Bill Blass

Absolutely, Bill Blass is one of the foundational names in American fashion. He was the first American designer to print his own name on his designs, and his house rose to prominence through the 1970s. For anyone who cares about the roots of American sportswear and eveningwear, the label is a piece of design history.

Bill Blass is remembered for elevating American sportswear and eveningwear with a distinctly casual, confident spirit. Keystones of the brand identity include exuberant use of colour, embellishment and the embodiment of the casual American spirit. As one observer put it, he understood his customer better than almost any designer of his era.

Bill Blass was the American designer behind the house. He began designing for Anna Miller in 1959, and his name began appearing on the label in 1960 after it merged with Maurice Rentner. After purchasing the company in 1970, he renamed it Bill Blass Limited, becoming the first American designer to put his own name on his work.

The name dates to 1970. Bill Blass had been designing under the Rentner label after the 1960 merger, and once he purchased the company in 1970 he renamed it Bill Blass Limited. He also created a medium-priced line called Blassport in 1972 to broaden the house's reach.

The house dressed some of the most recognisable American women of its time. As Bill Blass Limited rose to prominence over the 1970s, it was worn by figures ranging from Jacqueline Kennedy to Gloria Vanderbilt. That clientele cemented its status as a name for polished, confident American style.

It became enormous for its day. The line expanded into swimwear, furs, luggage, perfume and even chocolate, and by 1998 the company had granted 42 licenses across products from furniture and lamps to handbags and fragrances, generating about $800 million in annual retail sales. Blass was a pioneer of the designer-licensing model.

His final collection as head of the house was the Spring 2000 collection, shown at New York City Fashion Week in September 1999. He sold the company for $50 million in 2000. That marked the end of the founder's own era at the label he built.

It passed through several owners and designers. Michaele Vollbracht led design from 2003 to 2007, after which Nexcen Brands acquired the company in February 2007. The label then went through Peter Som and Michael Bastian, a 2008 Chapter 7 bankruptcy and purchase by Peacock International Holdings as Bill Blass Group, and later creative directors including Jeffrey Monteiro and Chris Benz.

The role has changed hands many times in the brand's later life. Chris Benz was appointed Creative Director in November 2014 as part of a rebranding effort, having said he had forever admired Blass as an original American designer, but an article republished in October 2020 noted that Benz had left the company. The label's design leadership has been one of its more turbulent stories.

Blassport was the more accessible side of the house. Bill Blass created the medium-priced Blassport fashion line in 1972 alongside his main collection, broadening the brand beyond its higher-end sportswear and eveningwear. The main Bill Blass label remained the prestige line, while Blassport reached a wider audience.

Given the brand's heritage, much of its most coveted output is vintage from the founder's own decades, especially the colourful, embellished pieces of the 1970s through the 1990s. Buy from reputable vintage and resale sellers, check construction and labelling, and let condition guide value. A genuine piece from the Blass era is a real slice of American fashion history.