"As a fashion designer I failed," she said. "I failed draping."

At Parsons School for Design, they made her take summer school. "They finally graduated me," Karan said. "I thought that was nice."

Maybe her head was elsewhere. Her original ambition pointed her to the world of entertainment. "I wanted to be a singer and dancer. I couldn’t sing like Barbra Streisand so I was left with fashion. It’s amazing where the spirit guides you."

Her spirit led her to the world of Seventh Ave.—the shmatta business—due in no small measure to her stepfather’s trade, a custom tailor in Woodmere, Long Island.

Following her experience at FIT and Parsons, Karan vowed "Well, I’ll show you." She became one of the most celebrated fashion designers of our time, called by some "the queen of Seventh Ave." She designed the wedding dress for her close friend Streisand.

In January 220 guests of Friends of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem honored Karan at a dinner at the Urban Zen Center at the Stephan Weiss Studio (named for her late husband).

Ilan Kaufthal, chairman of the Friends, presented Karan with a streamlined fashionable Chanukah menorah in silver and brass. It was created by Ezri Tarazi, head of Bezalel’s industrial design program.

"What you do at Bezalel and what we do here, we have a marriage," Karan said. "I intend to visit Bezalel shortly."