European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 28, 1981, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 the stars and stripes january 1981 Modem living designer ill senator of seventh Avenue by John Duka new York times he uses words like old boy and he goes out every night of the smokes Cartons like he is 58 years and dreads but there is absolutely old about that Bill William Ralph to be the senator of seventh Avenue from fort who moves at Only a Little less than the Speed of he wakes every morning at leaving his pent House by for his waiting Mercury station wag which his Driver of 20 will steer to the revolving Bronze doors of 550 seventh Mecca of american today Blass is slicked Back at his is from a 7yearold wanting to know if i believe in i always get letters like a lot of you Are aware of As is most of designers like Calvin Ralph Lauren and Oscar do la Renta May do More Dollar business per year than whose retail volume last year neatly rounded out at but no other american designer has his name on As Many different altogether Blass has 28 differ ent licensed products Down Coats and perfume and even backgammon Blass is impossible to his initials stand in solid Bas Relief on the buttons of his garments like in countless he casually stands Dap new York times Don Hogan Charles furs to perfume no other american designers name is on As Many different per and and in stentorian tones Between the weather and Johnny Carson he nightly assures the Public that Only when Hes satisfied will he sign his that is to his and no other designer is recognized As people wave to Call him by Stop him on the even in Chic restaurants like women and men reverently approach extend their hands and blushing by confide in through it he when they bless and they leave having received his and he Means he enjoys what he has working on seventh Avenue used to have a terrible stigma attached to Blass it not the Way being an actor in 16century France de Nied one the right of Christian there was about the profession something but i think impartially responsible for bringing a respect ability of a new Kino to this the kind of respectability that has Given him entree to new Yorks upper during a three Day period last month he escorted Diana whom he lovingly Calls to the metropolitan museum costume Institute where guests watched a display of fireworks that he paid the following there was his annual fashion show at Saks for the Bays club of new followed by a grueling meeting with All of his mens followed by Brooke actors dinner for the that same by a Side trip to doubles to pick up Missy Bancroft on the Way to Harry Platts and the next Nancy Reagan arrived for her and Blass got through it All with the nonstop drive that has propelled him to the top of a new american comprised of part one part the drive that gave him three floors in a House in the which is where he was on Christmas entertain ing his Best lady Hes made fashion designing she because he has total respect for himself and for what the it has never been the rag Trade to he goes on the Road and does fashion shows All Over the which a lot of designers wont he quite a which is not to say that other designers but Blass is a Superior and not All who design he could have done Blass is the self made who owns his unlike Many designers who have Given in to corporate who directs a business that is expanding into Germany and he is straightforward about the couture is the he the it s not the its the if i didst have my i  have my and if i didst have i  live the Way i High which i adore mind has become the Point of departure for other and i think it is a healthy merging of the designer and the Cardin set the example i was just the first american to follow at wits end by Erma Bombeck in August of last the associated press rented a tree across the Street from Ronald regans los Angeles for 50 cents a Day they got exclusive rights to the tree for 100 Days from which their reporters could View and report on the comings and goings of the presiden tial Abc rented an apartment Down the Abc rented a and it was rumoured lbs had exclusive rights to a Fence Why do we do it Why do we strip our presidents of every personal every intimate every Corner of privacy to satisfy our curiosity Why do we track Down their attack and Lay them Bare for cameras and writers to feed upon Why is it indeed that less than three dozen report ers were uncovering watergate while hundreds were interviewing president Nixon Barber the White House is the Only bastion in this country where Freedom of speech is punishable by Public it occurs to me if a to network is willing to try an Experiment in the sports Booth where the commentators Are silenced and everyone must watch the game to see what is going Why cant we try it for our first family i think we could Tough it out not How big the White House Ham is for who is dating a married secret service where the president jogs and what his time who had a history of mental How big was the scar from his what he bought his wife for her whether or not they share the same How much she paid for her inaugural whether or not they went to Church last what the first family brother or Mother thinks of our foreign these Are not a couple of life sized toys we have put in a doll House in Washington to look at and these Are Leshan blood human beings who have a monumental task ahead of them and who need a certain sense of self and an occasional escape from the demands to i dont know president and Reagan at i have a feeling that soon i will know More about them than i have a right to c Field enterprises