Modern Screen (Dec 1934 - Nov 1935)

belt is dark brown leather — the same shade of brown as the fitted woolen coat. Just to make it more closely united, the coat lining is of the dress material, and that dashing Cossack hat combines the two and has a bit of the leopard trimming for good measure. Gloria may be tiny but she's not the soft-bows-and-dimity type by any means. Take that Cambodian cocktail suit, for instance. Who but Gloria would have thought of incorporating the feeling of French Indo-China in a cocktail suit? And with such devastatingly lovely results? Black velvet creates the hat with its solitary rhinestone clip on top and the form fitting skirt. The blouse of black taffeta is threaded with white and gold stripes. And, my dears, there is a muff to match — with a zipper arrangement which opens to reveal a purse and vanity ! Exotic? Of course it is. But so is Gloria — as exotic as the moon. That's what makes her so bewitching. "Probably it's a sign of a distorted ego," she mused, "but even as a child I never wanted to copy anything someone else had on. I always wanted to be original. I remember a little friend of mine wearing a pink silk dress to a party. I could have jumped for joy because my mother had dressed me in simple white linen with a touch of real Irish lace. Even to this day my pet hate is to see a child all dressed up in silks and taffetas. They're out of place on children. "I've always had a peculiar feeling about clothes — as if once having worn them, they take on a part of me. Why, in the days with DeMille when I saw an extra wearing something I had used in a previous picture, I could hardly refrain from snatching it off her !" A true individualist, this fascinating Swanson. And if you've been thinking yourself a step-child of Fortune because you belong to no set type, perish the thought. Take a cue from her. That smart distinction of hers is due to no sleight-ofhand performance you may be sure. It's a matter of simple mathematics — addition and subtraction. You add up your good points and dress 'em up. And you do your best to subtract your bad points and dress 'em down. For instance, Gloria says frankly that her legs are too thin, her neck too short, and the bane of her life is having exceptionally wide shoulders for her height ! But she dresses so cleverly that you and I and the rest of the world would never suspect it. That, my dears, is art in dressing. And here are Gloria's guiding rules : 1. Beautiful material, in her opinion, is most important. Material that has a unique, luscious look. Do you know what one of her newest evening gowns is made of? A soft taupe fur cloth. It's really clipped chiffon that looks very fur-ish. And the magic of it is, it's as soft as a triple sheer. The square neck is in keeping with the straight lines of the dress. And it has a wide satin belt of chartreuse. The cape that goes with it is lined in the chartreuse and is trimmed with blue fox that can be worn two ways — up as a collar or down as a scrumptious new capeedging. Then she has a dinner gown of lace which is very flattering. It's a "spongy" black lace that molds itself to the figure beautifully. The scarf and sash that complete it are as multi-colored as a rainbow. There's a lamb of a suit, too. And that expression is not merely one of appreciation. The suit really is made entirely of baby lamb — galyak. The period jacket has dolman sleeves and the skirt, if you please, is slashed in four places at the hem. The little trick of a hat is made of gray felt to match the suit, with a band of galyak, and the stiff veiling may be worn up as a halo or down over the face. So, if you would dress with distinction in the Swanson style, first select the loveliest, most-out-of-the-ordinary material you can find. 2. Know your lines. And there's more to this than knowing how to wear long narrow lines to make you look slim and tall ; breaking your lines and rounding them to make you look short. The worst offense is exaggeration The overtight skirt that say, "Look, what big hips." And there's the matter of sleeves. Don't miss that big clothes chance ! They can strike the whole note of a costume. Notice what those wide, draped sleeves do for Gloria's formal dress of silver tissue and flame chenille ! The gown itself is molded, backless and has a full-length train. The silver tissue is allowed to "star" by itself without being handicapped by a single ornament. And the coat, it's one of those fitted masterpieces with a heavenly collar and super-grand sleeves of the flame chenille striped with silver. A heavy flame taffeta lining is particularly interesting. The result is the most dazzling silhouette imaginable. 