Michael Vollbracht was the Renaissance man of our times. He was an entertainer (just listening to his stories was a show unto itself); he was a designer (Witness Elizabeth Taylor or Joan Rivers ); he was an artist (his paintings are represented in collections all over the world); and he was an illustrator (his book of illustrations, Nothing Sacred, was published twice).

Michael’s talent was recognized early on at Parsons School of Design where he won the prestigious Norman Norell Golden Thimble  Award. After stints with Donald Brooks and Geoffrey Beene, he broke out on his own with dazzling success. He designed not only the dresses in his eponymous collection but also drew single print. The shows he designed at the  Circle in the Square Broadway Theater and the Art Deco Rockefeller Center Chemical Bank were the stuff of legend, and will never be forgotten  by any who witnessed them.

Michael also went on to take up the reigns at Bill Blass Ltd after Blass’s death. Later, after moving to Florida, he adapted his print aesthetic to affordable contemporary separates on HSN. He also continued his large scale commissioned paintings for a global roster of art clients. Recently, Michael supplied gorgeous original and vintage illustrations for my book “NORELL: Master of American Fashion.”

A recent convert to Facebook, Michael’s daily postings, with glimpses into his brilliant past, were so widely anticipated that scores of new Vollbracht fans insisted that he compile them into a book. He was in the process of doing so at the time of his death.

Michael was everything you could want in a friend. He was loving, encouraging, supportive, and wickedly funny. We were often on the phone together for hours, and I was always astounded by his incredible memory and all the amazing notables he had known. To say he will be sorely missed is the grossest of understatements.