He was best known for the scathing comments he made about celebrities named to his annual worst-dressed list, but the late Richard Blackwell was a talented fashion designer in his own right. Mr. Blackwell, as he was known professionally, designed for a roster of famous women that ranged from Jayne Mansfield to Nancy Reagan.
Thirty-two of Blackwell’s evening gowns are on exhibit Saturday through April 1 at Colorado State University’s Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising. For the opening, actress Carol Channing, a friend of the designer, will be on campus, as will his longtime partner, Robert Spencer.
“Mr. Blackwell: A Retrospective” also will include a documentary compiled from video and television appearances, an interview with museum curator Linda Carlson and interviews with friends.
“I think he was a pretty special guy whose design legacy has been lost,” said Carlson, who first hosted Blackwell on campus in 1989, after CSU had received a donation of 50 Blackwell garments from Denver retailers Lum and Montez Jenkins. They carried high-end women’s clothing at their Denver store, Cates First Avenue, and collected Blackwell’s work because of its quality and innovation.
“He had a strong sense of what makes a woman look beautiful,” Carlson said. “His other legacy, dating to the mid-’60s, was that he developed a line for Lane Bryant. No one else was designing for plus-sized women.”
The designer added to the collection that the Jenkinses gave CSU, and the museum now has more than 130 garments and accessories designed by Blackwell from the 1950s to the 1980s, including everything from feathered boas and men’s ties to evening wear. Seven large scrapbooks assembled during his career are included, as are patterns, promotional materials, sketches and photos.
Students use the Blackwell garments in their studies, as well as those from other designers and donors. “The mission of our museum is to serve as a teaching and research resource for students, faculty and independent researchers,” Carlson said. She said Blackwell enjoyed meeting the students, teaching them and learning about their career plans on his visits to CSU.
Blackwell, who was 86 when he died in October 2008, was also an actor, TV and radio personality and author in addition to being a fashion critic and designer. His list of the 10 worst- dress women was released each January, skewering the fashion faux pas made by such celebrities as Cher, Britney Spears and more recently Victoria Beckham.
“He was a showman,” said Carlson, who visited Blackwell several times in Beverly Hills. “In comments he made, he talked about Mr. Blackwell the character he created who was the critic, the caustic voice. I think there was clearly this recognition that the persona had overshadowed his design career, but I’m not sure there was regret about it.
“As he advanced in years,” she said, “he was interested in how his things would be preserved and remembered over time. He picked out things he wanted in a retrospective of his work.” Unfortunately, the exhibition space to make that happen at the Avenir Museum wasn’t finished until after his death. “I wish he could be here to see the exhibit,” Carlson said.
Suzanne S. Brown: 303-954-1697 or sbrown@denverpost.com
Fade to Blackwell
Events celebrating the Richard Blackwell retrospective at Colorado State University include:
Lecture: “The Fine Art of Contemporary Design and the Legacy of Mr. Blackwell,” 7 tonight at the University Center for the Arts Annex, featuring designer and guest curator Ali Rahimi
Gala opening reception: 7 p.m. Saturday, University Center for the Arts Avenir Gallery
Lecture: “The Designing Life of American Legend James Galanos,” 7 p.m. Nov. 18, University Center for the Arts Annex
Lecture: “Mr. Blackwell’s Worst- Dressed Women — The List,” 7 p.m. Dec. 9, University Center for the Arts Annex
The University Center for the Arts is at 1400 Remington St., Fort Collins. Regular hours for Avenir Museum are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday- Wednesday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday. More at
