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Blass died Wednesday at his home in Washington, Conn., according to Joe Lillis of Lillis Funeral Home in New Milford, Conn. A friend of the designer, Helen O'Hagan, said Blass died of cancer. He was 79. "It's a great loss. He was an extraordinary man and a great designer," said Fern Mallis, the director of 7th on Sixth, a fashion organization which produces New York's Fashion Week. Blass' sense of line, color and style took him from a sketcher's desk to the helm of his own $700-million-a-year company in a career that spanned six decades and came to define American style. He designed clothes for a host of famous women, including first ladies and actresses who paid from $800 for a sweater to thousands of dollars for an evening gown. Blass said he designed for the woman "not obsessed with fashion," who cares about clothes, but has a career, a family, a home and other interests. "I love his clothes, because they are comfortable, wearable and pretty," Reagan, the former first lady, once said. During his career, Blass expanded to design men's wear, swimwear, children's clothing, shoes, jewelry and furs. His designs were known for crisp elegance and simplicity, made from beautiful fabrics with sophisticated style. "Each individual piece is a calculated attempt to entice women to add to their wardrobe," the designer told The Associated Press in 1997. "The women I know who have a great deal of money and go out all the time often wear clothes that are 2-3 years old. They buy new things to add to what they have." He received numerous awards, including the Coty American Fashion Critics Award in 1961, 1963 and 1970, as well as the Council of Fashion Designers of America Award in 1986. Blass, who never married, won women over with his designs and his charm. He had been listed as one of the best-dressed men in the country. New York fashion guru Nan Kempner once said, "I fell in love with him, like every woman. He was as warm, friendly, intelligent and talented as he was good-looking."
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