John Warden

Designer John Warden dies of cancer at 67
Alan Hustak, The Gazette

John Warden, the first Canadian fashion designer to hit the big leagues in the 1960s with his own international label, died of cancer Friday at the Mount Sinai Hospital palliative care unit in Montreal.

He was 67.

An exuberant red-haired man known for his sophisticated and youthful creations in trademark shades of white, beige and vanilla, Warden dressed such women as Margaret Trudeau, Louise Marleau, Dominique Michel and Denise Filiatrault.

In 1977 he designed Ivana Trump's wedding gown.

"John was the pioneer of Canadian designers and the epitome of a fashion designer," designer Simon Chang said in an interview. "He had great style and liked to be surrounded by beautiful people."

John Warden was born in Niagara Falls, Ont., on Dec. 28, 1939, and grew up on his father's farm. His mother ran a bread and breakfast.

At age 10 he learned how to sew, and drawing came naturally to him. In his early teens, Warden did full-page advertising layouts for Eaton's department store in Niagara Falls. At 18 he enrolled at the Parsons School of Design in New York, sold his sketches to pay his tuition, then studied fashion design on scholarships in New York and Paris.

He worked for several fashion houses in New York before Montreal clothing manufacturer Auckie Sanft offered him a label of his own. Warden produced his first 40-item pret-a-porter spring signature collection for Sanft in 1964, then designed a line for Le Chateau, a clothing store chain. In 1966 Warden opened a boutique on Crescent St. and was one of four designers hired to do the uniforms for the staff at Expo 67.

He added men's wear to his collection in 1968 and opened a men's fashion boutique on Bishop St.

When his designs were shown at the Pret-a-porter fashion show in Paris, his classic, elegant creations were compared to those of Yves Saint Laurent, who had been head designer for the House of Dior.

Warden was "stimulating, creative, and self-confident," said designer Michel Desjardins, who worked with Warden in the '70s. "He enjoyed life, and he enjoyed living.

"He was always sketching, always discovering new things. He was a joy to work with."

A self-confessed party animal who was a huge disco and Motown fan, Warden was an A-list celebrity on Montreal's social circuit in the 1970s, and his loft in Old Montreal was the scene of many memorable soires.

In 1973, Warden won the inaugural Melcher Award for best Canadian fashion designer for his contributions to "the tremendous growth and excitement of the Canadian fashion industry."

He also worked on the uniforms for the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

In 1983 he was named Canadian Fashion Designer of the Year. He retired to St. Kitts in 1992, where he began his Island-to-Island line of fashion creations sold in boutiques in the Caribbean, Mexico and several major North American outlets, including the Drake Hotel in Chicago.

His most recent collection was unveiled four months ago in Nevis.

He married model Lise Gibeau in 1965 but the union ended in divorce in 1972.

He is survived by their son, Marc Steven, and by three grandchildren.

The family funeral will be private, but a public memorial service is planned for the fall.

You can read an in-depth bio on the designer at the johnwardendesigner.com website here.

Fashion Mogul Liz Claiborne Dies At 78

Apparel designer Liz Claiborne, who started the namesake U.S. company Liz Claiborne Inc., has died, a company spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday.

Claiborne, 78, born in Belgium in 1929. Ailing from cancer she died at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Tuesday, her assistant said. She founded the company in 1976 with her husband Art Ortenberg (pictured together at left), a textile industry veteran, and two others, and retired in 1989.

Claiborne started out as a dress designer and founded the fashion house that bears her name in 1976. Her clothes were an important influence for career women in the 1970s and 1980s. She also helped shape department stores into what they are today by creating coordinating ensembles instead of separate pieces.

Gianfranco Ferre

Fashion designer Gianfranco Ferre dies at age 62
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MILAN, Italy -- Gianfranco Ferre, the Italian designer known as the "architect of fashion" for his structured, sculpted shapes and for his groundbreaking tenure at Christian Dior, died Sunday, a hospital said. He was 62.

Ferre was taken to the San Raffaele hospital in Milan on Friday after suffering a massive brain hemorrhage. The hospital, in a statement authorized by Ferre's family, said he died Sunday night.

Ferre started his career as an accessories and jewelry designer, and then moved on to clothes. His unofficial title as Italy's architect of fashion came thanks to the degree in architecture he obtained in 1969 from Milan's Polytechnic Institute that inspired his designs.

He started his own company in the mid-1970s, but his major leap came in 1989, when he was tapped by Bernard Arnault to be the top designer for Christian Dior. At the time, it was almost unheard of for a non-French designer to lead the venerable Parisian house.

Ferre stayed on at Dior until the fall of 1996, when he returned to Milan to tend to his
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own men's and women's collections.

Ferre's style was based on simple and structured lines, and the white blouse became one of his trademarks. His suits were used by businesswomen around the world looking for a sophisticated look.

For the evening, Ferre often made important dresses with ample skirts supported by layers of crinolines.

In 2002, Ferre sold Gianfranco Ferre to It Holding, but he stayed on as creative director. His spring-summer 2008 menswear collection is scheduled to be presented next week in Milan.

Born Aug. 15, 1944 in Legnano, in northern Italy, Ferre worked and lived in India for several years. His passion for travel and world cultures was often reflected in his collections.

He is survived by a brother and sister-in-law.

Read the VFG Labels bio on Gianfranco Ferre here.

Ruffles Richards

Actress, fashion designer dies at 85
By Mary Rourke
Los Angeles Times
05-03-2007

LOS ANGELES — Jill Richards, an actress turned fashion designer who was known for a feminine dress style that earned her the nickname, “Ruffles Richards,” has died. She was 85.

Richards died at Sunrise Senior Living in Beverly Hills on April 21, after developing the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, her son Jon Richmond said Monday.

When she launched her first collection in 1970, Richards joined a small group of Los Angeles designers who helped expand the California market beyond swimsuits and shorts. She made evening gowns and special occasion clothes in such luxury fabrics as silk, velvet and lace.

She said she learned the basics about style while working as an actress in her 20s. “When dressing someone for the screen, you may drop a little bit of what's happening in fashion to flatter your lady,” she told the Los Angeles Times in a 1986 interview.

Nearly every one of her collections included a version of her “Kitty Foyle” look, a dark-colored dress or suit with a white collar that was inspired by an outfit Ginger Rogers wore in the 1940 movie of same name.

“I use a lot of white close to the face. It reflects light like the 'key light' they give you on a movie set,” Richards said in 1986, referring to the device photographs use to define a shape or silhouette.

Richards' clients included Nancy Reagan when she was first lady of California in the 1970s and actress Victoria Principal in the '80s. Her designs were sold at Saks Fifth Avenue and other specialty stores. Richards closed her fashion business in the mid-1990s.

Born Jill Fishkin on Aug. 29, 1921 in Cleveland, Richards moved to Los Angeles with her family when she was young and graduated from Beverly Hills High School before she started her acting career. At that point she changed her name.


She had small parts in such movies as “April in Paris,” the 1952 romantic comedy starring Doris Day and Ray Bolger. More often she worked in television, making guest appearances on “Dragnet,” “Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok” and other series.

She married Jack Richmond, a designer of lighting and interiors for commercial spaces. They had one child. Along with her son, Richards is survived by three grandchildren.

A search for dresses by Ms. Richards had us come across this purple beauty from eBay seller sutique that was sure to have been a signature "Ruffles Richards" style.

Also, this understated, elegant white goddess stunner from Cats Vintage and Designer Clothing.