The sun. [volume], November 10, 1912, FOURTH SECTION MAGAZINE, Page 12, Image 44

About The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916

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12
THE 1 SUN, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1912.
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WHILi; tlit stage Is supioscd
to bo tilt) proper nnd accepted
plnco for delusions nnd shams
there lt nl least one tiling
out It In modern plays that in very real
id thnt ix the costumes the women
nr. No longer can cotton masquerade
croon as silk nnd plush us fur. No
deed. Tho dresses nowadays must lie
' tho moot coolly material nnd not only
ndo in the Intent fashion hut of tho
ishlon of to-morrow.
Every season tho public demand more
nd more In tho wuy of elnbornte eos
lmes. A largo percentage of women
o to tho theatre iih much to nee tho hand
omo dresses tho actresses wenr uh to on
oy the piny Itself. And iih women are un
.uestlonubly tlie mainstay of tho theatre
he (shrewd managers study to please
hem. Hence tho beautiful exhibition
f gowns thnt oncli now production
fiords.
Dressmakers concede that It In tho stage
nd not tlie society bnllroom that sots
'10 fashions. Quito tho reverse in fact,
.3 in tho fashionable drawing room or
allroom you will find tlie women garbed
more or lens accurate copies of state
OWI1S.
New fads nnd fashions in dresses, hate;
JoVex, shoes anil coiffures nre all started
n their giddy way from 'behind tho foot
!ghs. It doexn't take long to get them
;olng eitlier. I,ot xomo favorite actress
Tear something that ix both novel and
ittractlve and there Ix no doubt about
'.er parting something. The very next
!ay, quite likely that night even, hun
dreds of women plan to have just such a
'dunk of a dress" or another such an
'awfully sweet " hat.
So Iho dressing of a play has cotno to be
me of tho most important items in its
production. It is a feature that
-Mongers are giving more and more
Ime and attention to all the while in
a breathless struggle to outdo each
other'. Especially is this true in
'omlc opera and musical plays generally
.then tho period of tho story calls for
nodern costumes. When it's a "costume
day," as plays are called whoso period
tates back to the wearing of fancy dress,
t is possible to fake some with the gown.
In fact it is not only HsslbIe but it is
.irways done, nt least so far as tho chorus
U concerned. With costumes of to-day,
however, that is out of the question in
.any first class production.
Tlie days of cotton tights havo passed
"rom Broadway theatres along with stock
coenery.
Naturally this dress question is another
Tfnrrv nnH YrwnKe fnr t)in ntrwnrli- rtvnr-
'jurdened manager. It puts a few more
i jray hilrs on his head and a few more
t V
rinkles in his face. It's tho additional
lCMnse does that, not tho worry. Tho-
1'rical managers are immuno to worry,
v, they are no more halter broken to
P'ra expense than any other business
. is a big expense, too: much bicgttr
the average theatregoer 1ms any
. of. In any ono of tho big Ilroadway
irUcal productions of to-day tho cos
vMok cost much'more than tho scenorv.
Iff
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and scenery can't be faked any moro
either.
Formerly in a production of this nat ure
tho uctress who had tho leading part
drossod the character pretty much as
sho pleased. 8ho ordered her dress
maker to make an uftornoon or evening
gown oh tho scene demanded and that's
all there was to it.
As to tho chorus, that was a compara
tively simple matter. Tho wardrobe
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15
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- mboTu.T'.
woman at the theatre, with tho sewing
girls sho hired, made them in a bunch
after a description furnished her by tho
stage manager. She made them in two
bIkos, big and little, and then made a
sort of pretence of fitting thorn to tho
individual wearors. But sho know bettor
than to fit them too accurately all tho
same, for chorus girls are changed every
now and then and it was considered a
foolish waste of money to get a now
Mb.'
$3
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4!f
13: fa
t.
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5
'ff
"ft
in t"he
costume just because you had a
chorus girl.
Those wero tho good old, cheap
days, when chorus costumes were m.
to do duty In half a dozen dlfTen iit
ductlons tnaylie. When also, more n
likely, the material they were mud.
didn't cost more than 25 cents n y.
and gaudy coloring was considered' i
chief requisite.
Now, thank you, each chorus cost tin,
is an individual work of art. Made i
Iho wardrobe woman? Well, hardi
They nro made by tho most fnshioinil i.
dressmakers out of tho most oxm.ii-i
materials. Each costumo is the re.u
of a carefully thought out design mini'
by an exert artist, who not only keei
in mind tho figure nnd complexion of tj
girl who is to wenr It, but alxo has i
design It to bo in harmony with the gen
oral color scheme of tho scenery and th
other costumes as well.
Ho makes a sketch of each girl fir-i
and thru begins working with his lin
and his colors. Tho drawing is carried
out to tho mlnutast detail, Including
hats, parasols, gloves, stockings an. I
shoes. When theso colored designs are
finished tho dressmaker, the milliner
and tho bootmaker all got busy to make
their part to fit tho girl whoso name the
sketch bears.
There is no slapdash work about try
ing on and fitting either. Tho girls have
to enduro fitting after fitting until tit
garment 1 ns near perfect as can he
And then if it doesn't suit tho critical
eye of tho stngo manager tho cqstume
is thrown out nnd another made. Quite
likely a start is made from tho very be
ginning and n now design prepared.
As to the dresses for tho leading ac
tresses, tho work is naturally much more
painstaking. Practically no expense is
spared to make tho dresses a sensa
tion. That's what they aro all aiming
for, costumo sensation. Snd ns it may
seem to the devotees of high art nnd
tho purity of tho drama it is n fact never
theless that more thnn ono musical piny
has been pushed into a success by its
costumes. Clothes make the play more
than they do tho man, and there is no
place in tho world where fine feathers
show off so well as on the stage. For
that matter there is no. place where they
aro shown off so much.
It's no very unusual thing for tho prima
donna in u musical play to havo half
n dozen costumes made before one is
produced that is considered satisfactory.
The prices that managers pay for some
of these costumes would make even a
wealthy society belle givo a little gasp.
They must be original and that costs
a lot. Thov must bo mml liv n r,,ut,inn-
uble dressmaker and that costs a lot,
and thov must bo verv rarofuiit- mn.t
and that also costs a lot.
As to chorus costumps If. Is nnt nil
unusual to pay a hundred dollars apiec
for them. Wliile hats. Darasols. nhrwia
gloves and silk stockings are of tho verv
best.
Naturally clothes ffet verv linrl
on the stage, und of course the girls who
wear mem do not take the same enro of
them that they would if the dresses were
their own. Where tho mnterinl iu .,
. OVJAUC
delicate goods, like chiffon, they are very
euuy uumagea. is generally tho duty
of the assistant staira mnunr .,
... . . I W I? T.
that the girls do not abuse their costume-,
um no manor now much he may watch
and fine and no matter how much the
wardrobo woman may repair and clean
the chorus costumes are soon bound to
go 10 pieces and look shabby. Then
they must be replaced, and tho whole
expense incurred again.
ftlanagers estimate that If they get
three months wcir nut nf tho
MU viKMUiiien
of a musical play they are doing well.
That applies to Broadway. The cos
tumes can then I) turned over to a num-
oer two company and sent on the road
It Was GeOriTO EJlvnrrlaa t I i ..
n- m m m h 1 ' t; 1
who set the fashion of making the stage
costume tho real thing in the way of stvle
and cost. Ho costumed his productions
uuuuuiuuy ana m bucJj good taste that
a now "Edwardos show" was looked Uk.ii
us a millinery event and tho Illustrated
papers iravo iincrex in nini,r..u i .i..
scriptions of the now gowns. In this
respeci Mr. hrtwardes still sets the pace,
not only for Europe but America us well
It did not take tho New York manuger
long to follow suit when ho saw how popu
iir Mr. Edwardes's millinery displays had
become, so that in the last few years there
has lioen a groat udvnnco in tho attention
given to stage costuming here.
In the illustrations on this page can bo
seen some of tho elaborate costumes and
new styles worn in "The Count of Luxem
bourg." Tho dress worn in tho staircase
waltz scene is considered by many to bo
tho handsomest ever worn in a modern
play in New York.
The valuo of costuming in connection
with the success of a play recalls tho re
mark that an Italian shoemaker mndo
to lieginald de Koven Bhortly liefoio
tho production or one of Mr. do Koven'e
oeni8. The Italian made a specialty
of theatrical shoes and had the contract
to furnish tho slippers for the forthcom
ing opera. Meeting Mr. do Koven in tho
lobby of the theatre after a rehearsal
ho said:
"Ah Mr. Kovenl I tinks wiz my slip
pers an' your mooslo wo makes tin'grand
h ciess!"