Discover America Scarf
In 1968 Lady Bird Johnson, wearing a white wool dress from Welch’s shop, hosted the first, and only, fashion show at the White House. Models walked a U-shaped runway in the State Dining Room against a projection of slides of popular tourist spots like the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore while the U.S. Marine Band performed. Welch’s scarf, her second design, appeared as flags held on poles by models at the beginning of the fashion show, sewn into a wide-brimmed hat, as an umbrella, and, of course, worn in a traditional manner around the neck.
Welch described the scarf to Frances Cawthon, fashion editor for the Atlanta Journal, saying, “It has a sort of poster quality. . . . You can actually see the outline of the United States, but it's free form. It also looks like mountains and lakes. And when you have it tied, it looks like a signature scarf, too.”
The White House fashion show was attended by the wives of the governors as well as prominent fashion designers. The governors’ wives received Welch’s scarves as gifts, presented in custom envelopes that also included cards with a short verse about their creation.
The fashion show was planned in just three weeks, with scarf production having even less time. A press release from The White House noted that volunteers, some recruited through a television advertisement, worked with Welch to hand paint and screen print the original scarves. Later, the governors’ wives received replacement scarves that were professionally screen printed.
Go to 11:54 in this video to see clips of the fashion show featuring Welch's Discover America scarf.