Before Bill Blass became one of the world’s most well-known fashion designers, the World War II veteran served as a member of the Ghost Army.
Blass grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his love of the fashions he saw in movies and magazines led him to study at the McDowell School of Fashion in New York City following his high school graduation. According to a VA blog post, Blass also worked as a sketch artist and sold designs to manufacturers in the Seventh Avenue garment district.
Blass put his fashion career on hold in 1942 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to the 603rd Camouflage Battalion and placed in the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, known as the Ghost Army.
According to the post, members of the Ghost Army used their talents to fool the Nazis by creating inflatable tanks and using sound effects, and manufacturing other ruses to simulate a sizeable moving force of approximately 30,000 people. It operated on the frontlines in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany and undertook over 20 operations to distract the Nazis while other units approached.
When the Ghost Army ended its operations in 1945, its members were not allowed to share until their actions were declassified in the 1990s. While in the Army, Blass continued sketching and sold designs for additional money, building up his name and portfolio.
When speaking about his time in the Army, Blass said, “For me, the three and a half years that I spent in the army represented absolute freedom. I was truly on my own for the first time in my life.”
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After leaving the Army, Blass came back to New York City, where he worked for both Anne Klein and Anna Miller & Company. Upon Miller’s passing, her brother, Maurice Rentner, combined his sister’s firm with his own. Blass became the head designer and continued his work, eventually titling his designs, “Bill Blass for Maurice Rentner.” In 1958, Rentner died, and in 1970, Blass became the owner of the firm, renaming it “Bill Blass Limited.”
Blass’ style has had a lasting impact on fashion and his clothing was designed to be accessible and relaxed. His clients included: Gloria Vanderbilt, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Walters and many other women seeking a classic and comfortable style.
Blass received the Council of Fashion Designers of America Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987, the Humanitarian Leadership award in 1996 and multiple Coty American Fashion Critics’ Awards.
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Blass sold his company and retired to a more secluded life in Connecticut in 1999. He died in 2002 at the age of 79, after battling oral cancer.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.