1970s FASCINATING ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HAND WRITTEN BY A YOUNG MAN DETERMINED TO BREAK INTO THE NEW YORK FASHION SCENE AND HIS EVENTUAL SUCCESS WITH ONE OF THE TITANS OF FASHION

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On offer is a fascinating journal by a fashion insider in the hey-day of the New York fashion scene. This coil-bound notebook measures 9.5 inches by 6 inches and contains 154 pages , 100% complete. The back cover has pulled away from the coil but otherwise the journal is in good condition. The entries are in pen and quite legible. Gary Wares was a 20 year old student of the Maryland Institute of Arts in 1973. As part of his graduation requirements, he had to obtain a work-experience posting in his field - fashion design. This journal chronicles his efforts to find a placement and then the 7 weeks he spent working in the Fashion Design Department of Bill Blass Limited. Bill Blass was one of the top American fashion designers. The journal opens with this (Seventh Avenue, the heart of the US garment district and fashion industry is usually abbreviated by Wares as 'SA'): "I have tried to keep as valid a record as possible. Names have not been changed to protect the innocent because as far as I am concerned, no-one can be innocent and still survive on Seventh Avenue. ... I will be as unbiased as possible in my essays on the people I met ... In some ways, this book will be an expose of SA ... "[Introduction]. In reality, it is no expose. More, it reflects the challenges of a 20 year old trying to break into a fiercely competitive industry well-known as a cut-throat marketplace. But, what it does reveal are the day-to-day workings of a highly successful couturier fashion house. By the time he retired in 1999, Blass had built his company into a $700 million dollar a year business. The first 50 pages detail Wares quest for a position. As many people know, this can be a hard experience for anyone in any field. What makes this interesting is that Wares writes well and is very open and frank with his descriptions: "My day started early - 9 AM at Kiki Hart in 530 SA. I arrived on time and she wasn't in. They called her at home and told me she was on her way. I walked into the showroom and casually eyed the clothes. They were all suited to the older woman. Everything was made to be worn with a bra, all covered up, band not real expensive. I didn't know what type of woman to expect but Mrs. Hart was definitely not what I expected. She was an OLDER woman - in her 50's. I'd venture to guess very nervy, very outspoken. She was looking at my work as a favor to a friend ... (told me) her business was netting $6 million a year. A gross exaggeration, I'm sure. ... Obviously, it's a line of bull that you must swallow & then forget ..." [Sept 13]. For the next couple of weeks, he made the rounds, including Bill Blass Limited seeking a paid work experience position. Unsurprisingly, there were none. At the suggestion of a friend, he called those places back and said he would work for nothing. On Oct 5th, he got called to Blass' office and was offered an unpaid work-study program. He made one more effort to secure a paid position, interviewing with Bill Tice, just when Tice was beginning his highly successful fashion design career. On Oct 10th, he started a work week at Beene Bag, owned by another famous fashion designer, Geoffrey Beene: "Today I spent my first day at work on Seventh Avenue. It was more like fun than work. Beene Bag has a very free and friendly atmosphere. For me it was just like a day at the Institute. ... Of course, I also got introduced to everyone who worked there and the people at Nina Rici Boutique - it's on the same floor". [Oct 10] The job only lasted till the end of the week and he decided to take the unpaid position at Blass. For the next seven weeks he details his day-to-day activities working for one of the great American fashion designers. He describes tasks such as: "organizing all the jewellery for the showings, putting earrings together, etc ... the snakeskin, rhinestones, gold, silver, pearls, etc. ... After the jewellery, I worked on shoes ..." [Oct 15]. Much of his work entails getting ready for the many shows and exhibitions that Blass is involved in: "Today was my most exhilarating day. I spent the entire day at Bill's penthouse apartment overlooking the East River. Tom and I took 3 models and a photographer there to photograph some of the garments in the spring collection. We used Carla, our showroom model, Tasha, an excellent model and Kitty Hawkes ... the model we've all seen in Vogue and Bazaar. She's the girl in the Ritz ad. She's not very pleasant. ... To tell the truth, which I always do, she's got a lousy figure. She's shaped like a pear. She's got some dumper…" [Oct 26]. He notes that Blass does not rely just on fashion shows and exhibitions for his sales. He writes that Blass has a team that criss-crosses the United States attending 'trunk shows' that "make" the business [Nov 8] and that he has designed uniforms for organizations such as the U.S. Army and American Airlines [Nov 29]. Wares describes the in detail the preparations to take part in various exhibitions including one in Paris. He notes many design houses and people associated with them by name such as Stan Herman, Pauline Trigere, Vanity Fair, St. Julian's and more. Individuals such as Debbi Reynolds and Liza Minnelli and Ricardo Montalbam's daughter Laura are mentioned as well. For a fashion writer or historian, is an excellent window into the fashion industry. It is replete with the day to day details that make for a successful fashion business, tinged with some of the gossip that brings these people and places alive.; Manuscript; 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, 20TH CENTURY; 1970S; UNITED STATES; NEW YORK; FASHION DESIGN; FASHION INDUSTRY; 1970s FASHION; AMERICAN FASHION DESIGNERS; GARMENT INDUSTRY IN 1970s; 1970S FASHION MODELS; FASHION SHOWS IN 1970S; SEVENTH AVENUE; NEW YORK FASHION DISTRICT; GARY WARES; BILL BLASS; GEOFFREY BEENE; KIKI HART; BEENE BAG; NINA RICI; KITTY HAWKES; TASHA POLIZZI; DEBBIE REYNOLDS; LIZA MINNELLI; RICARDO MONTALBAN; BILL TICE; AMERICAN AIRLINES; MARYLAND INSTITUTE OF ARTS (MICA); AMERICANA, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, DIARY, DIARIES, JOURNALS, PERSONAL HISTORY, SOCIAL HISTORY, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, DOCUMENT, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, MANUSKRIPT, PAPIER OGGETTO D'ANTIQUARIATO, ATTO, VELINA, DOCUMENTO, MANOSCRITTO, CARTA ANTIGÜEDAD, HECHO, VITELA, DOCUMENTO, MANUSCRITO, PAPEL Show more