I learned very quickly. After all, I was immersed in the field from morning until night-and most of the nights too. Clair asked me to take several courses, as I told you, and I kept this up for several years. Before too long, I was contributing a good share of the ideas. And Clair was teaching me. After all, she was a master of the art.

But that wasn't all she was teaching me. It-it's very hard to ex- plain just how it all came about. There'd been several things leading up to it which are unimportant, but the main thing was it was some- thing Clair decided and I—well, I suppose I was never unwilling. I had come to learn to accept her judgment-unquestioningly.

As I told you before, the majority of her clients were women, be- cause she designed that sort of thing-never offices and such. One day -this was about year and a half ago, she made a remark to me about something in the way I was dressing. As you know, I was never what you'd call a sharp dresser in college-money as usual. Well, apparently my taste in clothing wasn't too good, because she made several hints and finally told me I was dressing wrong for the job. I needed individ- uality. When I asked her to spell out what she meant for I had learned to guess her moods and it was obvious she wanted me to do something -she told me that with the nature of our clients, I would be well ad- vised to dress - well flamboyantly. “After all," she told me, “You're trying to sell great livid colors and dramatic ideas but you're dressed like a funeral director." Which was probably true.

So, after a little discussion, I began to exercise some individuality. More or less, for much of it was Clair's idea. I suppose you might call the style of clothes I began wearing "gay" but I eased gradually into it, and to my surprise, the clients seemed wild about it. Every week Clair came up with a new idea. I began wearing sweaters and very slim pants with a collarless coat-something like the Teddy Boys were wearing in England. I let my hair grow out, instead of a crew-cut. A lot of the ideas we had been developing with our Victorian revival Clair suggested I borrow-the costumes from the nineties and so on. Then too, when Clair's hairdresser came to the studio to do Clair's hair— well, I suppose it was natural that Clair suggested he help me keep mine from becoming too unruly. I remember she commented one night that I looked like Lord Douglas (the younger what with my ruffled shirt and velvet coat. Perhaps I did.

At any rate, I soon became the most avant of the avant-garde group. In fact, I soon began designing some of them. Maybe you have no-

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