With the hectic pace of Washington life, many couples in the public eye don’t devote a lot of time to their wardrobes, but both men and women have definite ideas of the image they want to project. And they have even more definite ideas on the image they want their spouse to project.
Nina Totenberg, legal affairs correspondent for National Public Radio, is concerned with dressing to project a serious image.
“I believe clothes should tell people something about you.” Totenberg turned to tailored clothes 10 years ago when she discovered that a young female reporter in Washington had to do everything within her power to be taken seriously.
She began wearing suits, “In the long run they’re cheaper.” She likes to mix and match and vary blouses.
“With four good, suits, you’re set. With four good dresses, you’re not. I look best in tailored clothes, whereas I look like I just crawled out of somebody’s West End bedroom in painted chiffon.”
A few of her dresses have been moved to the back of her closet since her marriage to ‘former Sen., Floyd Haskell, D-Colo., earlier this year.
“Low-cut dresses are grand on other people’s wives, but not on my own,” said Haskell, now counsel to Herrick and Smith law firm.
“I don’t like a lot of frilly, things. Dress shouldn’t over-power the person. If I notice somebody’s dress, there’s probably something about it I don’t like.” Haskell likes to see his wife in tailored “costumes.” “I don’t believe I notice dress in detail. I notice the effect of the total costume. I don’t like to see people who are sloppily dressed or who are too sharply dressed,” he said.
Even totenberg’s evening clothes are tailored. One of her favorites is her wedding dress, a long velvet dress with a slit and a jacket, which was made for her by Perlucci on Capitol Hill.
Totenberg prefers strong colors – orange, blue, green and black -which contrast with her fair complexion. “Pastels make me look washed,” she said. Designer labels are not important to her. She is more concerned that something looks good. She used to be a great bargain hunter, but she no longer has the time, except for an occasional jaunt to T.H. Mandy’s at lunch. She frequently shops at Perlucci or Elizabeth Arden, “where they know my likes and my pocketbook.”
But she doesn’t anticipate buying much this season. “I was appalled at the amount of money I spent on clothes last year. The clothes this year look like what I bought to go to college. I’m not going to dress like that again.”
Totenberg does plan to indulge in shoes, but “not those high spiky things, I’m on my feet running with a 40-pound tape recorder.”
Totenberg like the way her husband dresses, which she describes as “very preppy.” She especially likes his khaki Brooks Brothers suit, which looks terrific with his graying hair.” During his last Senate campaign, his campaign manager suggested that he switch from white to colored shirts and replace his penny loafers with other shoes. He tried the shirts, but held on to the loafers.
“That was going too far for politics,” she said.
Although they generally don’t consult one another on clothing, Nina selected a winter trench coat with fur lining for him for him. “It was to replace his raincoat that even Columbo would have rejected,”she said.
When Totenberg has time to relax, she wears jeans and her “I Didn’t Die at TMI” (Three Mile Island) T-shirt. Comfort is important to Haskell, too. His favorite outfit includes an old pair of white corduroy pants he wears sailing. “I could never replace them if they wear oat,” he said.
Haskell has strong views on women’s clothes but as far as men’s clothes go, almost anything is all right as long as it isn’t a necktie. He opts to abandon the tie in marginal situations. “It’s such a nonsensical idea.”
Rep. W. Henson Moore, R-La., and his wife, Carolyn, a real estate agent, each have definite tastes in fashion, Moore is more conservative than his wife. “Our tastes in rotors are night and day.” She prefers bright colors.
Her favorite outfit last summer was a white skirt and red polkadot blouse which she wore with red shoes. She selects colors, including bright greens and yellow, which complement her red hair and blue eyes. Rep. Moore prefers pastels, beiges and tweeds.
Carolyn prefers skirts and blouse’s or suits to dresses for daytime. “They’re more versatile.” She can dress up the suit if she is meeting her husband downtown in the evening.
Moore prefers his wife in tailored stilts for daytime, which he thinks look more professional, but he likes dresses for social occasions. “I don’t want her to be an equal then. I want her to be a beautiful woman.”
Carolyn describes her husband’s style in dress as conservative. “On our first date he wore a navy blazer and gray slacks. He was so well-groomed, I’ve never forgotten it.” They have been married 16 years. “He takes extremely good care of his clothes and past attention to every detail.”
Moore wore three-piece suits before the 78 degree energy-saving regulation. Now he has discarded the vest, but will probably go back to it In the winter. He has even introduced legislation to provide a tax credit for thermal underwear. He likes dark, solid or pin-striped suits, “Brown, gray or blue is dignified. and smart,” said the congressman. He prefers to have a touch of color in his tie rather than his shirt. “A variety of ties can change the look of a suit.”
Carolyn has given tip picking out shirts for him since she selected colored and striped ones a few years ago. “They went out of style and he wouldn’t throw them away.”
A good suit that it well-cut and well-tailored lasts,” said Moore. This also enables him to leave his office and go to dinner or to cocktail reception in the evening without changing clothes. “A man conservatively dressed stands out whether on the floor of Congress or in committee.” Moore feels that sport coats are improper in Congress. “If you wear a wild sport coat, you’ve shaken the faith in you. People want to feel their congressman fits a certain mold.” In assessing her husband’s wardrobe, Carolyn notices a shortage of casual “outdoorsy” clothes, but their life in the Washington “goldfish bowl” hasn’t left them much. time for relaxation.
Since. Carolyn has taken up a real estate career, she buys fewer but better quality clothes.
She tries to select classic items, that can carry her from season to season such as Evan Picone and Liz Claiborne sportswear. She then supplements her wardrobe with new accessories each year.
“Before I worked, I had a tendency to browse and to do more impulse buying,” said Carolyn, who has found that she saves time and money by avoiding last minute shopping. Instead, she plans ahead according to her needs.