Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-20

Our city. where the ONCE
desk is a symbol of business
success. was host last Friday
to Charles LeMaire. executive
wardrobe designer for goth
Century-Fox Studios.
The three time Academy
Award winning designer (the
latest for Love Is A Many
Splendored .Thing'o claims
there is more fashion news for
the average American woman
in Desk Set" which opens in
Washington at Loew's Capitol
on May 20. than in two current
films creating fashionable con-
versation--"Funny Face" and
Designing Woman. Desk
Set" is no fashion parade for
secretaries. he emphasized.
Washington women will re.
act favorably, he THINKS to the
fact that secretaries in the
picture are dressed in the
people look like people" ira
dition Of famous theater dir
ector. Ella Kazan. The day Of
the black satin clad secretary is
over. why women laugh right
out loud at things that are i'm
possible" he added.
Went Afield
Mr.. LeMaire went afield to
discover what a well-dressed
secretary looks like. Leaving
his ward robe department
housed in what was Tom Mix's
stable because all the gnls
dress to please me-" he visited
lots of places where women
work. He vent to MICS studio.
business offices and even in
cluded a visit to his lawyer,
who employs some fifteen girls.
Asked which women were
considered the best dressed he
came up with Cd a size is
ca one who was extremely
short and CD one who had a
physical disability. Three
women who were definitely not
model types but shared the
opinion that a suit was the best
fashion TO wear in an Office"
he stated.
Washington government
workers and businesswomen in
general can take to heart some
other words Mr.. LeMaire had
with US on the subject Of
clothes in business life.
Spend Time
why do these women for
get that one Of the most inn
portant things in their lives is
their ONCE? I'd like to see an
ONCE worker look like she's
taken pains to 60 to work. Her
business hours are the longest
part Of her day and yet she
spends so little time on the
right wardrobe for it," Mr..
LeMaire points out.
Here are some fashion facts
business women ought to file
under IMPORTANT. as out
lined by him. Grey tones are
wonderful. Stripes are SLIM
ming, small checks are good
ONCE workers" and If a bold
pattern is desired let the
woman wearing it understand
first whether her figure can
stand it. Hard finish fabrics
are best for ofiice wear because
they don't pick UP dust or lint.
Variations of some Of the
wardrobe designs Mr.. LeMaire
created for Katharine Hep
burn. Joan Blondell (she plays
an ONCE "tootsie" who dresses
like one). Rachel Stephens
and Alena Murray (both max
ing the East Coast tour with
him, modelling in fashion
shows with II Of the original
designs from the filml, WASH
ington's own Dina Merrill
MRS: Stanley Rumbouph.
jr0 and the other Young
women who play roles as Of
flee employes-are available
at Hecht's in styles made up
by the California Girl Arm.
Learn From Movies
Mr.. LeMaire feels movies do
not have to launch fashion
trends. He considers them to
be endorsements" in many
instances by designers Of pre-
vailing fashion moods. WON.
en- stand to learn q lot from
the movies II they want. Mo-
ton pictures are the greatest
source Of fashion information
women can have. They can
learn to set q table; discover