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EWS-STAR, Monday, March 1, 1965—1-BHow To BeFashionableWithout ChangeBv FLORENCE l)E SANTISBy its nature, fashion designing is an art of change, and most designers run hard to keep from hearing the dreaded verdict, “nothing new.”But Elizabeth Phelps, tall, slender, calmly smiling, is a designer who specializes in not changing. The country clothes she began designing shortly after World War If have always been so well done that she hasn’t needed to change anything but a detail here or there.“When my late husband and f moved to rural Pennsylvania T found that there were no clothes for me to wear except blue jeans, and those my husband hated to see on a woman.” She and Mr. Phelps were already well-known designers in the leather field, with Coty and Neiman-Marcus Awards to their credit. One day Mrs. Phelps took an oversized scrap of turquoise sailcloth, fashioned it into a short, flared apron, and wore it over the jeans. She didn't know it, but she was beginning a new design career.By 1954 and another move, this time to Ashville, N.C., her design label of Deep Country «IC 1 o t h e s had been bom. Her ideas now included the use of sturdy gripper snap fasteners instead of buttons, a new cut for slim slacks, wrap - around skirts, reversible hooded wraps, and long evening skirts.In 10 years she hasn’t found it necessary to alter these basicideas.“After a while I found that the skirt over pants could become a tunic with a flared bottom, and so it was all in one,” said Mrs. Phelps. She seemed quite unaware that suddenly all the sportswear designers have discovered that pants look best with tunics over them.“I have made the pants slimmer in the past few years,” she added, trying to think of something which has needed changing. “When I started doing slacks the conception of slim-itaa.hELIZABETH PHELPS IS first to wear her own deecountry designs, in this photo taken in her Nort Carolina home, where she wears her tailored blouj with grip snap fasteners instead of buttons.ness wasn't as narrow as it istoday.”She also stopped making leather clothes, with which she had naturally first started.t-lyp-?ds.t*s.a,it-iynSmooth leathers scuffed and suedes were ruined by briars in the kind of real country Mrs. Phelps is thinking about when she designs.“I think colors have chang Ten years ago one thought country clothes in olive, rt with perhaps a plaid for a bri touch. Now I’m using combi tions such as olive and bri pink for my water-repellent versibles.”Large selection nemerchandise irentBLUE LUSTRECarpet ShampoosElectric lt;1HAMP00ER1spring QStockkv lore!dshower gifts gcwithfamous BLUC LUSTREMARY CARTER PAINT30? Washington FA 1-fSUOpen 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM; Nanny's ShoTr32S-WGam cypressHogan's Shopping CtvittrWtsf Monro#
Newspaper Details
Monroe News Star
Monroe, Louisiana, US
Mon, Mar 01, 1965
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Daniel M.
GB 09 Jun 2022
Other Publications Near Monroe, Louisiana
The Ouachita Telegraph
The Register
The Daily Telegraph
Monroe News Star
Monroe Morning World
