Ronald Kolodzie, 69, former assistant couture designer to Oscar de la Renta
Hoodoo
By Michael Quintanilla - Express-News
07/07/2010 12:00 CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/obituaries/kolodzie_designed_for_major_fashion_houses_in_new_york_97904889.html
Having studied and worked in Manhattan all his adult life, Central
Catholic graduate Ronald Kolodzie didn't know how to drive. But he did
know how to create a fabulous gown and throw an A-list party.
And he did — for the likes of Barbra Streisand, Gianni Versace, John
Lennon, King Carl Gustaf XVI of Sweden and Princess Yasmin Aga Khan,
daughter of Rita Hayworth.
Kolodzie, 69, who won a Coty Award in 1976, died Tuesday of cancer.
A former assistant couture designer to Oscar de la Renta, Kolodzie also
worked for Geoffrey Beene and Diane Von Furstenberg.
Born in Falls City in 1940, Kolodzie returned to the Alamo City more
than 10 years ago to help care for his mother, who had Alzheimer's
disease. He taught fashion design at Southwest School of Art & Craft,
St. Mary's University and University of the Incarnate Word.
He designed costumes and planned events for San Antonio theater
companies, Fiesta's Cornyation show and the WEBB Party that benefits the
San Antonio AIDS Foundation. More recently, he helped update the
interior designs of the Menger and Crockett hotels, Zuni Grill and Rio
Rio Cantina.
Exhibits of his work, which included garments, portraitures,
illustrations and murals, have been on display in New York and in San
Antonio.
“As a young boy, he would go down to the River Walk and sketch Fiesta
Flambeau dresses and hand them out to people. Young women would ask him
to draw their wedding dresses,” said his sister Lydia Dolch.
A 1967 graduate and faculty member of Parsons School of Design, Kolodzie
taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Syracuse University.
After Parsons, Kolodzie worked for furrier and art collector Jacques
Kaplan, which led to Kolodzie's first magazine credit. He put Twiggy in
an ermine and white fox wedding gown with pink roses for a Vogue
photograph by Richard Avedon.
While working at de la Renta, Kolodzie also operated his own shop called
Genesis that got the attention of Vogue's then-editor Diana Vreeland.
Meeting her led to collaborating on an exhibit at the Costume Institute
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
A multitasker, he also designed costumes for theatrical, ballet and film
productions, including the Ivory/Merchant movie team, and helped plan
events and product launches for Givenchy, Halston, Yves Saint Lauren and
Revlon.
“He was the coolest person I ever met,” said friend Sarah Cochran,
noting he never boasted about his career. Back in San Antonio, he kept a
low profile, offering his skills to nonprofit groups.
“He was humble and gracious and generous with his time,” she said. “He
always said ‘Trust me, it's going to look great,' and it always did.”
Services are pending.
Ronald Kolodzie
BORN: Sept. 24, 1940, in Falls City
DIED: July 6, 2010, in San Antonio
SURVIVORS: Two brothers, Stanley and Nicky Kolodzie; five sisters,
Dolores Greiner, Margaret DeMunbrun, Danielle Daniels, Janice Kolodzie
and Lydia Dolch; and numerous nieces and nephews.
--
Trout Mask Replica
KFJC.org, WFMU.org, WMSE.org, or WUSB.org;
because the pigoenholed programming of music channels
on Sirius Satellite, and its internet radio player, suck