Oleg Cassini

Oleg Cassini was born as Count Oleg Loiewski, (* April 11, 1913 in Paris, † March 17, 2006 on Long Iceland, New York) was an American fashion designer.

Life and work

Oleg Cassini was born in 1913 as the son of a Russian nobleman in Paris. His father was Count Alexander Loiewski, his grandfather was Count Arthur P. Cassini, who had represented the Russian Tsarist Empire as ambassador to the United States. But grew up he was in Denmark and Italy, where he attended the English Catholic school and later studied in Florence at the Accademia di Belle Arti. In 1933 he made ​​his first garments in the fashion salon of his mother, Countess Marguerite Cassini. After a stint with the French fashion designer Jean Patou in Paris, he opened his own salon in Rome. In 1936 he moved to the United States, where he first stayed in New York City. After his divorce, he worked in Hollywood as a costume designer in the local film studios.

During the Second World War he served in the U.S. Army. Cassini founded after the war, a fashion house in Manhattan. Cassini was best known for his creations in the 50s and 60s. An own career as a creator of high-priced collections began after him Jacqueline Kennedy had named the official fashion designer. He designed from 1961 to 1963 around 300 dresses for Jacqueline Kennedy, he also advised as a stylist.

In addition, he dressed a lot of drama sizes, including Joan Fontaine, Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe and Natalie Wood, and ladies of the world's great this time. Talk show host Johnny Carson was also one of its customers. Cassini's relationship with Grace Kelly, with whom he was engaged, was at that time by the tabloid press.

He was married from 1941 to 1952 to actress Gene Tierney, with whom he had two daughters.

On 17 March 2006 he died of a brain haemorrhage at a hospital on Long Iceland.