Never mind that, for all intents and purposes, Mr. Scaasi has long been removed from the heavy action of Fashion Week, or that he is perhaps more broadly known today for selling costume jewelry on HSN and for criticizing Michelle Obama’s style. From his perch at 16 East 52nd Street, where he kept about 18 employees, the designer (who dressed five first ladies during his career) had continued quietly making custom gowns, about 20 each month, for a coterie of devoted clients.
“The best thing about my career was always the clients,” Mr. Scaasi said. “They wanted something special, and I was able to give it to them. I knew what they needed for their lifestyle because I had the same kind of lifestyle.”
Mr. Scaasi was once described by the writer Bob Morris as “New York’s last great couturier,” in recognition of his training at the Chambre Syndicale in Paris, his early days at Paquin and Charles James and the fact that few designers were still interested in that level of craftsmanship. He had an uncanny talent as a salesman who could flatter any figure and was so close to his clients that he was practically a social fixture at the first Bush White House. But times have changed.
“I’m sure there are a lot of little dressmakers around making clothes for people, but I don’t know that women want to be bothered as much anymore,” Mr. Scaasi said. “They are happy to get something off the rack.”
“Let’s face it, all the strategic parts were covered with lining underneath,” he said. “It was the lights of the photographers’ flashbulbs that erased the outer level of silk tulle.”
Still, he doesn’t mind leaving all that behind.
“I think I’ve had a really good run, and I’m happy in my home life,” he said. “I have to treat myself.”
From:http://www.nytimes.com/
