Designer leaves $1 million to school

Late fashion designer Bill Blass donated $1 million to the University, a gift IU president Myles Brand announced at the opening of "Bill Blass: An American Designer" at the IU Art Museum.\nBlass, who died in June at age 79, did not specify what the donation was to go toward. Brand said in a statement that the money has been allocated to the Elizabeth Sage Historic Costume Collection and the IU Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design.\nBlass chose to have his retrospective exhibition here after being approached by the curator of the Sage Collection, Kathleen Rowold. In a statement, the director of AMID said, "This gift would not have been possible without the strong working relationship formed between Professor Rowold and Mr. Blass."\nBecause Blass was an Indiana native from Fort Wayne and very impressed with the IU community, he decided it was a good idea to have his first retrospective here. Since 1999 he was very involved with the development of the exhibition and approved all designs for the mannequins. \nThe exhibition features more than 100 examples of Blass' 50-year career. Pieces that are included are from Bill Blass Ltd., Sage Collection, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and customers such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Nancy Reagan, Claudette Colbert and Barbara Walters. Also featured are sketches and childhood drawings from Blass. \nIt was his time at IU that made him want to donate. "He wanted to make it possible for young people in the Mid-west, and in Indiana in particular, to be able to study fashion design and history at a first- rate university. As he said, Indiana is, after all, where the dream began," Rowold said.\nBlass was asked to do a retrospective exhibition not only because he was from Indiana, but because of the changes he made in fashion design. When he left Indiana in 1940 for New York City, designers got no recognition for their work. He was one of the first designers to put his name on the label. Bill Blass Ltd. was also one of the first companies to design clothing for women, not only men. Blass went on to manufacture gowns, sportswear, shoes, jeans, fragrances, sunglasses, Lincoln Town cars, airline uniforms, linens, furniture, and chocolates. He retired from designing during the creation of the IU exhibition in 2000 after the release of his Spring Collection.\nWhat Blass has left at IU will always be greatly appreciated. It has taught the students studying and working with the collection, more about design and given Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design and the Sage Collection visibility that would have never been possible without it.\nThe "Bill Blass: An American Designer" retrospective exhibition is free of charge and open to the public until Dec. 17. The museum hours are 10 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.