after Norell died. He returned to designing under his own label in 1976 after the business ran into financial difficulties and closed. Style His clientele desired what he called "a subtle form of chic" — coats, dresses and evening wear in fine silks and gabardines and subdued colors, with simple lines that skimmed the body and price tags that sometimes exceeded those for a car. The most embellishment he allowed was a sprinkling of rhinestones or diamonds. He did not chase trends, a quality that appealed to the women of means who filled his showroom in the '60s and '70s. Betsy Bloomingdale, wife of department store heir Alfred Bloomingdale, once bragged about a cotton dress by Tassell she had owned for 12 years "and I still wheel it out every summer and get compliments on it every time. Last summer I wore it barefoot for dinner," she told the New York Times in 1969. Tassell's design sensibility changed little from the 20th to the 21st century—he sought to create forward-looking fashion appropriate for elegant, confident women. He envisioned designs in natural fibers able to serve many purposes, with changing silhouette according to how the garment was buttoned, seamed, or tucked. Tassell aimed to produce affordable clothing with a sense of proportion, grace, and design. "Stardust Memories" Once described as a "brunet Harpo Marx" because of his curly hair, Tassell earned a bit part as a cabaret patron in director Woody Allen's 1980 movie "Stardust Memories." Allen spotted him at the popular New York hangout Elaine's "and liked his face," said his sister, Rebecca Welles Weis. Death According to Tassell's sister, actress Rebecca Welles, Tassell succumbed to complications from Alzheimer's disease in Los Angeles on June 9, 2014. References Modern Fashion Encyclopedia. External links 1926 births American fashion designers Artists from Philadelphia 2014 deaths Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease