Screenland (Feb-Oct 1949)

dressed. But buy each item as carefully as if you were adding to a collection of jewels. Then, when you have your clothes assembled, choose all your accessories for the next six months. Most of the clothes a working girl wears should be basic, so that when worn with different gloves, shoes and hats, they become different costumes. Utilize your wardrobe as a man does. I have eight suits, every one of which I enjoy wearing. Very few men have an extensive array of suits, regardless of income. A well-dressed man doesn't think that way . . . and a business girl's mind should operate the same * # * It's A Wonderful Thing, this basic wardrobe planning, as you'll find if you try it this Fall. It simplifies everything. For example, a girl who was going to Europe came to me for her wardrobe. She wanted several print dresses which would have made accessories, in her case, not a money problem but a packing problem. When you travel in Europe, you can't have trunks, so I talked her into doing her entire wardrobe in gray. She took three gray suits, four gray dresses and one gray coat that blended beautifully with everything. I love prints, and I design my own, but you must be able to afford a lot of clothes to consider that luxury. If you can afford only one $49.50 dress, don't buy a print. * * #• There's A Great Difference between faddism and fashion. A fad may not be fashionable. If you don't know fashion, it's easy enough to be guided by such magazines as Town And Country, Harper's Bazaar or Vogue. * * * * Many Wealthy Women in Hollywood who need an extensive wardrobe will buy two suits or dresses from my collection, then, perhaps two things from Irene and two from Adrian. Anything else they need is made by a dressmaker who comes to the house. They pay good money for material and find a good dressmaker. All my customers . . . women of taste . . . do that. They even buy one of my things and then have it copied in other colors. That always delights me. It proves that women consider my clothes an investment, which they are, for they never go out of style. * # * A Business Woman should never wear exaggerated clothes. Every woman, as a matter of fact, should avoid extremes, and remember that the figure and personality must remain the important part of her appearance. When a woman en ■ icr.s a room, the comment should be, ''Doesn't Mary look pretty?" . . . not. "My God, that's Mary!" Never let any dress overpower your personality. * * * Good Lines, Good Fahrics, Graceful Movement arc the things to look for. Every girl should sit in a dress before she buys it. She should consider how it Charmingly feminine, yet correct for a business day, is this black wool and taffeta costume by Don Loper. Jane Greer tops it off with a white ermine beret by Rex, Inc. looks when she walks . . . how it looks from the waist up, for that is all anyone will see when she is seated at a table. Unless you have an extensive wardrobe, stay away from clear, hard colors. And don't forget that you can never go wrong on black, for Summer or Winter, in California or New York. * # * Fall Fashions will have no changed silhouettes in my line. The coming seasons will see a great refinement in style. All the garishness of the past year and a half will disappear. Suit lengths will be about twelve inches, pencil slim. But length isn't too important. Just be sure that it is becoming, whether it is twelve or thirteen inches from the floor. Our cocktail dresses will be eight, ten or twelve inches, depending on the, type of gown. There won't be any short evening dresses in my collection. I like to see the fabric of an evening gown just escape the Moor. Most women like that, too. For one thing, it has more elegance than the short dress and it is more practical than the trailing gown. The formal train is beautiful to behold but difficult to care for. There will be a tremendous return to elegant fabrics, and that means we will automatically strive for simplicity of line. Many of my Fall daytime dresses will be made of men's suitings, with a trim, slim skirt. * * * * Elegance And Simplicity will be the keynote of my Fall fashions. Incidentally, the Duchess of Windsor is a great example of the elegant woman. You can never tell whether she changes her styles, they are all so very simple, and yet you know she spends lots of money on her clothes. In Hollywood, Claudette Colbert approaches that same manner of dressing, since she always wears what is exactly right for her, regardless of changing styles. You can look at Claudette's pictures taken years ago and, except for length, her clothes were as right for her then as her clothes are today. And, like the Duchess of Windsor, she never changes her hairstyle because she has found it is the best hairdress for her. Marlene Dietrich is another person who knows herself. She is the actress and dresses like an actress. She is marvelous for her type. * * * I Won't Let A Woman Buy Anything that isn't right for her. Not long ago an actress wanted to buy a handsome knitted dress in bright lipstick red. I wouldn't let her have it because the color wasn't right for her blonde hair. Nevertheless, the next time I saw her at a cocktail party, she had one like it from I. Mag Stars Are Difficult To Please, yet they are a pleasure to work with because they have knowing minds. Once they decide upon a thing, there is no more trouble. Greer Garson is wonderful. She gets so excited about her clothes. During fittings she makes everybody happy and in return gets the best possible service. Mary Benny can't be bothered with more than one fitting for the originals she buys. # * * They Are All Different. I dress June Allyson as I see her ... a young girl who is almost a small boy type. Her day t hings must be very tailored and her evening gowns very simple. She must dress to her youth. If she wore sophisticated clothes she would look like a little girl parading in grown-up clothes. Judy Garland should wear things that are whimsical and piquant. Ava Gardner is the typical American beauty. In the daytime she is best in tailored or sports suits. From five o'clock on, and most certainly in the evening, she must wear very feminine things ... as decollete as possible. # * * Every Girl Has Two Personalities in clothes . . . daytime and evening. She (Please turn to page 51) 48