Sue Ann Genet Costume Collection

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Enhance Garment Edges with Echo Stitching - Threads Echo stitching was used at the collar to stabilize and accent an otherwise straightforward neckline construction. Learn more about echo stitching from Threads #211.

Black and white with nods to Schiapparelli and Chanel. Bill Blass 1986 trompe l’oeil button jacket, 1990 sequin tops embellished with Pearl ‘necklaces’ and Maltese crosses.

Bill Blass had a uniquely ‘American’ look to his clothes, a glamorous simplicity personified in this simple sheath dress completely hand beaded with square sequin and rows of white glass seed beads in a diagonal pattern. Circa early to mid 1990s.

You will have to come into the Sue and Leon Genet Gallery located in the School of Design, Nancy Cantor Warehouse, to read the incredible story about this Bill Blass bustier design created in 1992 possibly by the French embroidery house, Lesage. The story involves the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin and NY gossip columnist Liz Smith! The workmanship on this garment is outstanding, a compete jewel!

In 1988 American fashion designer Bill Blass referenced Henri Matisse as the surface pattern on these jackets. Completely beaded and embroidered by the firm of Finesse Embroideries in their workrooms in India, these outstanding garments glitter like the jewels which are used as embellishments.

In 1992 American fashion designer Bill Blass looked to the simplicity of Amish quilts to design the printed double faced wool for a series of suits.

Featured in the Bill Blass exhibition is his well known ‘watermelon’ jacket done in collaboration with the French embroidery house Lesage in 1983, as well as a red cashmere jacket embellished with large gold bullion appliqués, possibly by Lesage, designed in 1988. Shown with the watermelon jacket is a copy of the sketch created by Mr. Blass. Shown with the red jacket is a copy of a gouache paining done by Stephen Stipleman for a 1988 issue of WWD.

Our Fall exhibit is open celebrating the work of American Master of fashion design Bill Blass and his collaboration with the French embroidery house Lesage, as well as his work with the American embroidery firm Finesse.

This beautiful peach and cream dress trimmed with gold braid, designed by Mary McFadden, was featured in Vogue, February 1, 1982 (shown in a floor-length version with an added neck ruffle). The article was The New York Collections: Style U.S.A. We feel very fortunate to have this in our collection.

For the Vogue September 1, 1985 issue Mary McFadden chose this ‘softly pleated, banded in embroidery’ dress from her Fall ‘85 collection to wear as part of a group photo. The article, focusing on women designers in NYC, was called ‘Fashion: Out in Front: The Many Styles of a Successful Woman. The other designers featured were Donna Karan, Jacqueline de Ribes, Jackie Rogers, Carolina Herrera and Gloria Sachs. We are happy to have a copy of this dress.

One of the more interesting garments in the collection, in terms of cut, is this c. 1870-80 dolman jacket. The term ‘dolman’ comes from the Turkish word ‘dolaman’ which means robe. This example, one of several we have in the collection, is made of black cut and voided velvet and trimmed with looped fringe. The hallmark of a dolman cape or dolman jacket is that it appears to be a cape from the back, however is engineered to form sleeves in the front which makes it easier for the wearer to control the volume (versus a typical cape). For the 2021 Fall/Winter season Michael Kors has reintroduced a similar shape jacket called the ‘Dolman Cookie’ which also features a cape-like back and sleeve in the front.

Erin O’Connor mannequins by Adele Rootstein, painted by , wearing our earliest 1970s Mary McFadden synthetic pleated dresses with matching macrame belts. The belts can be worn in a variety of ways and a ‘how to’ pamphlet was included with the dresses giving wearing suggestions for wrapping and tying.