Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1938)

BY GWENN WALTERS I'M going to start right off with my best wishes for the happiest New Year you've ever had, and also for a very fashionable one! The New Year is so chuck full of new promise, new plans and resolutions that one just can't rush out to greet it without dressing up for the occasion, but, if you've given your wardrobe as little thought as I have during the holiday rush, I'm sure you're scrambling now to pep it up with a last minute freshening. New accessories add zest to tired costumes — a chic hat with a flower on it and, of course, a veil (for that feminine and alluring note is one that must surely not be omitted) , plus striking costume jewelry, novel gloves, bags and shoes. I chanced on Dolores Del Rio the other day shopping for a hat to add gaiety to a black woolen ensemble. She finally decided on a black felt toque piled high with pink carnations (that new dusty shade) , and she also selected a pair of matching pink gloves to duplicate the color theme in her costume. At the same time, Carole Lombard was ensembling a toque of violets with matching veil and violet gloves to wear with a brown dressmaker suit. Lunching at the Brown Derby last week I was fascinated by Joan Crawford's massive multi-strand necklace and bracelet of coral beads as a contrast to an all-black outfit — a marvelous background for this fashionable trend of trims. On your shopping tours for your wardrobe accessory pick-ups you'll probably run across some of the new print frocks and if you follow Hollywood's dictates you'll not resist a purchase. Ginger Rogers has one of silk jersey (that luscious fabric is steadily increasing in importance because it drapes and moulds to the body so beautifully) . The background of Ginger's frock is brown, against which colorful little Chinese dolls prance and dance. These spirited frocks make cheery contrast as they peek from beneath heavy winter coats. favorite for evening, and the tubular silhouette will be seen in sports clothes as well as in those for daytime. Green, navy, beige and gray will be leaders on the spring color card. Only a tracery of the glitter of winter fashion will be seen, and then only on rare occasion. Banton has created some stunning clothes for Claudette Colbert to wear in "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife" and I must tell you about a few of them. A beltless street frock of sheer green woolen, devoid of contrast trim, has a simple b PEAKING of brand-new clothes, Travis Banton's forecast of coming trends will surely interest you. In his opinion, 1938 fashions will be the most feminine since the gay 90's. Frocks will continue to be short, but coats will fall slightly below their hemlines. Sheer fabrics will gain greater importance and lingerie touches will be worked into the body of frocks as well as in feminine trims. The fullskirted, diaphanous picture gown will be a A softly draped cowl outlines the back of Shirley Ross" white chiffon evening gown which is contrasted by choker collar and belt of gold mesh magnificence. The slim skirt, fifteen inches from the floor, with three-inch side slits, extends high up under the bust where it attaches to the blouse (with slight shirrings under the bust) which is neatly tailored with long, tight sleeves and a U-decolletage outlined by a two-inch, draped band of the dress fabric. Claudette fell so in love with this frock she had Banton make a duplicate in black for her personal wardrobe, to wear under her leopard coat. Banton uses this same tubular silhouette in a suit of Kasha. The finger-tip length coat, over a pencil-slim skirt, is banded at the hemline with beige fox which narrows slightly as it continues up the right front panel to meet a matching fur panel continuation of the collar at the waistline. The left side of the fur collar swings surprisingly away from the neckline to attach to the sleeve at the front midarm. Claudette has two charming frocks which will be heavenly for spring dancing (and grand right now, if you're lucky enough to be able to afford a midwinter vacation at a sunshine resort) . One, for tea dancing, is of white organza printed with black dots the size of a quarter in clusters to resemble bunches of grapes. It has a full skirt shirred to a snugly fitted bodice which has short sleeves edged with self-fabric ruffles to match the trim of the round, high neckline. The other, an evening gown, is styled of black tulle and its simplicity is both challenging and alluring. Over a low-cut black crepe slip Banton places a snug bodice with round, high neckline which joins a very full shirred skirt that sparkles with silver paillettes the size of a dollar, and, as an added note of romance, he adds enormous tulle shoulder bows that reach to the top of Claudette's head. Both of the gowns have four-inch self-fabric crush girdles. Mention of glamorous evening gowns reminds me that I have a little story to tell you about the origin of the gown Shirley Ross is wearing on this page. Director Mitchell Leisen of the "Big Broadcast of 1938" is a firm believer that "women should dress to please men" (not a bad idea) , so he took time out to design Shirley's gown in a manner that would please all mankind. The front of the blouse, softly draped, is held by the flat choker collar of gold. You see, Director Leisen feels that the less revealing a gown, the more alluring, which gives us all something to think about, as I'm sure we've been selecting our gowns on the reverse theory. Somehow Director Leisen's remark that women should dress to please men made me stop and think. That theory might work wonders in keeping our beaux or husbands (and heaven knows, as they are hard enough to get and keep, we ought to try and please their whims) . So why not make a list of all the things you've heard men ridicule — crazy hats, skirts that are unbecomingly short, open shoes, sensationally extreme silhouettes, red, red nails and lips — and omit these trends this coming year! NOW, last but not least, I will tell you about a grand dressmaker suit Constance Bennett will wear in her new picture, "Merrily We Live." The skirt, narrow with side slits, and waistlength jacket that zips up the front to a collarless neckline are of black sheer woolen. The blouse, which attaches to the skirt, is of matching woolen in dusty pink. It has short sleeves tied with two-tone pink tabs (one matching the blouse color and one a deep rose) . This dual tone motif is repeated in the crush collar that extends over the jacket. The frock is belted in dusty pink suede. 59