The sun., 1916-01-23
NJ ELEANOR HoyT RAuNERD.

N little gray room on the third
floor at wanamaker's Miss Mary
Wall, gray clad and as cool and
serene as usual. sat in sea of
flame and smiled a greeting. The
billows were OF gauze and under them.
over them, around them poured gold
and silver and wonderful blues and
yellows and greens-a riot of color.
The intruder. though Injured to new
art movements, gssped slightly-Mes
Wall leans to smoky frock tones her
self, Is not given to color debauches,
but when she moved her hand toward
the cleaning and glowing stuffs that
overnowed the room and murmured
the cabalstic word "Bakst" all was
explained
or course. The Russian ballet was
20 open in New York within week
and the effect Of the Russian ballet
upon American taste in dress was
being provided for by the slim. quiet
woman in gray, who has u trick of
seeing into the future-perhaps tits
the Irish in her.
"But isn't IL all old news asked
the intruder. When Paris first went
mad over Russian ballet didn't the
French dressmakers give us the mes
sage? Didn't We all go a Ia Russo
whether It suited our style or not?
Paris has had her Russophile rage. so
far az costume is concerned. ana We
depend upon Paris ideas rather than
our own taste SO do you really be-
lieve the season Of Russian ballet here
will have much effect upon the
nodes"
She nodded dcc.sively.
'Of course it will. don't believe II
II possible for any one with the slight
est feeling for art in dress to see the
Russian ballet and not be influenced
by 1t. And what the people who make
clothes and fabrics and the women
who buy them here in New York feel
the whole country Is bouno To feel in
some degree.
Mind YOU. | cont mean that we are
going around In Russian hlouses and
Russian boots and all that sort OF
thing. The clothes that are brought
out under the influence of the Russian
ballet won't be Russian. They will be
Bakst.
"lf I could have my way I'd have
everybody who has the slightest con-
nection with clothes making. from the
little girl In the factory and the sew
ing girl in the workshop To the great
est manufacturers and designers IN
the country. see every Performance OF
that Russian ballet. and I'd have them
all taught, before they go. what To
look for. though the thing will soak
in. even II they don't know what tn
look for.
Some people see only the srotesque
In Bakst costuminG. They think that
because no one could wear of the
stage the weird things he puts on
the stage folk the man isn't worth
the dressmakers study; but don't go
to Bdkst Tor actual costumes. though
q good many Gi'cr~sful features uf
fashion have been developments of
some detail suggested 10y him. You
go to him for color, mass. bold group
ing and blending and sharp contrasts
and daring outline. but above all for
color.
We've had some Balist exhibits
over here. The artists liked them and
most Of the ordinary people laughed
at them. People lil,, To laugh at
things they don't understand; bat 1t
isn't SO queer that the public didn't
take To Bakst pieCemeal II IL doesn't
take 10 him as he gives himself in the
Russian ballet 1t will be because the
sense Of BEAUTY Is dead in the public !.
and that isn't so.
The costumes in the ballet haven.
more to offer to the designers than the
scenery. It's the whole glorious mir
acle Of color that is the Srca; thing
the thing Id like to see soak into
American taste-permeatc H. one
doesn't want to look like II Eakst scene
or "A Bakst dancer: hut if all the
d. essmaking world knew how to use
color and texture and light aud mass
and line one -hundvcGth part as well
as Bakst does we'd have an art If
dress"
- The enthusiast turned "a a book that
lay on table beside her
Ever since Paris went crazy over
the Russian ballet designers and
dressmakers hav, been studying
Bakst drawings and color reproduc-
tions." she went on This book is n
sort of gospel. bought II al a rea-
sonable price. but | believe 1t is sell
ing for $40 or $50 now and it is worth
more than that to any one who knows
how to make use of it,
"Of course. pictures can't give much
idea of the Russian ballet. One must