Trigere. The legendary fashion designer reflects on her past and its impact on elegance today

By Veronique Vienne

SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS

In fact, traditional clothing is now usually reserved for special occasions, like being part of a wedding party, or New Year's, or a 60th year birthday party. Still, in the street or on the subway, you can see people wearing tradi­tional clothing almost everyday, especially older people, who tend to wear hanboks more often.

Hanbok: Korean Tradtional Dress

The most accessible form of Korean art can be seen on the street and nowadays even on Paris runways. The traditional Korean dress, called hanboks, are custom-made of various materials and colors according to the age of the wearer and the occa­sion. Young girls wear bright red skirts (chima) and yellow jack­ets (chogori) with striped multi­colored sleeves but wear red skirts and green jackets after they get married. Older women choose from a wide variety of bright colors and patterns in fab­ric. Special, more ornate hanboks are worn for special ceremo­nies. For both men and women, hanboks are made of silk bro­cade or satin for winter, and lighter silks for warmer seasons. For summer, hand-woven ramie cloth is often used, and made into stiffly starched, gauzy outfits.

Under the influence of fash­ions from Tang China, Korean noblemen wore big trousers and betted jackets, and noblewomen, long skirt-trousers and hip-length jackets towards the end of the Three Kingdoms period. Later, under Mongol influence, the women's jacket was shortened and the skirt worn high up on the waist. Then, towards the 15th century, the skirt was raised again to be tied high up, just under the arms, and the jacket was shortened: pretty much as women's hanbok. is worn today.

The curved sleeves, the narrow white collar, and the one-sided bow of the woman's hanbok are the three points on which the beauty of a hanbok is judged.

The outfit is not complete without accessories. Aristocrat women of the Choson period often spent hundreds of hours embroidering long, heavily ornamented hair ribbons, silk pockets or purses (bokjumoni) for men and women, and norigae. Norigae are pendants fastened under the bow of the jacket, that have an ornament, like a jade carving or a small silver knife, with a loop on top and a long silk tassel.

Men's accessories consist mostly of a stiff horsehair hat (kaf), which were worn pretty much from the Shilla period until early this century, and a long silk cord tied around the chest. But, these days, those accessories are hardly ever worn by men, except on ceremonial occasions.

Pauline Trigere will tell you all about growing up in Paris, the daughter of a tailor and a seamstress; coming to America in 1937 and starting (with her brother Robert) her own label in 1942; receiving all those Cotys (in­cluding the Coty Hall of Fame award in 1959); dressing the Duchess of Windsor; her passion for collecting decorative turtles; becoming famous for her smart coats and capes; doing yoga or other exercises every day; surviving a divorce and keep­ing a Latin lover. "But forget all that," she says emphatically. The real story is the sum of all those parts: the sweep of Tri­gere's nearly sixty-year career as a self-made fashion innovator.

With the likes of Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Geoffrey Beene and Carolina Herrera, she is hailed as one of the great American fashion designers. "Me, a designer?" she exclaims in her strong, authoritative voice. "I never knew what the word meant. I had to make a living, raise my two boys, take care of my mother." In 1941, to support herself and her fam­ily, she briefly took a job for $65 a week with the fashion entrepreneur Hattie Carnegie, known for her exclusive 49th Street store in Manhattan. "Eventually, she gave me a big raise, and I made $75 a week!"

A formidable taskmaster and tastemaker, Trigere, at 91, is as sharp and spunky as ever. Today, her gowns are collectibles, even among a handful of young celebrities: witness Winona Ryder in the 1947 Trigere she wore to this year's Academy Awards. But despite the designer's impact on fashion, it's the perfume she introduced in the mid-'70s—Liquid Chic— that she considers one of her major accomplishments: "To this day, women stop me on the street or in elevators and ask me, 'What's that wonderful scent you're wearing?'"

Trigere will charm you over a gin-martini lunch with her French-accented small talk. But when it comes to discussing matters of style, her English pronunciations become flawless. To express her thoughts, she cuts through extraneous memories the way she used to cut free­hand her celebrated creations. "Designers today have such low self-esteem," she con­tends, noting that celebrities can now borrow—rather than purchase—virtually any gown they want. "I don't approve of that," she adds peremptorily. But then, with a mischievous smile, she ges­tures as if to throw it all away.

Although she's no longer in business, Trigere remains a fashion presence, making frequent guest appearances, teaching the occasional class and keeping a busy social schedule. Her vintage evening gowns and cocktail dresses are still worn at parties, wed­dings and charity events by women who haven't forgotten how to make an entrance. In a recent interview, the couturier talked about fashion, style, elegance, how to make an entrance—and the importance of the three-way mirror.

TOWN & COUNTRY: How would you describe your signature look—your style?

PAULINE TRIGERE: I never tried to impose my style or my ideas on clients. On the contrary, I met the American woman where she lived. At fashion shows and trunk shows I would be introduced to Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. So-and-So. And sometimes the salespeople would say: "Don't bother with her, Mrs. Trigere, she's not your kind of client." "That's nonsense," I would reply. I knew that every woman had to have at least one garment so perfect that she'd want to wear it one year, two years, five years later. So I tried to figure out what that one garment would be for that particu­lar woman—whether or not she was "my kind of client."

T & C: You mention the enduring qualities of a garment, but what happens when fashion changes?

PT: Everyone always wants me to talk about fashion. Fashion is here today, gone tomorrow. Being elegant has nothing to do with fashion. But style—now that's a different thing altogeth­er. Style is tough to acquire and takes a concerted effort, but I am convinced it can be done. It's like everything else in life: you learn with practice. You don't come across style by chance.

T&C: How, then?

