Schiaparelli Opposes Long Jackets for Women; Says Men's Clothes Should be Much Less Drab

Women's adoption of the long, unfitted jacket as part of their so-called "style wardrobe" is a usurpation of the traditional privilege of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton men to wear their coats half-way down to their knees, Elsa Schiaparelli, the world's most famous fashion designer, admitted yesterday.

"Besides, they're so shapeless that they make girls look like men," she exclaimed, "and women will find out soon that men don't like them that way."

Men Too Drab

Admitting that she had never done any work on men's clothes whatsoever, she went on to explain what she would do if she could design their clothes for them. "You're all so utilitarian," she complained, looking disgustedly at the clothes of the men in the room. "For instance, you pick your materials for the reason that they won't show dirt! What you should do is to try to be less drab."

Famous for her bizarre creations in the way of hats and gowns, Mme. Schiaparelli nominated for her favorite men's attire plain, old, dependable tweeds. "But not the lifeless ones," she cautioned, "and a good bright tie makes one feel so good, no?"

In Boston with her latest "creations" which she is showing on a nation-wide tour, Mme. Schisparelli told of her flight from Paris two days before the Germans entered it and her subsequent departure from her next headquarters, Biarritz, and from France.

She would make no prediction as to how long it would be before Paris was again the world's fashion headquarters. "If I could do that I could predict how long the war would last," she said. "However, I do think it will be a long time before New York can be the style center of the world."

All her clothes this fall are simple, she explained, and she has not even used any "new" colors, such as the Schiaparelli Red which was her triumph of last fall.

When it comes to millinery, Mme. Schiaparelli expressed herself as in favor of simplicity and especially fond of fur chapeaux. "I have always disliked all these veils and things," she admitted with a smile, "sometimes I do indulge in complicated hats, but it's just to give fashion editors something to talk about."