A few years ago, the first street I resided on was Flores in trendy West Hollywood.
Usually, I'd drag myself out of bed at dawn, splash around for a few refreshing moments in the shower, then stroll on down to the old Duke's Restaurant location at the Tropicana for a bite to eat.
One morning, as I was walking on the south side of the street just before reaching La Cienega, I spied a pleasant-looking man loitering outside a studio beaming at me.
As I approached the building, he suddenly struck up a conversation,
"Are you a model?"
I was taken aback a bit, but noted that I was.
"Do you have a portfolio?" he quizzed me further.
I responded in the affirmative; at which point, he urged me to dash back home and pluck it up, so he could take a gander at the photographs tucked neatly inside.
When I returned later, he flipped open the leather cover and perused the contents.
He paused, then remarked,
"Great stuff! Shall I call Nina?"
Well, my jaw dropped.
Any model worth his or her weight in flawless skin or high cheek bone was keenly aware of the name and reputation of "Nina" - top agent in the country - who was very-well connected, strategically-placed, and capable of transforming any up-and-coming model into a star of the fashion world.
When I gasped - "Well, yes" - he plucked up the phone and dialed her number by heart!
In a few days, I was chatting with the head of the Men's Modeling Division, by virtue of the affable man's altruistic nod!
Of course - the diminutive fashionably-attired fellow with the pleasant demeanor - was none other than fashion designer great, Rudi Gernreich.
Rudi was infamous for inventing the first topless swimsuit (monokini) as well as the pubikini (a bikini with a window in front to reveal a woman's pubic hair).
Believe it or not, Rudi designed the one-piece topless bathing suit to be worn by a man or woman. To accentuate the unisex idea, models shaved their heads and body hair for a series of publicity stills that were used as the centerpiece of Gernreich’s famous "UNISEX" Project.
In a nutshell, the UNISEX Project implicitly challenged basic assumptions about gender - and subsequent taboos - held by society in general.
The fashion statement - ultimately - reflected his skewered critique of a rigidly repressed heterosexual society.
These forward-thinking ideas were reflected in his advertising campaigns - which were not only light years ahead of his contemporaries - but quite provocative for their day.
Later, he followed up his cheeky topless outfit with the novel thong swimsuit.
The Coty Award-Winning designer was quite innovative when it came to fabrics and textiles; for instance, Gernreich was the first designer to use vinyl and plastic in clothes.
Older fashionistas may recall the futuristic "Moonbase Alpha" uniforms he crafted for the television series "Space: 1999".
Rudi often combined unusual colors such as hot pink with orange, purple with red, and blue with green. And, occasionally, the eye-popping outfits were decorated with wild dots and stripes, as well.
Rudi was born in Austria in 1922.
His father was a hosiery manufacturer. And, his aunt kept a dress shop where Gernreich worked as a teenager and learned the trade before fleeing his homeland because of the Nazi invasion.
When he migrated to the United States, he settled in Los Angeles.
His entrance to the world of fashion occurred as a result of his keen eye for fabric design.
Shortly after building a reputation in fashion circles, Gernreich crossed paths with top model Peggy Moffitt and photographer William Claxton.
A collaborative effort resulted in a creative union which ended up pushing the boundaries of the "futuristic look" in fashion for the next three decades.
Rudi was lauded as - "one of the most original, prophetic and controversial American designers of the 50's thru the 70's" - at an exhibition of his work at the Phoenix Art Museum in 2003.
Some go so far as to refer to him as - "the father of modern American design" - who became a major influence in American fashion.
He has been described as much as futurist, as designer.
Without doubt, he was instrumental in changing the way women dressed and the impact of his vision is still felt today.
At the beach, the Gernreich unstructured bathing suit remains the preferred model for one piece suits. In fact, Gernreich's design for a - "no bra" bra - is still the undergarment of choice for most women in the Western world.
The "no-bra" bra fashioned of molded nylon cups attached to shoulder straps and a narrow elastic band encircling the rib cage was one of his own innovations. The bra was cut low in the front with deep armholes to be worn with deep décolleté evening dresses.
The design ideas were a radical departure from the pointy torpedo-shaped bras that were popular in the '50s and early '60s.
During that era, a cartoonist poked fun at the evolving fashion trends for the liberated woman, which was inspired by Gernreich's fashions.
A park bench geezer cried out to his companion in a "Booth" New Yorker cartoon,
"Rouse yourself, Weintraub! The miniskirt is back!"
The object of his incredulous gaze was a Rudi look-a-like outfit consisting of two narrow bands of patterned fabric.
For the "unisex" fashions, Rudi used mass-market style to take jabs at couture elitism and ladylike "good taste."
According to one historian, Gernreich's designs,
"Embodied the aspirations and contradictions of his day, especially regarding the role of women as increasingly independent individuals. His knitted fabrics and daringly skimpy cuts emphasized the uniqueness of the individual human body and its movements. Many are reminiscent of a dancer’s practice clothes, not surprising for a designer who worked as a professional dancer and designed his first costumes for dance."
If we are nonplussed this day and age about clinging stretchy fabrics which reveal everything - warts 'n all - it’s largely because Gernreich demonstrated best how to inhabit them.
Gernreich was very much ahead of his time in other respects, too.
His boxer shorts for women predated the 80's version by about eight years.
In 1971, he edged out other limp-wristed designers with a "Military-inspired" collection. At the standing-room only presentation, showroom models stalked the catwalk with rifles.
It was quite a fashion statement when you consider the Vietnam War was raging.
New York decided to honor American fashion designers in 2002 by placing bronze plaques along 7th Avenue.
Of course, Rudi is honored with a plaque and accompanying photo on the celebrated "Fashion Walk of Fame".
Rudi designed costumes for screen actresses Lana Turner and Eva Marie Saint in their heyday, too.
But, that wasn't his only flirtation with Hollywood.
Gernreich was quick to poke fun at the industry (and himself) when he agreed to appear in an episode of - "Batman" - for which he also whipped up some zany costume designs.
Much like Andy Warhol, Rudi was astute in matters pertaining to public relations.
Indeed, he constructed a media persona and promoted himself as a product; one which remains viable in the new millennium.
One of my favorite quotes,
"Fashion will go out of fashion..."
But, the mark of genius - like that of Gernreich - will never go out of style.
Rudi Gernreich passed away to spirit in 1985.
