The Fashion Cycle: A Behind-The-Scenes Look at a Year with Bill Blass, Liz Claiborne, Donna Karan, Arnold Scaasi, and Adrienne Vittadini

From March 1988 to March 1989, fashion journalist Daria attended planning and working sessions of eminent designers Bill Blass, Liz Claiborne, Donna Karan, Arnold Scaasi and Adrienne Vittadini. Her day-by-day report, while burdened by minutiae, nevertheless offers an absorbing inside view of the ``rag trade.'' Daria conveys the air of urgency in the studios as the women's wear moguls prepare for the twice-yearly, make-or-break showings, spring and fall. There are intriguing notes on sources of designs (a colorful beach towel, film costumes); on crises demanding last-minute changes in some styles; on exhausting trips abroad, etc. But most impressive are glimpses of the designers as persons: Blass and Claiborne, competent and knowledgeable; Karan, driven to succeed in a career she ``hates''; Scaasi, promoting himself and his gowns and publicizing his famous customers, including the then-new First Lady. Photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)