3. Remember the importance of the correct color. It's color's job to make your eyes look bright, your hair shinier and your skin clearer. "For example," Gloria points out, "I love green. I'm mad about it — on other people. But somehow it does nothing at all for me so I never wear it. I think the easiest way to make a costume feel and look fresher is to wear a new hat, bag and gloves with it. Or to change them about. But one thing I object to strenuously is an 'off-color.' Like a reddishbrown hat with a gray-brown suit. 4. Do not wear cheap furs. That is, the dyed-cat variety. A few good skins cost little and do much. Gloria goes on about jewelry. "It's odd, maybe it has something to do with my features being the definite kind, but I cannot wear 'dainty' jewelry. It's absolutely lost on me. I have to have something that's self-assertive, a striking pattern. In Paris I found a little shop where they had the most distinctive designs in the world. That's where I got my crystal bracelets . . ." Works of art, those bracelets. They combine diamonds with the crystals and they hint of a Slavic pattern. She uses them with her tunic evening dress of tigheera velvet in a glorious honey shade brushed with gold. It introduces an Empire waistline with a molded skirt and a half-length train. There's a diamond and emerald clip on the low-cut bodice and the halter neck leaves the back divinely free. Gloria also wears those bracelets with a very formal gown of silver cloth. The front is looped very much like the back and inserted pieces flare out to form the train. Only one "period" gown has Gloria indulged in, but it's the kind to make gentlemen fight duels over a girl. It's quite the loveliest thing these eyes have seen in a decade. Very fitted black velvet that starts flaring at the knees, with a three-quarter-length train and a dropped-shoulder neck that holds up due to ingeniously placed stays. A trimming of tea rose satin finishes the neck and flowers of the same material are tucked in the front. The bottom of the skirt which is split in four places, is lined with tiny box pleating of the satin picoted in silver. The scintillating Swanson has chosen black velvet also for her cocktail suit. Again the skirt is molded. Again it's slashed to just above the ankle and this time there is merely a suggestion of a train. But the thrill is, it's lined with silver lame right up to the knees. The jacket is pinched-back and double-breasted. And it has the swankiest ball buttons of rhinestone this side of Paris, as well as revers, a rolled-up collar and a muff of ermine. The hat? A black velvet modification of the beret generously dripping aigrettes in Merry-Widow fashion. Gloria dotes on hats. You recall the old saying, a woman is just as smart as her hat? The Swanson headgear is the last word, and invariably her hat sets the keynote to her costume. "I expect women will wear hats with long formal frocks more than they ever have. There's something about them that finishes a costume so beautifully," she explains. "To try them on you should always stand up. A hat may be overpowering or not well balanced with your dress but you won't be able to tell that sitting down. "Curves? Why, natural curves have been 'in' since Eve but we'll never go back to the extravagant kind that grandmother knew. I like the waistline just where it is. I swear I'm going to murder the first designer who tries to lower it. There was never, never any grace to a hip-length waist and a knee-length skirt. And a graceful line is the answer to a successful frock! What's Wrong with the Man? If he appeared in a role with Constance Bennett or Jean Harlow, the press was in an uproar wondering how Jean would take his love scenes. Those favoring a more thoughtful angle took up the problem: has love hindered Franchot's career? The Winchell-columnists wanted to know if Joan and Tone would be married. Whether it was his fault or theirs, the press has definitely refused Franchot Tone a personality of his own. Now that twenty-four hours have elapsed (Continued from page 35) since our meeting I suppose it would be more colorful to say that Franchot has been libeled by the press : that he is a definite and individual person and that you are reading the truth about him here for the first time on record. As much as I came to like him before our three-hour session was over ; as much interest as I felt when I perceived his "curious case," it must be stated that Tone has not the average actor's quickly ingratiating manner. In fact, Franchot's initial impres sion is one that is more familiar on the college campus than a movie lot. He is distinctly "upper classman." The Tone charm is as obvious to the eye as it is to the camera. Though he is not at all like those superior young plutocrats with their penthouse swimming pools whom he consistently portrays in Crawford and Harlow movies, he is very much like those young men would be if they were real and not the phoney thing. He is taller than you might suspect and wears his 76