item 106 - Arnold Scaasi interview, 1989 May 3

Arnold Scaasi was born in Canada in 1930 and is known for dressing five First Ladies, using French couture techniques. Former First Lady Barbara Bush says, "His dresses brought me great joy - whether they were for a state dinner or just a simple suit I could wear anywhere." Scaasi donated over 100 garments and sold his a portion of his archives to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in 2009, the remainder reside at FIT Special Collections.

"Mildred Finger Haines ... helped shape fashion tastes for four decades as a top buyer for department stores and a consultant to clothes makers and retailers.... From the late 1940's through the late 1960's, Mrs. Haines, known throughout her career as Mildred Finger, was a buyer of ready-to-wear at Macy's, Ohrbach's and Bergdorf Goodman, and was one of New York City's most often cited taste makers. At Bergdorf's, in particular, she was noted for bringing European styles to American consumers. She later became Vice President of Charles of the Ritz, headed fashion merchandising for Yves St. Laurent and became an independent consultant, with clients like the Limited and Arthur D. Little. Suffering from multiple sclerosis, she retired in 1986. In succeeding years, she frequently contributed her knowledge of the fashion industry to the oral history projects of the American Jewish Committee and the Fashion Institute of Technology...." New York Times Obituary, 1995