Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1939)

Y~ \ FASHION LETTER BY GWENN WALTERS What you will wear this fall. ..Adrian-designed costumes from "The Women," described and illustrated here and in Photoplay's Fashion Section Adrian designs a black Lyons velvet suit with short flaring jacket and starched mousseline frou-frou blouse (top) for Joan Crawford to wear in M-G-M's "The Women." The high hat is of black velours For Norma Shearer, he creates a white jersey dinner gown (center) girdled and draped with Roman striped jersey Sketches by And for Rosalind Russell, a breath-taking suit of red wool with flaring skirt and brief peplum jacket that closes in a twinkle with star buttons WITH three such fashion-conscious stars as Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell all at work in one picture, "The Women," and with Adrian designing their production wardrobes, as well as forty other costumes for an eye-filling show of "Fashions of the Future," I decided that nowhere better than at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer could I glean the coming trends for fall. Adrian promptly fulfilled expectations. "For evening," he said, "look forward to great, enormous, full skirts. Watch for a continuation of the bustle. Short daytime suits will have bustles, too. Other suits will have very expensive embroideries. Hats will have height, but with a forward movement. Both the slim and flared silhouette will be popular in daytime suit and frock skirts. The detail and use of pockets will be an important note in trims. Capes like those worn by Arabs will glamorize evening costumes. The pretty feminine frilly touches of the summer season will give way to simple, sophisticated accents, frocks will rely on rich fabrics and ingenious cuts, and will become classic backgrounds for jewels and furs. "Stripes will be extremely popular for evening, particularly in metallics; taffeta of the stiffest kind will be a featured fabric. Moire will be in again for street wear. Wool and silk jerseys will be continued favorites. "Colors will be very bright — much more gay for winter than ever before! Evening colors, especially, will be very bold. Beige will be a high-style color, particularly for wear under mink, sable and Alaska sealskin furs." 00 saying, Adrian waved my attention to a model, and I was startled by three great, violet eyes staring at me and from, guess where — a fuchsia bodice atop a purple skirt of a dress to be worn by Rosalind Russell in the pictureMiss Russell poses in this colorful frock on page 51 I commented on these flirtatious eyes, and asked about their fashion significance, but Adrian side-stepped significance, and punned he was "trying only to keep an eye on fashion," as he brought out another costume — an evening ensemble — likewise accented by his "Fashion Eye" motif. This time jealous, green eyes flashed at me — one eye, embroidered in sequins, peered from the shoulder of the pencil-slim white crepe gown, two others peeked out from the lining of the matching full-length cape. For Norma Shearer, Adrian showed me a cloth-of-gold evening coat, which falls from the shoulders, like a great 15th Century cloak, and forms a slight train at the back. It has a short look at the front, and is held in at the waist with a belt which binds sides and front only. Stunning was a suit of black galyak, designed for Joan Crawford. The flaring, box jacket of galyak is fingertip-length, and has full sleeves. The galyak skirt is slightly flared, and has a wide belt of the same material, into which tucks a high-necked blouse of black silk crepe. A toque of black velvet that is almost completely hidden by Bird of Paradise feathers completes the costume. Then, swiftly before my eyes paraded all of the "Fashions of the Future" models, appearing for a final okay on the costumes Adrian designed for the great fashion show that is a high light of "The Women" production. Louis XV trousers peeked startlingly from under a great romantic coat for evening wear, that will return fashion to the brilliant aura of the court of that French king. (Continued on page 79) 70 PHOTOPLAY