Diane Betty Abramson; Dress Designer, Philanthropist

Diane Betty Abramson, 86, dress designer and philanthropist. Wearing one of her own hand-knit designs to a dinner party, Abramson was asked to re-create it for a retail store. It sold immediately and orders soon poured in, prompting her to open stores in Beverly Hills and Palm Springs. As her fame spread, her designs were modeled by actresses Elizabeth Taylor, Betty Grable, Debbie Reynolds and Mitzi Gaynor. She later became involved in charity work with the Jeffrey Foundation for Handicapped Children; the Sickle Cell Foundation; the Thalians, a group of celebrities aiding Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and other charities. On Dec. 19 in Beverly Hills.