Imperial Valley press., 1936-08-30

@NE Of the most fascinating bits of enter
~ tainment for which one could ask is to
watch Orry-Kelly take a bolt of material, drape
it on a model, and wind up with dress without
cutting into the piece.
was in his studios the other day, sleuthine
for story, and that miracle was performed be-
fore my very eyes The model was tall and slen-
der, clad In skin-tight slip; the material was
black crepe, splashed with brilliant flowers.
Kelly hitched an end around the models waist
with q piece Of string, and made narrow
strset-length skirt. Then, somehow, he super
imposed a double tunic, ending in fold just
about the knees, with drapes running inward
and upward to the center in very new-looking
line while the hips stayed fat. The bodice, TAX
ing form under his deft hands, had a low "V"
neck shirrsd into a swathed crush girde. And
the sleeves draped into tghtness just below the
elbow.
The creation finished, Kellys assistant, Leah
Rhodes, tall soft-eyed extremely competent
young lady, sketched It. know the routine from
there on. Next filter will make the pattern of
the costume out Of thin white muslin, after
which the original material will be dismantled
cut and sewed, until 1t resumes it's present form
And complete, Kay Francis will wear 1t to a
luncheon. with black gloves, patent leather
pumps, and big black hat, in her next picture
Mistress Of Fashion"
That is the way Orry Kelly makes fashion =
d
simple, but we know that Orry-Kelly has def
mite fashion principles which he invariably fol-
lows = principles that make his creations smart,
wearable, practical = styles which are copied
by fashion-wise women the world over.
l/ELLY came to Hollywood four years ago
X after spending Is years in New York and
St Louis designing sets and costumes for such
famous producers as George White. Vincent
Youmanns, the Schuberts and many others
And that brings me to the subject of mate
rials in screen creations. If you have the idea
that cheap stage" materials are used to make
up the gowns you see on the screen, you will be
surprised TO know that quite the opposite is
true The finest materials are always used. A
buyer leaves Orry-Kelly's studio every day to
tour the shops and bring back whole bolts of
lovely materials.
But then, designers job is to put these
materials into use, and that's where Kelly shows
his genius. For instance. for Marion Davies. he
has just finished one of the most romantic coats
have even seen. IT'S of navy blue wool crepe
with fared skirt after the Russian manner
but the top is the notable part, for he has used
what he calls a roll revers" wide, wide lapel
which starts on the right side-seam, crosses
over and fastens high the left side. with the
"fn" which the revers makes finishing well
above the shoulder. Never before have I seen
anything remotely like it! This dramatic wrap,
trimmed with hammered silver clips, instead of
buttons occupies whole compartment in the
studio wardrobe = the revers wide.
I could go on for hours describing Orry-Kelly
creations, but instead, I'm going to tell you
some of his own slants on fall fashions He be-
lieves that three of the present styles will enjoy
continued popularity the peplum, the tunic,
and the tailored suit. The feminine suit he
says will change only in minor details, mems
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