The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

PAGE 20-SUPPLEMEN^ ?0 PLAINpEALER-FRI., APRIL 5, 1974 By GIGI MARION Hammer Galleries, Porthault, Design Research, The Gazebo and Tiffany's -- that's Eleanor Lambert country on 57th Street near Madison Avenue in midtown Man­ hattan. As a leading publicist of the fashion world, she has chosen to be handy to the creative arts and crafts she finds inspiring and not more than a quick cab ride away from the industrious hums of Seventh Avenue's garment center where fashion is made practicable. Born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, she studied at the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis and the Chi­ cago Art Institute before coming to New York and establishing her own public relations firm. What's it like being coordinator for numerous enter- £ rises: the annual Coty Awards for the best designers l America, the International Best Dressed list, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the twice a year press showings of designer collections to about 350 fashion editors of newspapers across the U.S. and Canada? Busy, that's .what. Her offices on the 13th floor are usually a well-organ­ ized confusion of clothes being boxed for travel or racked to make selections, latest itinerary sheets going up on any empty door pan­ el space, messengers and models standing in queues, and a center of calm around Miss Lambert sit­ ting in her spacious room of vintage beige and greeny-browns. Fashion shows Right now, the fashion presentation everyone is working on happens to be heading for Las Vegas. To­ morrow, it could be Canton -- China, not Ohio. And if everything goes the way it typically does with a Lambert Produc­ tion, the show will be a delight to the eye -- her taste is sure, interesting in theme or concept -- her touch is professional; and the rehearsals will be somewhat stormy because, with strong personalities involved, any show, char­ ity ball or bazaar will have its moments of crisis, ele­ ments of risk. For example, take the French - American - De­ signers show at Versailles outside Paris which Miss Lambert recently super­ vised. She notes diplomat­ ically that the French based their production on parade-style pomp suited to the historical setting of Marie Antoinette's Palace Theatre. SOFTER, FULLER SHAPES AND FLUID LINES Mre among Artist's rendering of styles include from left: new blouson top skirt and peplum halter top, cardigan sweater set and pants. the Spring fashion looks, shirtwaist, crystal pleated A LEADING PUBLICIST of the fashion world, Eleanor Lambert prepares for a busy daily schedule of activities. She says the overall ef­ fect was stunning. But, compared to such a drawn-out visual specta­ cle, the snappy, stream­ lined American show was an easy winner. News reports tended to concentrate on the errors rather than emphasize the fact that this was the first group show ever planned by French and American designers. She laughs now but it couldn't have been a pleas­ ure rehearsing models on a drafty, cold stage, wait­ ing endlessly in unheated changing rooms, warming up coffee on a small sterno while the fire department stood anxiously by--imag­ ine burning down Ver­ sailles! At least imminent dis­ aster turned into triumph. Grey silk and chiffon ban­ ners planned as a back­ drop looked like , so much laundry behind Liza Min- Hi is Easter, send a touch of springtime. The FTD HappyNest.™ YOUR EXTRA TOUCH FLORIST The HappyNest-a quaint rattan basket filled with lovely spring flowers or fresh green plants. The basket conj.es with matching rattan handle and chain. So it can either be set on a table or hung in a window. Either way... what nicer way to say Happy Easter? Call or visit us today. We can send your gift almost anywhere. The HappyNest bouquet $10.00 ; planted, $10.00 . $12.50 $12.50 $15.00 $15.00 508 S. RTE. 31 McHENRY FLORAL 385-0404 WE DELIVER 1 MILE SOUTH OF McHENRY "vpii'i/i 1 ' v *1 -- nelli and a fast decision to substitute black velvet draping achieved superb results. Certainly the initial friendly gesture of respect between the two designing groups was appreciated and the French nave ac­ cepted the American invi­ tation to come to the U.S. next Fall for a repeat dual show. Yves St. Laurent has apparently already devised his fashion scene which pleases Eleanor Lambert very much since she has always felt the designer's role vital to building the best public response to fashion ideas. Current picture eyed How does she evaluate the current fashion pic­ ture? She says, "the swing back to dresses, softer, fuller shapes seems to re­ flect a search for a more subtle self-expression than the 'anything goes' mood of the past few years. "Today's collections with their beautiful prints, fluid lines suggest an appeal to gentleness and serenity as antidote to the troubled day to day world." Becoming more brisk, she admits, "to cultivate and guide taste sometimes leads to over-publicizing fashion, and I've been as guilty of doing that as anybody else in the busi­ ness. But whut could be worse than a blah, under- reaction. Fashion is in the same fix as politics -- it's hard to flnd real leaders. "I do think it's impor­ tant to present the ideal, to illustrate the trends in looks and colors and yet realize that each commu­ nity will adapt what it sees to its own way of life." Miss Lambert still be­ lieves, "you are what you wear," but adds,- "aware individuals want to be creative about their envi­ ronments, their surround­ ings and I think they recognize that clothing choices require the same sort of discipline." She sums up, "fashion is really the nerve end of our times and a daily part of our lives. How sad to be bored by it. On the other hand, how silly to treat it reverentially." Clothing classics And she should know having watched clothes promoted as soft goods to sell during the early 40's and now clothes desig­ nated as museum pieces to view through glass cases. She's a bit bemused by the rush to Install de­ signers' top numbers in museum wings even though she helped the Metropolitan Museum of New York acquire the fa­ mous Lewisohn costume collection over 20 years ago. She, alone with fashion expert Tobe, and Dorothy Shaver, then President of Lord & Taylor, Initiated the popular Party-of-the- Year fund-raising event for the museum. She claims fashion pro­ motion continues to thrive because it's a solution to the "I don't know what I like until I see it" gut reaction most women have about selecting their fash­ ion image. Actually, she considers U.S. women 20 times better dressed than those in any other country in the world. "There's a far greater dif­ ference between urban cit­ ies and provincial towns in France or Italy than in the United States." Our urban sprawl lends itself to rapid fashion identification and the availability of styles in many price ranges means more women can afford to dress well. It is her basic premise that knowing the name behind the fashions we choose aids our sense of confidence in wearing them. Mission to public Her major clients are designers who respond to the public with a special flair and personal inter­ pretation of what the pub­ lic is ready for. Her mis­ sion is to demonstrate to the public just how the new fashions work. Though "seeing is be­ lieving" could be her mot­ to, "doing" is probably the more accurate word. She's a fashion life-force, part of a small coterie of wo­ men called on to serve many a committee, ad­ visory board or art council after a full business day. Maybe it's her Leo birth­ right, but Eleanor Lam­ bert relishes being at the center of things.