80's Silk Tartan Plaid Holiday Ruched Ruffle Blouse by Bill Blass

This is an amazing piece!  It has so much drama between the ruching / gathering and oversized bowtie.  There are a few little spots as seen in photos.  Pair with a billowing red or black skirt or skinny-leg pants.  This is…WOW!.

Measurements taken flat and are approximate:

Underarm: 16”

Waist: 13”

Length: 22”

Sleeve Length Ruched: 21”

Bill Blass (1922-2002) began sketching glamorous fashions in the mode of those he was seeing out of 1930s Hollywood as a boy in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He went to New York in 1940 to attend Parsons School of Design, and then worked at David Crystal as a sketcher.

After the war, and after a brief stint at Anne Klein, Blass ended up working as an assistant to Anna Miller. (Most sources give the year as 1946, but Blass gives the date as 1949 in his autobiography.) He also hired Missy Weston, a girl with social connections, to be his model. Through her he attended parties, meeting the people he hoped to dress. In time, he became a part of this social scene, giving him great insight to the way sophisticated New York women needed to dress. *from the vintage fashion guild