Evening star., 1940-07-24
Nine. Schiaparelli Speaks
AS a Representative Of
All French Couture

be long and slim? What colors do
you feel We will be wearing?"
In response to these questions,
Nine. Schiaparelli flashed a weary
smile. Il have not thought about
clothes these four weeks, have been
too concerned with the more i'm
mediate problems of living and get
ting safely here. OF course. if there
are French fabrics available I will
use them, and I am sure shall
find good American fabrics COM
pletely suitable to the purpose.
will probably use both. But I can
not say now what the colors or
silhouette lines will be-"
DO you feel bright colors like the
blues and pinks that you have been
using are suited to our time?"
"Yes," replied Nine. Schiaparelli,
bright colors are good for us in
these dark times. In Paris, we have
had no thought of dressing up.
Women have been wearing the
simplest clothes possible, for there
has been no night life"
Nine. Schiaparelli. today, was
wearing smart black mohair dress
with high neck and long sleeves.
1t was a simple shirtwaist type
trimmed in brass buttons and with
a tiny edging of white at the neck.
She wore heel-less black kid shoes
and instead of a hat, a white scarf
tied around her head, turban fashion.
She said she had no hat at the
moment as she had travelled with
one suitcase weighing less than 10
kilos (about 30 pounds, which is all
that is permitted for transatlantic
plane travel.
After your arduous trip, you must
have concrete suggestions on the
ideal transatlantic costume" I con-
tinued.
Nine. Schiaparelli smiled broadly:
-Four weeks is long time in one
small suitcase" she said. "The best
thing IS something you can wash
out and hang up every night. I
had only one suit. It was versatile
enough for the trip because it in
cluded black bodice on a skirt that
could be worn as a dress in hot
weather, jacket and a matching
wool skirt to be worn with the
bodice on cool days. It was ade-
quate, but tedious"
We were sitting in Nine. Schia-
parelli's perfume salon in the French
building at Radio City during this
interview, and SO I asked: What
about perfume, will there be a con-
tinued supply of French perfume?"
"Yes, think so," she answered,
'for some time at least, thank
heavens, we saw to that before
things began to happen. Shipments
enough for some time were made
here in advance"
What Of your French salon on
the Place Vendome, Nine. Schia-
parelli, is it closed entirely?" was
my next question.
mo-" she answered, ut is open
but with q very, very small stan.
We are only selling stun that we
have had on hand"
Has the German invasion brought
buyers from Berlin, now that there
are apparently no import duties?"
mo, 1t is too soon for that-we
cannot say what will happen"
Nine. Schiaparelli is planning to
return to Paris on the completion
Of her lecture tour in October, II
conditions at that time make 1t
possible. Here, she joins her daugh-
ter, Gogo, who preceded her to
New York and who is especially
interested in perfumes and is devot-
ing her time to that section of the
business while In America.
ut is like coming home to be
back in New York." said Mime.
Schiaparelli rs she looked about the
charming room furnished in French
style, In the perfume salon that
bears the famous signature and
which Is the American branch of
her French business. I might add
the French couture should find nc
better spokesman In America, for
the personality Of Nine. Schiaparelli
Is as vivid as the colors she has
made famous this year-shockine
] pink and sleeping blue.