r.i.p.

Gloria Sachs, Credited with the Creation of Capri Pants, Dies at 85

Designer Gloria Sachs, best known for her silk and cashmere sportswear, passed away on Monday at the age of 85. Growing up, Sachs studied textile design and painting. She went on to model for Balenciaga and Pierre Balmain before working at Bloomingdale’s and finally opening her own firm, Gloria Sachs Designs Ltd., in 1970. She can also be thanked for the advent of ankle grazers:

According to her daughter, Sachs was the first to bring capri pants back to the U.S. While on her honeymoon in 1953 with her husband, Irwin, in Capri, she saw the shorter pants and brought them back to the U.S. and named them “capris.”

Sachs stayed busy until the time of her death, preparing to launch the first Fashion Group chapter in Shanghai. She leaves behind her daughter, Nancy; son, Charles; son-in-law, Paul Wiener; two sisters; and three grandchildren.

Gloria Sachs Dies at 85