Photoplay (Jul-Dec 1938)

rthy Adrian, M-G-M's ace designer, photographed in his studio where he is currently designing exciting modern clothes for some top-notch stars to wear in their new productions BY GWENN WALTERS HEARING vague mutterings and mumblings around Hollywood about surprising things being done by Adrian — about beige monkey fur, pink fox, gloves as a part of sleeves, mixed Caucasian and Oriental influences— I turned my fashion footsteps in the direction of Culver City and Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios in search of that noted designer and firsthand information about his newest designs. Surrounded by what seemed to be a miscellaneous jumble, but which, in fact, were highly important sketches, Adrian greeted me with talk of much work, involved as he is now with the wardrobes for Jeanette MacDonald in "Sweethearts," Joan Crawford in "The Shining Hour" and Norma Shearer in the forthcoming "Idiot's Delight" — not to mention the wardrobe for Janet Gaynor, now at work in "Three Loves Has Nancy" and costumes for the principals in the not-so-distant "Wizard Of Oz." For eight long months Adrian has been designing for the studio's schedule of costume pictures, the most recent being those for "Marie Antoinette," so it is with keen anticipation that the fashion world awaits Adrian's expression as he once again lifts his pencil to modern design. None of us will ever forget Adrian's Letty Lynton frock for Joan Crawford which swept the nation overnight, or his pillbox hat for Garbo w iJch still remains a favorite trend. Adrian steps forth brilliantly into modernization with vast enthusiasm for amazing new fall color combinations. Bright blue and orange; LETTER green and gold; navy blue and pink in a pinstripe suit; blue and green with silver accent; beige and emerald green trimmed with enormous cream-colored buttons; brown and beige velvet highlighted with touches of Kelly green and gold — such were some of the combinations. "Sweethearts" is a Technicolor production; therefore, Adrian's designs for Jeanette MacDonald command a dual interest — that of color as well as of style. In this production Jeanette appears in modern wardrobe for the first time in several years. As there is a fashion show in the story in which Jeanette is the sole mannequin, and as she portrays a sophisticated comedy prima donna as well, the picture offers ample opportunity for fashion predominance. Adrian points out that in "Sweethearts" all Miss MacDonald's clothes will have a definite quality about them. The star escapes from the vague, fragile illusiveness associated with her in the past — her clothes take on an "accented, bold aspect." I OR instance, Adrian does a street frock of emerald-green woolen, trims it with antique gold embroidery and then adds his excitingly new idea — gloves that are a part of sleeves. Withdrawn from the gloves, the hands appear through a bracelet-length sleeve, and the gloves disappear within the sleeve itself. A Russian influence lends a mood of glamour to a pair of hostess pajamas for evenings at home. The trousers are citron shade, the threequarter length flared coat is of smoky-grey metal cloth embroidered in antique gold, turquoise, citron and emerald green. For a golf sequence, Adrian styles a two-piece costume of fawn-colored woolen with the sleeves and collar of the jerkin fashioned of henna-colored suede. The skirt is box-pleated. A brown woolen daytime coat is newswort! because of its raglan sleeves that are hand-em broidered the full length from a small roll collar with light-brown silk braid. A triangular yoke, fitted waist, four skirt panels (that release slight hemline fullness) and an inverted hemline pleat are style notes that give decided interest to the back of the coat. The hat designed for this costume is a brown felt turban, of Cossack origin, with a brown silk jersey drape that flows from the right side under the chin to frame the face, and thence disappears over the left shoulder. It is with this costume that Adrian adds his much-discussed beige monkey fur muff — enormous in size. An elaborate evening ensemble features that flattering feminine shade — dusty pink. The coat of moire (full-length with fitted bodice and flared skirt) has a matching collar of fox. This last extravagantly beautiful touch could be accomplished only in New York, so there the fur was sent, accompanied by samples of the dustypink moire to indicate the dye shade required. I The gown worn beneath this coat has a bodice sl of dusty-pink beading and a matching fan-* pleated chiffon skirt that flows from a high | waistline. NEXT, I turned the spotlight of my curiosity to Adrian's clothes for Norma Shearer in "Idiot's Delight," knowing that her role of a pseudo-Russian should be a designer's delight. But here I found Adrian evasive and mysterious. He finally admitted that he wants to keep Miss Shearer's wardrobe for this production a complete surprise, but explained that the clothes would give him a chance for very personal, individual design— an interesting opportunity to employ the unconventional. The following are the only slight hints I could obtain: there will be a feeling of the Caucasian and Oriental mixed, a more barbaric suggestion to the whole. The sleeves of the gowns will have the most unusual treatments imaginable, and will sound a completely new note. Heavy clinging jerseys will predominate for evening gowns; heavy crepes, richly embroidered in antique motifs, will see much usage. Adrian's revelation that all of Joan Crawford's clothes in "The Shining Hour" (with the possible exception of her dance frocks) will be easily adaptable to the average wardrobe is grand news to Crawford fashion fans. Furthermore, Adrian assures us that the fashion importance of Joan's clothes is such that simplicity remains the keynote, and that those of us who are needle-minded can easily reproduce the unobtrusively effective detail with which they will be embued. For those of you who are "country girls," Adrian points with pride and insistence to the clothes he has designed for Janet Gaynor to wear in "Three Loves Has Nancy" — the proof that the country girl, without expense, but with imagination and some ingenuity, can be as chic and well-groomed as her city sister. Of inexpensive fabrics, of simple design, and styled with great practicability, Janet's clothes point the way in this production, so be sure to include "Three Loves Has Nancy" on your "must" list. Before my incredulous eyes, Adrian showed those few already completed designs for "The Wizard Of Oz." Here was imagination allowed to run rampant, making real and credible those figures from the beloved childhood book that we all know. Adrian feels that the imagery embodied in these costumes may well bring in an era of complete fantasy in dress and that the ideas incorporated will have definite fashion influence in themselves. And so I left Adrian to his own particular, imaginative world in which all designers must live, just as I must now leave you to go into my world of news-gathering for next month's Letter— for in Hollywood fashion history is constantly in the making! 78 PHOTOPLAY