Fragrance house

Scaasi

Scaasi was the fashion label of Arnold Isaacs, a Montreal-born designer who adopted the reversed surname while working on a General Motors advertising campaign. After training in Montreal and Paris, apprenticing at Paquin, and working with Charles James in New York, he launched his own ready-to-wear business in Manhattan in 1956. Scaasi shifted to made-to-order couture and opened a couture salon in 1964. The label’s visual language joined tailored suits and glamorous eveningwear with sculptural construction, bold color, and embellishment including feathers, fur, sequins, and embroidery. A December 1955 Vogue cover marked an early breakthrough, followed by the Coty Fashion Critics Award in 1958. Barbra Streisand’s sheer Scaasi trouser ensemble at the 1969 Oscars brought the designer broad public attention, while Barbara Bush’s Scaasi gown for the 1989 inaugural ball became another documented public milestone. The label returned to ready-to-wear in 1984 with Scaasi Boutique, and Arnold Scaasi received CFDA awards for Creative Excellence in 1987 and Lifetime Achievement in 1997. Scaasi, the fragrance, launched in 1989 as a crisp fruity-floral scent. Arnold Scaasi died in 2015 at age 85.