hats and made shoes for his siblings. He was gifted in the arts and made dresses for his sisters that proved to be quite popular. He started his career sweeping a tailor shop in order to provide money for his family, and that is where he learned how to sew. His father died of a heart attack during WWII in 1945. His sisters' friends were interested in having clothes made and approached the young designer with orders. He then decided to strike out on his own. He learned draping by studying Ancient Greek sculpture. In 1957 he met his wife, Nancy Stavropoulos (nee Angelakos) on a blind date in Athens. She was a US State Department employee stationed in Athens. Mrs. Stavropoulos was a Greek-American native of New Jersey who had been recruited by the US Government because she was a native speaker. The night they met was her second night in Athens. He fell madly in love and proposed a week later, while she thought he was crazy. She would not marry him unless he emigrated to the United States. He eventually agreed and the couple were married on October 31, 1960. They moved to the US in early 1961, settling in Somerville NJ with her parents. They soon moved to an apartment on 30th Street in New York City, and he started his business. Notably, he had been approached by a group of French business men in the 1950s to move to Paris and start a fashion house there, but Nancy wanted to be in New York. The business men eventually settled for Yves Saint Laurent. On February 9, 1965, Nancy gave birth to a son, Peter G. Stavropoulos. Stavropoulos in the same year was "discovered" by Mildred Custin, the Anna Wintour of the 1960s, and his clothes were featured in the windows of Bonwitt Teller on 5th Avenue and 56th Street; the lot is now occupied by Trump Tower. His clothes could be found in stores that included Bonwitt Teller, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Maison Blanche, Sarah Frederick's, Kleinfeld's, and Martha's. He died on December 8, 1990, and was survived by his wife Nancy and his son Peter. His legacy continues with his archives being housed at the Fashion School at Kent State University. Many of his works are also held at the Metropolitain Museum in New York City, The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New