American fashion designer Bill Blass was BOTD in 1922. Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana to a working-class family, he developed an early interest in fashion, and began making and selling evening gowns by his mid-teens. At 17, he moved to New York City to study at the Parsons School of Design, winning a fashion award from Mademoiselle magazine when he was 18. During World War Two, he served in the US Army, distinguishing himself with a number of military operations at the German front line. After the war, he returned to New York to work for designer Anne Klein, and became the protégé of Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg. In 1959, he became the head designer of Rentner. His clothes emphasised ease, comfort and a “casual chic” sensibility, merging simple styles with luxurious materials. He quickly became a favourite of New York socialites, notably Jacqueline Kennedy, Gloria Vanderbilt and fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who promoted his work in Harper’s Bazaar and American Vogue. He was widely credited with popularising casual menswear, shifting away from grey flannel toward bold plaids and sportswear cuts, partially inspired by the Duke of Windsor. He assumed ownership of Rentner in 1970, rebranding the company under his own name and extending his product line to include home furnishings, jeans, eyewear, and luggage. His work became synonymous with an American ideal of good taste, with celebrity patrons including Liza Minnelli, Nancy Reagan, Toni Morrison, Barbra Streisand and Joan Rivers. A co-founder of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, he served as its honorary president from 1979 to 1981, and in 1987 was awarded the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Discreetly gay, he never came out during his lifetime, though privately acknowledged enjoying “absolute freedom” during his Army days, and was an early supporter of HIV/AIDS charities. Little is known about his personal life or relationships. He died in 2022 aged 79. The casual sophistication of his work and his shrewd business sense has been emulated by a generation of American designers including Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein.