Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.life From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Dressing Hillary Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 14:51:51 EST Message-ID: \SE E;LIFE;WAY OF LIFE \HD Dressing Hillary \SH Who will be first designer to baby-boom first lady? \BY Ann Geracimos \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES The bets are on Donna Karan as the American designer most likely to appeal to first lady-to-be Hillary Clinton, according to a range of fashion observers. They cite the soft, tailored look and interchangeable separates promoted by the designer as well as a recent Donna Karan ad campaign that centers around a successful woman politician - dressed, of course, in tailored suits beneath which occasionally peak a matching bustier. The Karan empire has made vast inroads in recent years as an image-maker among young, well-paid professional women. No one expects the new first lady to come trouncing out in undergarments worn as outer garments, however. Nor do New York fashion professionals expect to see much change in Mrs. Clinton's taste in clothes. She is known to be loyal to Little Rock designer and boutique owner Connie Fails, responsible for one of Mrs. Clinton's gubernatorial inaugural gowns - a deep red velvet dress on display in Little Rock's Old State House Museum. Whatever she chooses will make a "fashion statement," however hard she tries to discourage the talk. Having a baby boomer in the White House has the fashion press agog with speculation. The guessing game is a virtual Rorschach test of the profession's ability to switch gears as each new first family comes on the scene. They agree that style changes are sure to emerge that invariably affect how American women dress, but chroniclers of such trends aren't sure what they will be. Pantsuits for state dinners perhaps? Nancy Reagan, who favored the beaded chic of such eminent American designers as James Galanos and Adolfo, let it be known such attire was taboo even among reporters covering such events. Will the Hillary bob replace Barbara's pearls? Already, it seems, headbands are selling at a fast clip on the streets of New York and Washington. New York fashion professionals downplay any criticism in favor of compliments for the first lady-to-be. The strongest sentiment expressed is that she should use her clout, and legal training, to lend support to an ailing garment industry - the city's major income source. Anna Wintour, Vogue's editor, goes even further: She is betting on Hillary Clinton as a working woman to promote women's image in general. "And that doesn't have anything to do with fashion. It's great for America that she has a career." Like most other designers at the New York spring/summer '93 collections last week, Bob Mackie, the flamboyant Californian, would like a shot at dressing a first lady but says, "Maybe it's better to be asked." He wouldn't push his case beyond "submitting a video." Mr. Mackie says he sees no reason why the first lady shouldn't be allowed under U.S. tax laws to wear American designer garments for free, to display them at public occasions. "That's what they do in Europe: It's perfectly acceptable," notes Carolina Herrera, with more ladylike offerings as her staple. "Of course, I would love to have her wear my clothes." As first lady, Barbara Bush has been a woman who "dresses for herself; that's par for the '90s," says young Detroit native Tracy Reese, who designs for Magaschoni. "People are sick of looking like cookie cutters," Miss Reese says. "The return to the '70s [look] represents a return to individuality somewhat. Hillary Clinton is obviously younger and hipper - a career woman. She stands on her own. She should look like a professional woman. I like the way she has been dressing: smart but not austere. "The bottom line is to be comfortable in the way she [any first lady] dresses - and look American. Hillary Clinton is a lawyer; she could help manufacturers with the laws [affecting us]. That's what's important." Two old-guard designers, Bill Blass and Arnold Scaasi, are holding their capably waspish tongues. "That's a mean question," Mr. Scaasi says when asked if there would be a "new Barbara Bush look." He is one of Mrs. Bush's favorite designers, as is Mr. Blass. Mr. Blass isn't predicting yet whether he'll be called on to outfit Mrs. Clinton. "I've had a few shots with the last two [first ladies]," he says. "I don't know about this one." During a fashion show held for delegates to the Democratic NationalConvention in New York this summer, Michael Kors suggested that Mrs. Clinton needs a softer look. "There's no need for her to look power-suited," he told an Associated Press writer. Soft tailoring suits her best since she is "fighting an image that is hard," notes Dana Buchman, who designs for Liz Claiborne. "No gold buttons," offers Isaac Mizrahi. "Those are practically a symbol of Republicanism." Bloomingdale executive Kal Ruttenstein recently told Women's Wear Daily, the garment industry trade paper, that Hillary Clinton has bought clothes in his store. They were in the so-called "bridge lines" - the less expensive and less complicated styles that fall between the high-end and mass-market categories. Hints about Hillary Clinton's personal favorites are hard to come by. She wore tailored suits and the occasional dress - hemline at the knees or just below - during the campaign. Her hair went from a longer preppy style to a smooth unfettered bob. Her first move on reaching the St. Regis Hotel during one of her stops in New York was to ask for the hairdresser, according to Eleanor Lambert, a publicist for the hotel. "That's only sensible," says Miss Lambert, known for decades as one of that city's most experienced fashion mavens. "Women in public life know they have to feel right about the way they look. It's part of the job to feel put together so you don't have to think about it. You want to know where things are. "The only time to seek advice is when she goes to foreign countries. It's awkward if things are not de rigueur. There is protocol involved in dress and a sense of appropriateness about things." Nor will Mrs. Clinton automatically be elevated to Miss Lambert's Best-Dressed List. "It has been a sort of tradition that first ladies have been on it, but not all have been. Not Mrs. Bush, Mrs. Roosevelt or Mrs. Carter. The list is really a record for the future to show how people looked in their era." Hollywood producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, a member of the Clintons' inner circle, told Women's Wear Daily last week that she and nine other women contributed one link each to a Cartier gold bracelet given to Mrs. Clinton for her birthday. So probably the first lady-to-be likes gold. Purple is said to be one of her favorite colors. Hence, perhaps, her pick for the election night appearance in Little Rock: a two-piece purple suit with dark opaque stockings. (Tipper Gore was turned out in a similar suit in pink.) The pair made a refreshing change from the more conventional red and blue worn by most candidates' wives during the campaign. For Mrs. Clinton's inaugural gown, Joanne Pierce of Neiman Marcus' Washington store is betting on "nothing very short or very bare. Garnett would be a becoming color on her. I would guess her taste goes for the sleek rather than the billowing. "For some of the White House functions, I'd hope she would go for something like the Badgley Mishka collarless black velvet jacket with a jewel button closing and cuff accents. It comes with silk velvet pants, which means the two pieces are interchangeable. The jewelry comes off for versatility." The price is $2,175. The biggest question mark of all is 12-year-old Chelsea Clinton, who won high praise from Bonnie Hurowitz-Fuller, editor-in-chief of YM magazine ("young and modern"), for the simple blue-and-green plaid jacket and short pleated skirt she wore on election night. Chelsea's long, unruly curly hair is fine for her age, Mrs. Hurowitz-Fuller notes. "Teen-age girls love long hair. She is verging on teen-agehood. Little girls love to be feminine and pretty, but they also want to be rough and tumble. She is very 'Gaplike.' But girls her age are getting more sophisticated. They will wear little black dresses either very short or calf-length, low heels and sheer hose with gold and pearl earrings. She'd probably wear a jacket for a state dinner." This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM