Evening star., 1936-11-13
mo. IA OF q Series.)
BY /. WILLIAM HILL,

- road TO fame chance seems
always to have stepped in to
Il lend a hand.
Ten or twelve years ago compara-
lively unknown woman set sail from
New York to return to Europe. Born
In Rome, up tosthat time she had
lived in Paris, London. Boston New
York and Washington, D. C.
In each place there were some who
knew her, either because Of two books
she had written or because of her
own vivacious and exotically Latin
personality.
But it was after she returned to
Paris with her American-born young
daughter that fate stepped in and
made her the internationally famous
designer of women's dresses that Nine.
Elsa Schiaparelli Is today.
On that occasion she was wearing
q knitted sweater suit which she had
made original with futuristic design
and a large black bow at the neck.
A visiting American commented on
Its smartneSs.
"I wonder" he said, "if it would be
possible to order some like it?"
"Of course" said Nine. Schiaparelli,
probably considering the remarks no
more than an American compliment.
The Order Arrives.
Not long afterward, however. she
received the order. It was for 40
sweaters and 40 skirts, and the date
when they were wanted seemed SOON
er than was possible. But Nine.
Schiaparelli filled it. She did it by
hiring a number of jobless Armenian
handworkers who were about Paris
at the time. Then, when &ae sweat
ers set q fashion and she received
an American check staggering in size,
she decided to stay IN business and
keep the Armenian workers. The
first one she hired still works in her
Paris salon. She's one of Nine.
Schiaparelli's 700 employes-500 in
Paris and 200 in her London salon.
Nine. Schiaparelli commutes between
the two salons in her own plane.
We had to overcome a deep-seated
and venerable fear to find out these
things. Somehow q domain for the
mysterious garments that go to make
up q wen-dreSsed woman has always
seemed to us to merit a privacy that
is undisturbed by masculine eyes.
But If you want to see Nine. Schia-
parelli you have to invade her of1ce,
for she spends most of her time there
from 10 am. to pm. and the way
to her Office winds through a lane Of
silk and satin velvet and lace.
For some reason we had expected
q dress designer would be wearing
something soft and silky and flowing.
OF course she wasn't. She wore a
little blue coat suit over q brick-red
sweater. There didn't seem to be
anything particularly unusual about
1t, except for the little metal button
like gadgets on the lapel.
As a matter of fact, we weren't
conscious at first how she was dressed,
but only that she was dressed nicely
and that she had overly large brown
eyes. q kind Of whirlwind energy and
an enthusiasm we had begun to as
sociate with the French.
Gadgets Are "AmuSing."
It's very difficult to talk of some
thing about which one knows little,
but finally we brought up the subject
Of clothes, women's clothes. We took
the safe way. We mentioned the
gadgets on Nine. Schiaparelli's lapels.
She laughed.
"Oh, they're only amusing" she
said. "Really one must be amused,
even by beautiful clothes"
It was later, after we had seen a
parade Of manneQuinS, that we began
to understand the remark. Now we
were content to maintain a cautious
silence while we learned things. For
example:
Nine. Schiaparelli designs eight col
1ections each year for each season in
both Paris and France, and in each
collection there are approximately $50
dresses.
Paris styles won't do for London,
and vice versa. 1t seems the British
woman wants clothes that are pri-
marily pretty and becoming, whereas
the Parisienne wants clothes that are,
before all things, smart. Between the
two types American women prefer
smart clothes. and Mime. schiaparelli