European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 07, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse American women rally around the Hillary look r by Usan Campbell the Hartford courant Well Hillary Rodham Clinton is backing America still Licking the a Dayan g-7 trip wounds inflicted upon her by the italian news Media which said our first lady Porta indu Menti she wears Wal Mart the French were Kinder. They thought she looked formidable which might or might not be a compliment and Ravis Sante which definitely is a compliment. Now she s Back on her Home court and whatever american women think of her politics there Are plenty willing to get behind her on this fashion thing. So All together now women if you Don t know How to tie a Scarf could t accessorize on a bet and can t name four major designers say amen. If your mantra in stores is "$6 Cool say i m fashion impaired and i m men Stop Reading. This has nothing to do with you. You tuck in and zip up and you re set for the Day. That s just the Way things Are and they stink. For women not caring about fashion is something of a rebellious act but it s one a special Breed of women commit daily. I prefer to put on one dress and a pair of shoes _ and be done with it said one Connecticut woman. I never really worry about wearing the right kind of and what kind of earrings does a self professed fashion challenged woman own i do have a few pair of earrings she said. No one s following the Connecticut women around commenting on her clothes but the first lady in t so Lucky. Everyone loved her inaugural gown and they be hated everything since. She wore a purple suit and they said she was hippy name one real woman who in t. She wore a flowered dress they called dowdy. She wore a Blue suit and a yellow shirt and they said she looked like an airline hostess. She has joked that All she has to do is Cut her hair and immediately the pundits take their eyes off health Reform and Rwanda to focus on her. _ _ in her new Book where the girls Are growing up female with the mass Media Susan Douglas compares the news Media s dissection of Hillary s fashion sense with the dissection of Madonna s everything. In 1992, Hillary got More Ink than even Madonna did and that was the year of Madonna s infamous sex Book. In 1993, Hillary was on the cover of nearly every Magazine in America including the humor Magazine spy which featured her As a Black lingerie Clad Dominatrix. The reference to Madonna was the reason Hillary became in the hands of the news Media the lightning Rod for people s deepest anxieties and most fervent Hopes about the role that women should play in shaping the future of the country wrote Douglas so potshots at her outfits have been be Rigueur. By inference the rest of us get it from All sides too. Last october that bastion of cultural know How people Magazine put out a special double Issue on the Best and worst dressed celebrities. Daryl Hannah was on the worst dressed list Warren Christopher was on the Best. Is his Justice or. Blackwell has made an entire career of Point ing the Finger at people he deigns to consider ill dressed. A " �. s Point one Back shall we is Michael Abram european fashion observers looked Down on Hillary Clinton s attire during a trip to Rome in june. First lady not first in fashion by sue Palumbo Mediterranean Bureau it s doubtful Shell Ever be a Trendsetter. Scores of women have not rushed to boutiques the world Over to find those Aust rely feminine two piece suits Hillary Rodham Clinton is so fond of. The expensively tailored suits in a Rainbow of colors Are downright lawyerly. What worked for Clinton the serious Tough talk ing lawyer May not work for Clinton the first lady. Her debut in Naples Italy for the meeting of the group of seven economic Powers ear Ier this month did not set the fashion world on fire. At least local journalists said she had improved her look since her trip to Rome in june. Hillary arrives with a new look because she understands that the one she had in Rome last month was completely wrong wrote Lucia Borgia a re Porter for the Naples daily ii Mattino. Maybe she even changed the country that Calls her the new Jackie of does not extend that sentiment to Clinton s fashion sense. Italians Are accustomed to women such As Italy a first lady Valerie Berle Scova former actress who wears nothing but the finest designer attire. Her Clinton s clothes just Don t fit the Occa Sion said Anna i Frisco co owner of a Small leather factory in Arco Felice a suburb of Naples. People expect first ladies to Wear clothes that Are Beautiful and stylish. She dressed As if she were going to the office or for a family night out but not fora formal occasion with the presidents of eight countries. We expected while most every fashion critic in Naples had their eyes on Clinton not All were disapproving Many were impressed that the first lady would venture out wearing a simple Sarong As she took in the sights on. The Amalfi coast with her Mother and daughter. One television journalist mused that it took real style to carry off such a typically tourist look. Do americans want their first lady to be a High fashion Queen Nancy Reagan s penchant for de signer clothes might not have curried much favor with Middle class americans. Italians on the other hand look at Berlusconi s caravan Valentino or Gianfranco Ferre s dresses skirts and designer shoes As an obligation. But a sales director at Mario Valentino s design Headquarters in Naples said it is not the clothes that create a woman s style but the woman herself. Com Pany policy did not allow him to give his name. Hillary s biggest impression on italians was not her clothes but her personal style. The one time i saw her she visited Santa Chiara where she met some school children. Her dress was very Chic. More importantly her manner with the Chil Dren was genuine and warm. She has a kind of self confident elegance that goes further than the clothes she wears the first lady pays a visit to a clothing store i Paris in search of tips and Ballet clothing for daughter Chelsea. Page 6 sunday August 7, 1994
