The New York fashion designer Geoffrey Beene passed away a year ago this month. His passing was a very great loss to his legions of fans and his private clientele. Patsy Tarr who is one of the world’s most active dance philanthropists was a loyal Beene client. Last month she devoted an entire issue of her semi-annual dance and arts magazine, 2wice, to the man’s creations.

Front and back slipcover of 2wice

The result is an unusual, beautiful piece of art both in terms of publishing and as a tribute to a very creative man.

She and I had a conversation yesterday afternoon about the project.

DPC: How did this edition of 2wice come about?

PT: I was so filled with grief when he died that I wanted to do something to pay tribute to him in 2wice. His birthday was August 30th and I set a goal to publish a tribute on his birthday this year. In a most selfish way, it also gave me a year to think about Geoffrey Beene.

DPC: I know you were a devoted customer of his and that there are quite a few of you. What is it about his clothes that caused such devotion?

PT: A lot of Beene comes from wearing the clothes – you understand how comforable and luxurious they are and you spend time looking the mirror and seeing how beautifully designed they are. The way “in” was to start wearing the clothes.

I never actually thought I’d meet Geoffrey Beene. Something caught my eye in the store one day (this was about 1980). I tried it on. It seemed somewhat flattering and so I bought it. It was a long dress, sleeveless, with an empire line, with layers of calico and lace and a little jacket. It was the kind of thing you could wear all the time – fancy, not so fancy. Afterwards I started to realize that it was just this wonderful garment and I kept wearing it over and over. I still wear it. The following season, I bought more. One day it occurred to me these clothes were just incredible.

DPC: When did you meet him?

PT: I finally met him several years after I’d been buying his clothes. I’d been invited to show he was doing on 7th Avenue.

DPC: What was your impression of him?

PT: He was very reticient. Like he wished he could disappear. Practically hiding in the back. All these people who wanted to congratulate him. I was buying so many clothes I must have come to attention. Then Betty Halbreich who is head of personal shopping at Bergdorf Goodman took me to his showroom on 7th Avenue and I started buying things there. Betty has her own department called Solutions. She's very famous. Very chic and fashionable.

DPC: So, then what was he like?

PT: He was still reticent. But he was very sweet, very kind. I would talk about what I needed and he would suggest things. Finally he had a little boutique in the Sherry and he’d occasionally swing by. Sometimes I’d go to his atelier which was on 57th Street.

DPC: It seems that the Beene customer was a religious customer, religiously Beene.

PT: To most of the people who knew him and for whom he made clothes, he was very smart and insightful. He had a way of figuring out what you needed even if you didn’t know: what was going to look good on you and take you over the top.

DPC: How did you choose the designs that you feature in the 2wice Beene tribute.

PT: They were all my clothes. We decided to limit ourselves to black, white and red, with one exception that is orange. We chose those three colors because we felt they would have the greatest amount of impact to the reader. When publishing, the page really has to be clear to the reader to have maximum impact. We wanted everything to pop off the page.

We chose the accordion page so that each section could be looked at like a book with two sides, or set out on a table like a piece of art. That way it is interactive but it is also a book.

DPC: It’s really a work of art and so much more substantial than a magazine or even a coffee table book. Do your regular subscribers receive this at no extra cost?

PT: Yes, although Barney’s has promised to buy it also for their holiday gifts.

DPC: What will it sell for?

PT: $50.

DPC: Gee, that’s a bargain; it really is a beautiful work of art. Where can people buy it?

PT: They can get it by going to www.2wice.org. And, as I said, it’s going to be in Barney’s for the holidays.