As a Chicagoan, I've gotten several emails about this so I'm going to clarify a bit. This group is not a true couture group and they would tell you that. It is really an ASG kind of club but with the emphasis on sewing clothing with women not just from the city but also the far suburbs.

I've attended their fashion show and while some of the garments (and members are women I know with very good sewing skills) are well done as those shown here, many are mediocre/intermediate skill levels and trying. One year, for example, a woman showed a white coat that hadn't been pressed very well and had black scotty dogs appliqued along the hem with a matching beret. You could tell the seamstress had really tried to design something unique, so the range of skill is as widely varied as the taste which makes it appealing to a varied and broad age range of women. Couture is a little misleading in that I think most of us think of it as a great deal of hand sewing and skillful work so if you're worried you wouldn't be up to the skill level, you'd be mistaken as it's mostly about wanting to sew clothing well. It's a vastly different group than when Helen created it and juried garments that were in the fashion show. According to some long time members, that judging was a very tough hurdle for admittance to show.

The group is not a part of Fashion Group International--they just chose that charity as in the past they've chosen different charities to support. Their show is very large and draws lots of family and friends to support their creative work. Just don't assume that they require a high skill level to get involved. If you would want to be in touch with a member to join, I'd be happy to pass along emails for more information as a past president or two are good friends. sewfashion@aol.com

It's a sad time though this energetic and most kind man still makes so many of us smile remembering time with him.

I first met Charles about 15 years ago at Ohio--Marlene Ingraham who heads the Original Sewing and Quilt Expos introduced us. She knew how delighted I'd be and our friendship continued since we had several fashion industry friends in common, most notably Steven Stipelman from FIT who illustrated my pattern envelopes for me. Steven and I would ask each other, "Have you heard from Charles? How's he doing?" Last time was during NY fashion week a couple years ago. I had just seen Steven and then as all karma happens, I ran into Charles backstage at Ralph Rucci's show just a few hours later. We had our picture taken together and then I later included it in a newsletter and sent copies to Charles. He sent me the nicest letter back about how much he enjoyed my newsletters and work. Really a thoughtful letter.

You didn't mention one of the things I remember about him the most in his biography--his work with Qiana in the seventies! At the Rucci show, when we had a brief time to chat, I was with a woman who had sung the Qiana jingle that they had used all those years before and when I put them together for her to sing it to him, he just howled with laughter--and Charles was so soft spoken, it was fun to get him chuckling like that.

He traveled the country on behalf of that business and had several articles he authored in Vogue magazine back in the day when the issues came out twice a month, were about double in dimension and always included a home sewing with Vogue patterns article in the back of every issue. Early on, shortly after I had first met him, we were at an expo together and I asked him to autograph one of those issues. We had such a wonderful laugh and giggle about it--he couldn't believe I had those old magazines let alone bring one to Ohio for him to sign. His delight was so apparent that he passed it along to me as I'm always delighted now when a woman wants me to sign something I've written.

My happiest for him was when he was able to sell his extensive couture collection through Doyle. He gave away so much time and energy to non-profit educational institutions and his love of brilliant fashion design was able to sustain him later. He had many, many friends in fashion that were very much like him--hard working, thoughtful, bright and not as famous as they deserved since they didn't seek the spotlight but rather shared it or directed it to others.

He was generous beyond belief with his thoughtfulness. He was an example to me time and again that success has nothing to do with being famous. It's the people you touch and help that's become so inspirational to me through the course of my business. In that way I hope to always honor him. He will be missed in our community.