Most women today have traded glamorous gowns and sophisticated suits for more comfortable outfits. But some 70 years ago,Oleg Cassini, a man they called “the designer to the stars,” created stunningly beautiful couture during the Golden Age of Fashion. Some saw him as a rogue: He squired glamorous actresses around New York City and Hollywood, as Grace Kelly’s fiancé and Gene Tierney’s husband, and he became former First Lady Jackie Kennedy’s trusted confidant, all while dressing them in to-die-for designs. His philosophy? “To be well dressed is a little like being in love.”

When he needed a respite from the high-powered doings at his Gramercy Park townhouse in Manhattan, he chose Long Island’s North Shore. Moorelands, his sprawling Gold Coast mansion in Oyster Bay Cove overlooking the Long Island Sound, proved to be a place where he could realize his dream.

While today’sde rigueroff-the-rack, relaxed-fit, reasonably priced outfits are popular, the legendary designer’shaute couturegarments are still prized decades later. Cassini’s designs reflect an elegance that will most likely never be seen again; according to Doyle Auctioneers and Appraisers, “He will be remembered asaconnoisseur of European elegance, American style, and for a life well lived.”

From an early age, Cassini loved to draw. He was born into royalty in 1913, the son of an Italian countess and a Russian count. The family fled from the Russian Revolution when he was 5 years old, and he was raised in Italy. He continued drawing in Florence, where he was exposed to fashion through his mother’s successful dress business. After designing hats and wardrobes, he was sent to Paris to sketch new recreation collections; by his early 20s, he was creating clothes for high-society women and designing for films. Bolstered by his belief that the importance of luck is what you do with it, he headed for Manhattan.

In his autobiography,InMy Own Fashion,Cassini wrote that he arrived in Manhattan with a title, sketching skills, and ambition — but he was nearly penniless and struggled for employment in those Great Depression years. Though he had no knowledge of the wholesale fashion trade, he excelled at making society connections. Besides his passion for fashion, he set his eyes on a different prize. As he put it, ’’My goal in life was to pursue the good life.’’

And pursue it he did: Taking his East Coast connections to Hollywood in 1936, he was hired as a designer for Paramount Pictures in 1941 and worked on films such asThe Ghost and Mrs. Muirwith actress Gene Tierney, whom he married in 1946. He returned to New York City and found success after a few years with the birth of his label. By 1955 his sales for Lord &Taylor alone were $5 million, which would grow into his estate, mostly real estate holdings, worth $60 million.

Over the years he designed dresses and outfits for Marilyn Monroe, Veronica Lake, Anita Ekberg, Grace Kelly, and more. He and Tierney divorced and he romanced Kelly in 1954, the yearThe Country Girlwas released, for which she was awarded an Oscar for Best Actress. Cassini and Kelly were engaged for a short time, but her parents objected, labeling him a “Casanova.” Two years later, Kelly left the Hollywood scene for royalty, marrying the Prince of Monaco and becoming a princess.

Cassini’s world of sophistication and travel was labeled by his brother Igor as “the jet set,” describing the wealthy adventurers who flew all over Europe and coast to coast incessantly. Cassini became whatVanity Faircalled a “suave, Continentalbon vivantsportsman and design innovator who … conquered every woman he ever wanted.”

The designer’s star ascended in 1960 when his designs caught the eye of Jacqueline Kennedy. Breaking with the tradition of using Givenchy and other top French designers, she hired Cassini because she wanted an American designer for the White House. He unveiled the “Jackie Look” with a slim, A-line dress that she wore to the inauguration of her husband, President John F. Kennedy.

The line that included sleeveless sheath dresses and the Nehru jacket defined 1960s American style. Cassini became the First Lady’s secretary of style, creating more than 300 outfits during her time as American royalty. As the National Park Service described it, “The Kennedy presidency was like the era of Camelot, a mythical time associated with a sense of unfulfilled promise.”Jackie reigned as the Queen of Camelot.

Source: LI Press