NEW YORK, Jul 16, 2003 / FW/ -- A rich history and iconic heritage is the theme of Bill Blass' Fall 2003 advertising campaign.

Shot by famed photograhper Richard Avedon in black & white, the print ad campaign expands the company's history as an iconic American brand rich with class, elegance and character.

Entitled, 'It's Bill Blass', the campaign features 4 personalities - India Hicks (daughter of decorator David Hicks and godchild of Prince Charles), her partner David Flint Wood, Lady Eloise Anson (daughter of society photographer Patrick Lichfield and niece of the Duke of Westminster), and Mipam Thurman (actress Uma Thurman's brother).

Weaving back the social importance of Bill Blass and representing an iconic elegance from a classic to a contemporary perspective, Richard Avedon used a stark gray background on the B&W 3/4 individual portraits, exuding cool confidence and certainty.

"Bill Blass speaks a language of sleek sophistication and refinement, this campaign reflects that and the desire to wear Bill Blass seen through a composite of generations," said President and CEO Michael Groveman.

Witty tag lines, written by Glenn O'Brien, define an individual characteristic within each portrait and pay homage to the clever twists Mr. Blass used in the ads he created.

A two sentence declarative - IT ISN'T OBVIOUS. IT'S BILL BLASS.; IT ISN'T FOR EVERYBODY. IT'S BILL BLASS.; IT ISN'T EXPECTED. IT'S BILL BLASS.; and IT ISN'T A TREND. IT'S BILL BLASS. -- positioned at the bottom right corner in a refined text separated by the double BB logo, completes the story.

The campaign is the first created for Bill Blass by Raul Martinez, CEO and Executive Creative Director of a|R Media, the brand's New York-based creative agency.

In fact, this ad campaign is a series of 'firsts' for the company. The first one created by a|R Media as already mentioned, the first one shot ever shot by Richard Avedon for the company, the first time menswear and womenswear are highlighted in one campaign and the first one for Bill Blass new designer, Michael Vollbracht, who will make his runway debut in New York in September.

"We worked with the designer, Michael Vollbracht, to select the pieces from his creations that most suit the individuals personalities -- keeping it authentic and real to who they each are," explained Raul Martinez on how the decision on what outfits to show on each photograph.

The campaign will debut in September consumer magazines with a 4 page men and women's insert in Vogue and Vanity Fair, and single page layouts in W, Town & Country, Elle, Departures, InStyle, Esquire, Men's Journal, Details, GQ, and Maxim.