Mr. Blackwell: 1922-2008
He was our favorite be-atch. We’ve been covering his Worst Dressed Fashion List with glee for years. While we may not have always agreed with Mr. Blackwell, we certainly enjoyed the chuckle.
Mr. Blackwell was the forerunner of the celebrity fashion zingers and without him paving the way, who knows, maybe Joan Rivers would be as sweet as a pageant girl in front of the judges.
Here are some Blackwell bites from his Worst Dressed List over the years:
- Donatella Versace: “Time to toss the peroxide once and for all . . . She resembles a flash-fried Venus, stuck in a Miami Strip Mall!”
- Camilla Parker-Bowles: “In feathered hats that were once the rage, she resembles a petrified parakeet from the Jurassic age.”
- Jessica Simpson: “It’s time to sack the stylist and divorce the “designer” … she resembles a cut-rate Rapunzel slingin’ hash in a Vegas diner!”
- Ann-Margret: “Marlon Brando in a g-string.”
- Anna Nicole Smith: “Anna’s fashion follies are the worst of the year . . . don’t bother with a new designer Anna, just hire a structural engineer!”
May there be plenty of hideous gowns in heaven for you to diss. We will miss you, Mr. Blackwell.
About Mr. Blackwell:
MR. BLACKWELL had his own clothing line for 35 years.
Beginning a career in fashion in the 1950’s, by the early
1960’s he had become one of the top designers in Los Angeles,
creating fashions for such stars as Jayne Mansfield, Dorothy
Lamour, Jane Russell, Peggy Lee, as well as political wives
like Corretta Scott King and Nancy Reagan.
Through the years he has appeared on numerous talk shows and
radio programs with his “Worst-Dressed List,” naming the
biggest fashion fiascoes of the year. For 48 years, The List
was a source of controversy, amusement and
conversation among the fashion elite and the personalities who
adorned it. Lynn Redgrave expressed it best, when she stated
“You haven’t made it until you’ve made ‘the list!’