Bush twins dress to weather publicity
By Andrea Billups
THE WASHINGTON TIMES 

     George W. Bush's twin daughters were under wraps for most of his
presidential campaign, making only two public appearances in the hard-
fought primaries.
     Even during the Republican National Convention last summer, the
young women were seen only briefly, captured on television as they
waved proudly from the VIP stand at Philadelphia's First Union Center.
     The Bush daughters' limited visibility reportedly was their
choice, and their high-profile parents were happy to oblige.
     Now, as Inauguration Day looms Saturday, Jenna and Barbara Bush
may be preparing — even bracing — for a coming out of sorts, as four
days' worth of public ceremonies will be beamed around the world.
     Soon, many Americans will be able to tell the non-identical twins
apart as studious Barbara, the brunette, and fun-loving Jenna, the
blond, appear front and center when Dad becomes the nation's 43rd
president.
     Just as mother Laura Bush's inaugural wardrobe was eagerly
anticipated by fashion observers, the couple's youthful offspring will
make their Washington debut in style. The daughters' ensembles, created
by Texas-born and New York-based designer Lela Rose, are certain to be
scrutinized in fashion magazines, where the teens' natural good looks
make them obvious image magnets for their generation.
     "They definitely have the potential of setting trends for their
age group and also probably a little bit older," says Mrs. Rose, 31,
whose clothes have been worn before by the size-6 Bush daughters.
     "They carry themselves very well. They are very mature for 19,"
Mrs. Rose says. But they also are freshmen in college, she adds, and
like many in their age group, "still developing a sense of style."
     Expect the press to go gaga over the attractive teen-agers, who
are already quite the buzz on one popular Web site devoted to twins. No
matter how high their celebrity soars, mum no doubt will be the word
from the Bush camp, which so far has tersely declined to elaborate on
specifics of their lives.
     "You should know better than to ask me a question like that," Bush
spokesman Ari Fleischer snapped last summer when a reporter asked about
the girls' choices of colleges.
     Mr. Bush, early in his campaign, expressed his concerns about
Barbara and Jenna amid the harshness of the media glare.
     President Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, was afforded a zone of
privacy during the bulk of his two terms, which began when she was 12.
But all bets are off now that Chelsea no longer is a minor.
     The Bushes clearly have been thinking about the fact that their
daughters no longer are children but young adults.
     "One of my great hesitancies about making this race is I really
donīt want their lives to be affected by me, and I know itīs going to
be," Mr. Bush told reporters in late 1998.
     "I know what itīs like to be the son of a president," the Texas
governor said. "But I donīt know what itīs like to be the son of a
president at 18 years old. Iīm worried about that point."
     The Bushes were careful not to use their daughters for publicity
during the campaign to protect their privacy, Mrs. Bush said in a joint
television interview with her husband that aired Sunday night on NBC's
"Dateline. She said she hopes the media will steer clear, she added,
granting the Bush daughters the same courtesy afforded to Chelsea
Clinton.
     "Our girls are not public figures. They're the children of a
president," Mrs. Bush said. "There will be the hope that they'll have
the opportunity to have privacy. That's what they want, and we want
that for them."
     Having a grandfather who was president has made Jenna and Barbara
"pretty savvy," Mrs. Bush said.
     What is on record is this:
     Barbara, named after her popular grandmother, former first lady
Barbara Bush, is said to be more like her reserved mother, a former
school teacher and librarian. Barbara was voted homecoming queen and
"most likely to appear in Vogue magazine" by classmates at a public
high school in Austin, Texas. She attends her father's alma mater, Yale
University.
     Jenna, named after Laura Bush's mother, is more outgoing. Her
senior class voted her "most likely to trip at the prom." (She didn't.)
She attends the University of Texas, where her mother earned an
undergraduate degree.
     The twins don't look much like each other, and dressing them the
same for inaugural events was not a possibility, Mrs. Rose says.
     "They both want to stand out a little, to do something quirky and
fun and not be too serious," Mrs. Rose says in an interview Friday from
her studio in lower Manhattan. "They look and act very, very
differently, but their sense of style is not all that different from
one another.
     "Neither one wants to take themselves too seriously, which is a
very refreshing outlook," says the designer, a longtime Bush family
friend.
     Mrs. Rose, who once worked for designer Richard Tyler, a favorite
in Hollywood, adopted a similar attitude in the face of the publicity
onslaught surrounding her role.
     "I just don't know what to expect, but then again, I live my life
that way," she says, revealing a hint of a Texas drawl.
     For now, Mrs. Rose's company is small and her office "fun" and
"relaxed."
     Central to her designs, which she describes as "whimsical," are
her selection of lush fabrics. They signal quality, with a hefty price
tag. Available at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, her suits go for about
$1,200.
     The outfits to be worn by the Bush daughters — who are fairly tall
and slim and easy to design for, Mrs. Rose says — are "young and modern
and sophisticated."
     "What was important to both of those girls is that they don't look
like what their mother would look like . . . that [their outfits]
weren't just suits," she says.
     Barbara is set to wear a light pink leather jacket over a black-
and-white wool houndstooth sheath dress with matching coat. Jenna will
opt for something a tad trendier, stepping out in matching skirt and
coat of camel and ivory checks, with a mossy-green cashmere sweater
featuring yellow and orange polka dots.
     Footwear for both is sexy, chic and — like the designer clothing —
out of the price range of most teens.
     Mrs. Rose chose chic, all-the-rage Jimmy Choo pumps and slingbacks
in snakeskin. One pair is a light camel-cashmere shade; the other is
black.
     "We kind of thought Jimmy Choo would be not so what-you-would-
think," she says. "They are very classic with a twist."
     Cameras and the style posse should watch closely, particularly if
the new president and family step out of their limousine to hoof it
along the parade route Saturday.
     "They are a little bit high," Mrs. Bush says of the Bush girls'
shoes, notorious for their slinky, stiletto appeal. "I hope they are
not going to walk too far in the parade."