Rosen had just left Anne Klein and been through a divorce the year before.

WSJ: A Homegrown Fashion Mogul

When Anne Klein died in 1974, Karan quickly assumed the mantle of chief designer.

WSJ: Tina Gaudoin on Style: Donna Karan: Working Woman

After Puritan, Rosen spent six years as chief executive of Anne Klein.

WSJ: A Homegrown Fashion Mogul

The designers at this week's spring 2004 Fashion Week shows under the tents in New York City's Bryant Park feature the industry's biggest names, including Kenneth Cole, Perry Ellis, Anne Klein and Bill Blass.

NPR: Fashion Week: Twinkle's First Big Show

Born in New York in 1948, the daughter of a model and a suit designer, Karan was working as associate designer at Anne Klein by 1971, two years after taking a summer job working for the designer.

WSJ: Tina Gaudoin on Style: Donna Karan: Working Woman

Rodriguez had met Bessette at Calvin Klein, where she worked in PR and assisted the boss, during his four-year stint there part of his long apprenticeship with the greats of American sportswear that also included six years at Anne Klein, where he first worked with Karan.

WSJ: Narciso Rodriguez's Life in Fashion

The squandered ensemble includes Ned Beatty, Michael McKean, Jeffrey Tambor, Stephen Tobolowsky, Bobcat Goldthwaite, Christopher Lloyd, Robert Klein, Harvey Korman, Dylan Baker, Peter MacNicol, Anne DeSalvo, and the late Anita Morris.

NEWYORKER: Radioland Murders