The Washington times., 1937-01-11
Walter Plunkett, Designer
As Well as Business Man
Creator Of Hepburn's
Gowns Has Cash
and Talent
BY LYDIA CALVERT
Special to The Washington Times

special TO The washington Times
HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 1.-THE
most buSinesS-mannish Of the de-
signer group is Walter Plunkett.
But let's identify him:
Everything you ever saw Kath-
arine Hepburn wear came first
from his well-ordered brain, for he
has dressed her for pictures from
the start.
He sits behind a broad desk at
RKO and runs his studio more
like an office than an atelier. He
has his clippings on file, his
sketches in order. Temperament"
the hair-pulling kind you expect
from an artists foreign to his
nature. His hair Is carefully
combed and so is his moustache.
His eyes are blue and wide. His ex-
preston Is bland.
Proof Of his business efficiency
are the adaptations which he
makes from his movie creations.
He is the only one Of the Holly
wood designers who has a real
Zine" Of remarkable things which
he does for wholesalers. Many
designers give permission to have
their things copied but few do the
original adaptations themselves.
Remember the vogue to which
Mary of Scotland" gave rise? He
did that. Remember the cute
little velveteen frocks with pleatS
in the back instead of the front
of last year? And the hats with
pointed haloes? Give Mr.. Plum
kett the credit, for it was from
his own original sketches that
those reproductions came.
PERIODS FAVORITE
Il would rather do period pic
lures than any other kind"
says Mr.. Plunkett. Because
from them it Is easier to set
styles and bring new life to
fashion. We in Hollywood Ire
rather Handicapped when it
comes to modern fashion be-
cause we have to anticipate too
far in advance and then q hold
up may come in productions and
knock our fashion predictions
in the head.
"And if Hollywood fashions
are really to get anywhere they
should click with the buying
trends and not come as anti
climax after the season is on
the wane. / haven't much hope
for the fashion influence Of "A
Woman Rebels" which / just
finished because it got off
sooner than / expected"
TRENDS STARTED
Mr.. Plunkett hit the market
right with Little Women" as well
as MARY of Scotland" and both
pictures were felt in every fashion
capital. The former brought re-
vival of sweetness and light and
the latter Spelt the renaissance of
romanticiSm and the revival of
velveteen. Now the great designer
tells OF Quality Street." the pic
ture on which he is working at
present.
Hepburn says they are the
most sissy clothes she's ever
worn. They are definitely fem
inine, with wide sleeves, slim
waists and full skirts and they
are sure to start something this
spring. Sissy clothes are just
the thing for spring and sum-
mer. You want to look elegant
In winter, but in summer women
start thinking Of softer things,
prints, ribbons and SUCH"
SKETCHES FETCHING
The sketches he has made for
the pictures are perfectly fetch
ing. Large, IL by IA wash draw.
ings, they show Hepburn being
divinely demure in rose-garlanded
frockS and bonnets made like
bowers. There is a definitely pic
torial trend in these clothes-a
conscious Sentimentalism which
may really start something when
it's set loose for fluttering femi-
nine hearts.
Mr.. Plunkett doesn't limit his
collection to movie-inspired fash
ions. He keeps a full collection
going all the time to meet the
market demand for his fashions,
which has increased by leaps and
bounds. His sketches of coats,
hats and dresses are dispatched
regularly to the New York manu-
facturers, where they are made
up and shipped to stores all over
the country, which carry an exclu-
sive Walter Plunkett line.
HATS A GAMBLE
II did a camel's hair coat
with wide shoulders not long
ago." said Mr.. PIunkett. "And
the first day they cut $4,000
, coats. from it. 1 gave one Of
them to Ginger Rogers and
every time see her she has it
On-even on the hottest days.
She said she loves it."
The designer says he doesn't
like to design hats half as much
as dresses, because they are ''Such
a gamble" He thinks this years
hats are Completely crazy"
The business end of Hollywood