Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1919 - Feb 1920)

32 The Glory of "Every woman" "ii one of them — it looked like nothing but a flock of ribbons— but she politely relieved my consternation by insisting that the costume hadn't fitted anyway, and would have to be made over, so I hadn't damaged it at all. However, I'd no sooner recovered from one shock than I got another; for, just as I was reflecting that Miss Heming looked just about as satisfactory as any one could, she upset my illusion. "This warm weather is wonderful to reduce in, isn't it ?" she commented. "But il doesn't do me a bit of good, because I'm too busy to take advantage of it." "But why on earth " I gasped weekly, "Why, you look "Evervwoman" herself is a real British beautv. girls dressed in costumes of the Far East. And the guests in this scene wear evening gowns which would win them a place in any fashion show As for the costumes : "Orchid satin, silver net and tulle;" ^'Yellow velvet and roses, gold cloth and black paradise feathers ;" "Mulberry chiffon, silver cloth and dyed peacock feathers." These are some of the notes I took as I strolled through the wardrobe room, where everybody was rushing about frantically in one last spasm before a batch of costumes was sent out. From all the glory of the bazaar scene I went to the coolest spot on the Lasky lot — a little studio dressing room, hung with white cretonne and furnished with white wicker, and talked to Violet Heming, who looked as white and cool as a calla lily, with her golden hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. And I didn't blame the powers that be for holding up the production till she could be its heroine. She was appearing in New York in "Three" Faces East," a play which had run on Broadway all season, and was so successful that it bid fair to run on forever. But finally it stopped for breath, and Miss Heming dashed out to the coast and began on the big picture, which was big enough to startle even her, calm Britisher though she is. "You're welcome if you're not afraid of a costume epidemic," she told me, waving a slim hand at the maids and dressmakers who were filling all the available space. Well, I was accustomed to that ; you couldn't step foot on the Lasky lot without being submerged in costumes and talk of costumes. Everybody, from the lowliest extra up, wanted to tell you what she was going to wear. Of course Miss Heming's costumes weren't so exotic as some of the others, but they had been especially designed to bring out her beauty. I inadvertently sat Fine feathers and green satin make "The Peacock.'' "I'm seven pounds overweight," was her crisp reply. "But when I go walking out in the Hollywood hills, along about twilight, just as sure as fate a kindly motorist comes along and offers me a lift. And when I shout above the grinding of his brakes, 'No, my car hasn't broken down — I'm just walking because I want to — yes. I want to walk !' my benefactor looks at me wondering how I got away from my keeper !" "You're a typical Englishwoman, if you love to walk," I remarked, reflecting to myself that I didn't blame any motorist for giving her a lift. "But I'm almost an American, I suppose. 1 came over here when I was four," she answered, "and ever since I've been grown-up" — she's all of five feet two— "I've spent much of my time on the American stage. And I've always been con. cerned about my size, ever since I played in 'Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'," she wem on. "I was creating the role of Rebecca, and before we put the play on in New York, we tried it out for ten weeks on the road. Edith Storey was in it, too, and we were both nice, petite little youngsters when we started off on tour — looked our parts perfectly. I remember the manager shouted 'Good-by, kids as "The Fuchsia" is a delightful concoction of purple and lavender. the train pulled out — and shouted something very different when another pulled in to New York again some weeks later with us on board. "You see, we'd grown — grown lots, in both directions. We'd had a This extra belonged to French historv, with her beautiful time, and were pink taffeta cosperfectly happy about tame. III^MM II III