Original article:
Arnold Scaasi Dies at 85; Dressed Stars and Socialites, His ‘Scaasi Girls’
- NEW YORK TIMES
Paraphrased Version
The flamboyant
and legendary designer Arnold Scaasi (born as Arnold Isaacs) dies at age of 85.
The famous
Canadian designer was renowned for elegantly dressing the A –listers, like the
first ladies, socialites and Hollywood celebrities. Scaasi died on Tuesday, 4th
August 2015 in Manhattan, New York.
A cardiac
arrest before 2 a.m. at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Centre
was reported the cause of death by long-time friend and an executive at Simon
& Schuster, Michael Selleck.
He was
exceptionally known for dressing up Barbara Streisand in his exuberant
clothing, who dazzled the ’69 Oscars with her sheer, sequined, bell-bottomed
pantsuit designed by Scaasi himself.
Mr Scaasi once expressed he isn’t a minimalist
while devouring his fondness for ornate and bright clothing with extensive embroidery,
sequins, tassels, ruffles bows and other adornments which interesting and playful
to wear.
Running his
renowned atelier in Midtown Manhattan for several years, he is known for
popularizing French Haute Couture among American Women.
He dressed powerful
women like Hillary Clinton, Mamie Eisenhower, Laura Bush and notable celebrities
like Joan Crawford, Joan Rivers, Elizabeth Taylor, Diahann Carroll, Catherine
Deneuve, Brooke Astor and Mary Tyler Moore were known as ‘Scaasi Girls’. Moore
was known to promote the campaign ‘Me and My Scaasi’. In 2001, The Kent State
University Museum mounted a major Arnold Scaasi retrospective curated by Anne
Bissonnette to celebrate the museum's fifteenth anniversary.
Born as Arnold
Isaacs in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on 8 May 1930 to Samuel, a furrier and
Bessie who had studied opera. A fourteen year old Arnold’s life was change forever when he visited his flamboyant
Aunt Ida Wynn who inspired him to take
up fashion as a career. He returned to Montreal to study at the Cotnoir-Capponi
School of Design and completed his education at the Chambre Syndicale de la
Haute Couture Parisienne in Paris. He apprenticed at the House of Paquin before
moving to New York City to work with designer Charles James. In between he even
wanted to collaborate with Christian Dior who made him believe ‘America is the
future’.
He further
won several awards, accolades and recognitions in his lifetime, leaving his
mark in the fashion history.
Mr Parker
Ladd, first set eyes on Isaacs at a private dinner in a Central Park penthouse
in 1962. He thought Scaasi was English and fantasized on having a fling with
him, rather the duo were standing beside each other through thick and thin for nearly
50 years. Later they got married in a holy union.
Isaacs was
known to be great friends with Barbara Walters and Liz Smith.
Scaasi was
presented with the Council of Fashion Designers of America Lifetime Achievement
Award in 1996.
A
trailblazer and an achiever, he will be cherished for generations in the
Fashion world.
