This Austrian Diplomat Resigned When the Nazis Annexed His Country. To Make Ends Meet, His Wife Turned to Dressmaking-and Captivated the American Public

"In the 1920s and '30s, when the wives of diplomats stationed in the United States were closely watched trendsetters, Gretchen Prochnik, spouse of the Austrian minister, was more watchable than most. Her fabulous gowns, furs and hats were chronicled in newspapers nationwide and photographed at official ceremonies, diplomatic receptions and bier abends (beer evenings) at the Austrian Legation. But Gretchen was much more than a fashion plate."

"The dashing young diplomat was a widower with a toddler and a German nurse in tow. "There were so few foreign envoys in that part of the country that the coming of the tall, handsome Austrian created a stir in social circles," the Miami Herald reported. "Anxious to meet and entertain him, they made their approach through his lovely little daughter, Loranda.""

Gretchen Prochnik became a prominent diplomatic wife in Washington, D.C., noted for glamorous gowns, furs and hats worn at ceremonies, receptions and bier abends at the Austrian Legation. Newspapers nationwide photographed and chronicled her wardrobe. She employed fashion as a form of soft power, balancing style with substantive representation as her family's and adopted country's fortunes shifted on the eve of World War II. Born Gretchen James in Boston in 1892, she moved to St. Paul at 14 and debuted in society in 1911. She married Austrian diplomat Edgar Prochnik in 1915, converting to Catholicism and navigating cultural differences. After Austria ceased to exist in 1938, she capitalized on public interest to build a business.

Read at Smithsonian Magazine