Bill Blass

Social Study

With the recent introduction of the Bill Blass USA collection, the venerable designer has brought his trademark sophistication to a new generation of style setters. This month, he brings an elegant touch to V.F.'s Proust Questionnaire

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Surviving in a business as volatile as fashion.

What is your greatest fear?

The next collection.

What is your current state off mind?

Up.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Chic.

Which living person do you most admire?

You, dear reader.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Thomas Jefferson.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Collecting furniture and pictures. Objects.

What is your most treasured possession?

The last thing I bought.

When and where were you happiest?

Any summer day in the country.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Ambition resulting in celebrity.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Lethargy. Indolence.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Bad manners.

On what occasion do you lie?

When in love.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My dogs.

What are your favorite names?

Bamaby, Sebastian.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

The 40 pounds not disappearing.

Which talent would you most like to have?

To be able to tango.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Illness.

What is your favorite occupation?

Bullfighting.

What is your most marked characteristic?

Curiosity.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Honesty and bravery.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Complete honesty and lack of bravery.

What do you most value in your friends?

Space.

Who are your favorite writers?

Thackeray, Cather, Cormac McCarthy.

What is it that you most dislike?

Late nights, late dinners, late appointments.

If you were to die and could choose what to come back as, what would it be?

An oak tree.

What is your motto?

A stitch in time . . .