sold Badgley Mischka to Mark Badgley, James Mischka, and Titan Industries.

Couple had (or have) homes in Oyster Bay, LI and a horse farm in Kentucky among other addresses

The horse farm:

If all that wasn't enough, Badgley Mischka have launched an interior decor/furniture line as well.

People may snicker up there sleeves; but again like some other gay or straight designers (such as Isaac Mizrahi) BM are laughing all the way to bank.

Azzedine Alaïa *RIP*

For a short time his designs were every where, from Patsy Stone (Ab Fab) to supermodels like Naomi Campbell

More AA dresses seen in gallery view

Alexander McQueen, his house lives on; but sadly the man himself checked out.

Bijan

Bijan Pakzad, generally known simply as Bijan, was an Iranian designer of menswear and fragrances.

He's been dead for some time now (2011) but the store used to advertise really heavily and made his name a household name. BUT... you had to make an appointment to shop because it is reportedly the most expensive men's store in the world. It's rare to hear anything about the name now.

[quote]Born in Tehran, Iran, in 1940, although his birth year has also been claimed to be 1944. Upon immigrating to America in 1973, Bijan settled in Los Angeles and established his exclusive boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills in 1976. It has been described as "the most expensive store in the world"

The son is now looking to expand the company and the brand name;

[quote]Bijan started thinking about a move in 2016, which is the year they sold the current store in a real estate transaction for $122 million to French luxury conglomerate LVMH. The move is part of an overall expansion plan for the company, which opened two new locations in the past five years at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills and the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. The company is also looking into opening in new markets where clients are already frequenting, such as London and Dubai.

Trannie friend used to know went to a huge sample sale at Carmelo Pomodoro's showroom after he had passed on or maybe before.

She didn't know who he was really, but having gone to FIT and was always on prowl for good fashion at affordable prices.... She got some really nice pieces that held up well over years. But of course back in the 1990's sample sales were a far different thing than what passes for them nowadays.

More:

How many of these brands are still around today?

[quote]People may snicker up there sleeves; but again like some other gay or straight designers (such as Isaac Mizrahi) BM are laughing all the way to bank.

The expression is CRYING all the way to THE bank.

byblos

Byblos is still around. Gianni Versace as a young designer spent one year at the place before moving on.

Byblos spring-2019 ready to wear.

Derek Lam is still around; he and husband/business partner recently announced however they are shuttering collection division. But their "contemporary" priced line (10 Crosby) will remain in business.

Almost twenty years ago now when DL first started out Crosby street was totally different. How there is more money down there than parts of UES.

R326 - FYI... Bijan Pakzad's daughter is engaged to Dana Brunetti. Pakzad's son and the boutique were featured in the movie Billionaire Boys Club.

True Religion

Bibhu Mohaptra

Michelle Obama wore a lot of his stuff.

Rifat Ozbek had a moment in the late 80s/early 90s. I remember the great ad campaigns Steven Meisel shot with Naomi Campbell.

whatever happened to Ann Demeulemeester?

Bradley Bayou? I think he's doing interiors now - Anyone know?

R339

Do you girls not know how to use a search engine?

Moschino

R341

Again still around, Moschino just had a fashion show here in NYC.

The Rise And Fall Of American Apparel

Dov Charney

Hello

Hello, hello.

So fashionable.

Oh [R82]!!!! I know who did Madonna's flower dresses: RACHEL LONDON. She put flowers all over an old denim jacket of mine that I still love and is one of my prized possessions. She had a little shop on Melrose that was also her apartment.

John Bartlett designs dog clothes now.

Tracey Reece, a promising African American designer who has all but sank from sight.

You know there is a problem when there is a general Google question out there about you.

Is Tracy Reese still in business?

Designer Tracy Reese Is Back With A New Sustainable Brand. ... After 20 years in the industry, originally launching her business in 1998, the designer took a hiatus last spring, leaving consumers wondering if she was ever going to return. Jun 25, 2019

Paloma Picasso

She was one of the hottest things going in the late 70's-early 90's and then POOF!

Anne Pinkerton?

Pierre Cardin, who is 97. Has anyone checked in on M. Cardin?

Richard Tyler. Used to make well constructed suits- I think Madonna had one of his.

Geoffrey Beene? What happened to him?

R354 - Julie Roberts wore a lot of Richard Tyler in her early days.

Paul Poiret

Paul Poiret (20 April 1879, Paris, France – 30 April 1944, Paris) was a leading French fashion designer, a master couturier during the first two decades of the 20th century. He was the founder of his namesake haute couture house. His contributions to his field have been likened to Picasso's legacy in 20th-century art. He died penniless

Though perhaps best known for freeing women from corsets (although he did not single-handedly accomplish this revolution) and for claiming authorship of the hobble skirt, harem pants, and "lampshade" tunic, Poiret's major contribution to fashion was his development of the dressmaking technique known as draping, a departure from the tailoring and pattern-making of the past. Poiret was influenced by antique and regional dress, and favored clothing cut along straight lines and constructed of rectangular motifs. The structural simplicity of his clothing represented a "pivotal moment in the emergence of modernism" generally, and "effectively established the paradigm of modern fashion, irrevocably changing the direction of costume history.

Jacques Fath

Members Only

London Fog

Jordache Jeans

Are any of these still around?

Didn't Prince Egon von Furstenberg have a line of clothing years ago? He was very handsome and died pretty young. There was a nude of him in one of those coffee table photo books "New York Nude" or "London Nude", one of those kinds of books.

Yes, Prince Egon von Furstenberg did have one or more fashion lines out at one time. He studied at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and Parsons School of Design.

A Navy guy I knew claimed that his bestie got picked up by Egon...

At his peak Richard Tyler was the designer for A-List Hollywood/entertainment world and other famous in media sorts.

And yes, Prince Egon von Furstenberg was a very attractive man who was openly bisexual.

Price Egon had a porcine face and was always in the Meat Rack on Fire Island. Bi-sexual my ass!

When I saw saw reference to Project Runway I was concerned this was another Wendy Pepper is the devil thread. Now that no one has to bow down to Harvey, the on the money pick has to be Marchesa.

Poor old Bob Mackie is still shilling to great grandmas on one of those home shopping channels.

R367

Never knew Bob Mackie had a son who predeceased his parents (HIV/AIDS), that had to be a blow.

You still have to hand it to Mr. Mackie; QVC or whatever he's still making money, working and alive; any of the three is more than can be said for many of his peers from same era.

For our tasteful friends; Bob Mackie's West Hollywood Hills home was on market in 2016. Asking price was $2.175 million , it sold for $2.137 million.

Mackie is one of the genuinely nicest people in showbusiness I have ever done business with.

Mackie also had an extremely successful partnership with Mattel for a number of years designing collector dolls for them.

Randolph Duke was a big name in the late 90s but self destructed.

Is escada still a big name?

R371

Believe it or not yes, Escada is still around and considered a big name in some fashion circles. Royal ladies in particular seem partial to the brand, though cannot imagine why.....

I personally loved Marchesa and am sorry to see it go.

The ultimate 1960s WASP preppy labels, The Villager and Ladybug.

What happened to Lacoste?

Lacoste is still around, don't know if those shirts with little alligators have same cachet the did in past though.

Joop - by Wolfgang Joop. I think all he has now is a cologne.

Fashion is a tough business and it seems to have been commoditized to death by financial investors the past 25 years.

There aren't any designers that seem to thrill anymore. And the quality is sub par for the prices.

Bradley Bayou?

Stephen Burrows is dead - one of the early casualties of AIDS.

What are we stuck with? Louis Vuitton and Michael Kors.

[quote]Stephen Burrows is dead - one of the early casualties of AIDS.

His label might be dead but Stephen isn't. He's very much alive

My bad r380... I could have sworn that he died. Must have him mixed up with someone else.

Blumarine. I remember that one being popular for a while, and then it just kind of disappeared. A look online shows it's still in business and has boutiques in Europe and Asia. Strange.

I was also surprised at the number of higher -end brands that are still around. I was in Bal Harbour a few weeks ago an was walking around that fancy mall there. With the exceptions of the well-known ones, like Prada, LV and Gucci, etc I was shocked to see as many brands as I did. No idea that Loro Piana, Escada, and Stella McCartney were still around (or at least viable enough to have store fronts). Also Akris and Etro. I know they had their moments decades ago, but how they are still functioning is beyond me. These brands can't be doing well. And the mall was totally dead on a weekend.

There are still Prince Egon colognes on the back shelves of pharmacies in Europe. They are watered down from what they were, but are still being produced.

Do they still make Alexander Julian clothes? I thought they were very pretty and colorful.

Hmm... I wonder who collects the money from Egon von Fürstenberg's ventures. Did he die from the AIDS?

They're trying to relaunch Alexander Julian, R387. He's discussed earlier and at the top of this thread. He's an appropriate inclusion in this thread as well as Stephen Burrows

Egon's name was probably sold long long ago. I doubt there is any income or If there is, a couple thousand, max. The two kids are alive and well by the way.Alex was a sexy boy and very pleasant.

Reuters @Reuters · 13h Exclusive: Neiman Marcus to file for bankruptcy as soon as this week

Is Lily Pulitzer still popular?

^Who?

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Just bought something at GAP online yesterday. I hope the process, fill and ship the order.

J.Crew filed for bankruptcy!

J. Crew just filed for bankruptcy

Is Benetton still around?

First you're another sloe-eyed vamp

Then an anti-Semite

Then you're camp!

Isaac Mizrahi

I would add the Australian fashion company COOGI to this list. Bill Cosby put this company on the map with his wearing the sweaters. But, look where Bill is now and many people today have never heard of this company.