NOBLESSE DE ROBE.(Brief Article)

I never bought a piece of clothing by Bill Blass, although I inherited one of his down coats from my mother. It was a shapeless bed sack of reversible two-tone gray cotton, ash on one side, slate on the other, and there is nothing better for walking the dog on a frigid morning. Blass was a great dog lover. Indeed, the only slobbering he could tolerate--he had a horror of effusions--was that of his adored retrievers. I'm fairly sure, however, that Blass himself didn't design that coat, at least, I hope not. It was among the merchandise that he licensed for production and ennobled with his signature, not always with impeccable discrimination--jeans, luggage, chocolates, ...