Washington Winter Show 2017

51 This page is sponsored by Janis A. Buchanan and Elizabeth Hague in honor of The Founders Board of St. John’s Community Services Nina McLemore, senior prom dress. A blue silk lining under Alençcon lace embroidery, with sequins, pearls, and bugle beads, tops a skirt of pleated ivory silk chiffon. captain. My companions included two women who were buyers for Strawbridge & Clothier in Philadelphia and had been to the couture shows in Paris. I quizzed them about what a buyer did and what it was like being at a couture show. I realized then that I could take my love for fashion and make that the basis of a career as a buyer for a department store. After finishing college with a double major in French and economics, I started as an assistant buyer at the better specialty store in New Orleans. From there I moved to New York to be the Vice President and General Merchandise Manager for May Department Stores, International (of which the Hecht Company was a division). This provided great experience in product development, design, and production, but it also afforded exposure to the traditional styles of China, Japan, and Korea. The Asian influence on my collection and the use of silks and embroideries for evening stem from my love of the Japanese kimono, Chinese embroideries, and beautiful Indian saris. On my trips to Europe and Asia, I saw that accessories were a much more important part of style there than they were in new creations (along with recipes and gardening tips) were constant topics of conversation during our many extended family visits. My aunts and cousins would bring new outfits, discuss how they made the seams, where they found the fabrics, how they created the line of the collar, and so on. My mother even created her own wedding gown. It was made of silk velvet, and I still have it. While my mother was a very strong force, my memory is that I chose all of my own materials, with the understanding that they be fine natural fabrics, such as Moygashel linen, silk, cotton, or lamb’s wool. The patterns could only be Vogue, as they were better constructed and better fitting. Many Vogue patterns were created by the best French designers. The process? First we would look at Vogue pattern books, choose styles that we liked, and then look through the fabric department to choose the fabrics. If we were not sure they were made of natural fibers, we would take a small swatch and burn it. If it beaded up, we knew that it was petroleum-based and would not buy it. I can still see and smell the difference between how wools and silks burned versus their synthetic substitutes. When I was younger, my job was to cut the fabric out on our mahogany dining room table (which is still with me in Washington), cut the lining, and hand baste the lining to the fabric along with horsehair interfacings. Mother did the machine sewing, and then I did all the pressing (only from the inside) as each seam was sewn. After fittings were finished, I sewed in the hem—and a new dress or jacket could be worn almost immediately. I still have my junior and senior prom dresses! What were our guiding principles? Fine fabrics, as they would be comfortable in the southern heat, would not wrinkle, and would wear well. Clean, simple designs that were timeless, would not go “out of style,” and could be worn many ways. We chose colors that were attractive and flattering. It was always important to look a “lady” and not “flashy.” These are still the underlying principles of my design today. They can be applied to every part of our environment. At home, all furnishings had to be antique mahogany or other fine woods. They needed to be compatible with our house, which was built in 1860. When I walked for the last time alone through our family home, after all the furniture had been removed, I was sure it would be a very difficult emotional experience. Instead, what I found was that the design of the house itself was so beautiful that it was an uplifting experience. Each room was exactly 15 x 15 x 15 feet off a center hall that was 15 x 30 x 15 feet—all in perfect symmetry. The classical proportions, echoed by the ceiling moldings, were even more evident without any other decoration. After I had left home for college, I had the opportunity to study in France. During a very stormy crossing of the Atlantic on my way home from my junior year in Aix-en-Provence, there were only enough passengers for one table at dinner, with the