PT: If you are persistent and trust what you see in the mirror, you can learn to be elegant. But it's not easy, I have to warn you. Start by being observant. Let's say you went to a party and had a great time. You felt fabulous for some reason—maybe you met the man of your life, or whatever. Go back home and study what you wore that night. Make a note of it. And wear it again. If you had a great time wearing red, don't wear green the next time! If you wore ruffles, try wearing ruffles again. Educate yourself by learning how clothes make you feel.

That's how I learned. Whenever I was draping clothes on one of my young models, I would glance up at the mirror from rime to rime to check on how she felt. If she looked bored, I knew I was going in the wrong direction—my clotheswere gloomy. If she looked pleased with herself, I knew I was doing the right thing. I had these bifocal eyeglasses: with the bottom part I'd check the clothes, and with the top part I'd look at the girl. I don't think that any of my models ever knew how much I learned from their facial expressions.

I believe that my clothes were elegant because they made women feel confident. In a Trigere, you could meet the king of Prussia or you could go to a parent—teacher conference or a business meeting.

T&C: Did women in the past have to go through a period of trial and error before finding their style?

PT: No! Elegant women had help back then. When you went to buy clothes, the salesgirl knew you. Not only that, she knew your mother, your father, your sister. She knew if you were married to a rich man or if you were working. In other words, she knew what you could wear—and what you couldn't. She would show you clothes appropriate to your specific lifestyle.

Uniformity is one of the main rea­sons elegance is no longer what it used to be. Garments today are not appropriate to the specific lives of the people who wear them. Imagine, when I traveled all over America, women would say to me, "I love what you gave me last year. Give me some­thing that goes with it for next spring." I did the thinking for them. Little by little, I helped them form their style and build their wardrobe.

T&C: Any advice you gave your clients back then that you would like to give to women today?

PT: First, don't wear garments that are too small. Look into your mirror— your three-way mirror. If your pants are too tight, please don't wear them! And while you're at it, get rid of extra accessories. Women tend to wear too much of everything. Too much jewelry, too much hair, too much makeup. I'm a believer in taking a second look in the mirror just before leaving the house and removing some­thing. Do it each time. Whatever is gone won't be missed!

The one thing an elegant woman needs day or evening, winter or summer, is a pretty scarf. One of my very first retail­ers, Becky Blum of Chicago, used to tell me: "Pauline, don't make scarfs—American women don't know how to wear them." "Mrs. Blum," I answered, "I'll teach American women to wear scarfs." And I did! Of course, Frenchwomen learned to wear scarfs originally to hide the poor quality of their clothes.

T&C: What's another must-have?

PT: Another item you need is a terrific raincoat. I always ad­vised my clients to have at least one light coat to wear over an evening dress or on trips, to deal with the unpredictable weather. The other day I wore one of my coats—a black-and-white polka-dot number, very chic. Everyone asked: "Where did you get it?" And I answered: "From my closet!"

Also, try to collect clothes in colors that are practical. For me it's black and red. You know my saying: "If you feel blue, wear red." And because there's a limit to how much closet space one has, it's best to stick to a few colors that go together. Who has time to try to match outfits with colors that clash?

My recommendation for women today is to go to the same store over and over to create a relationship with one of the salesgirls. If she knows you, she will tell you, "Mrs. Jones, I don't think that you should buy this outfit."

Last but not least, make sure your clothes have shoulder pads, so your garments stay in shape while hanging in the closet. You want to be able to keep your clothes in good condition for a long time. Building a wardrobe is like collecting paintings. Your choices should be careful and person­al and should reflect your taste not just for a season but for years to come.

T&C: Have our priorities changed? Are women today as concerned with looking elegant as they are with looking young?

PT: Trying to look young is wrong. Is it something about the age of retire­ment coming too early? In your mid-sixties, when you are considered old, you are full of energy and ideas. Six­ty-five? My God, I was doing my best work at that age. In the past, young women wanted to look ma­ture and grown up. Today, mothers want to look like their daughters.

T&C: If it's true that we're obsessed with youth, what might you replace that obsession with? Charm, perhaps?

PT: I don't think so. Charm is an acci­dent. It’s innate. I never thought of my clothes as being charming. Or myself asbeing charming, for that matter! [Laughs.] When I'm mad, I'm not charming, believe me. The word you are looking for is probably femininity.I don't think that my clothes were charming—but they were feminine.

Recently, as I was leaving a party, a friend said to me, "Do you realize that you seduced everyone tonight?" I was­n't aware that I had done anything spe­cial, but I guess I was a hit. Thinking about it, I realized that the reason for my success was that, unlike most women in the room that night, I was­n't stiff. Maybe to be feminine you have to be flexible, bend a bit—even if you don't like the person you're with. Maybe that's what you call charm?

T&C: Maybe the word I want is chic.

PT: Chic for me is a very urban concept. A woman in the city is chic, while a woman in a pair of slacks and a sweater can be elegant—but you wouldn't say that she is chic. Chic is fast. Chic is energy. Chic is groomed. Chic is doing all the things you have to do while wearing your lipstick. In other words, chic is never doing anything by chance.

T&C: What do you think is the key to being elegant at any age?

PT: Elegance is confidence. And if you are truly confident, you don't need to talk about yourself all the time. You lis­ten to others. Learning to listen is an acquired habit, just like learning to have style. If you go out with someone you don't know, for instance, listen— you will always look confident and find a way to make the situation work for you. I always listen—of course now, I don't always remember what I hear! [Laughs.] But you are young, so listen and learn something. Listen to your mirror, too. Style is knowing yourself. So either go to a psychoanalyze—or look carefully into your three-way mirror.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-24