The Washington times., 1937-01-21
DRYDEN, HOLLYWOOD EXPERT
0NT0GS, SC0FFSAT TRADITION
BY LYDIA CALVERT
,ariaI IN The WnsLinUtou Tfy,-

Special to The Washington Times
HOLLY WOOD, Jan. 19.-It
isn't hard to understand why
Ernst Dryden was chosen by Co.
lumbia Pictures to design the
clothes for Lost Horizon"
If you've read the story you
will know that it has an eSoteric
quality that is unrelated to life
as we know it. Smart" clothes
would have ruined that picture
In a minute.
When the picture is released
you will feel rather than see the
fashions for they have been so
delicately conceived that they
blend into the great fantasy Of
the picture like wisp Of smoke
In the winter Ky.
Ernst Dryden is a Viennese who
SCOTS at Hollywood traditions.
1dealism is a positive quality in
his makeup and in the pages OF
his, sketch book this quality has
been put down on paper as def
nitely as the woodcutter'S bold
knife strokes, portray railroads or
plowed fields.
Soothing may not be the word
Tor what Ernst Dryden does to
Hollywood traditions. His attitude
toward the movie capital is that
Of the clear thinker, but it gets
tied up somewhere in WiSp of Old
World romanticiSm whose edges
are woven into a Viennese waltz
and a glance from dark Oriental
eyes.
Though he loves America and
iS going to take out papers, ne will
never be able to clip thoS4 nos
talgic threads of soul which bind
him to the other world.
WeILKnit Look
Medium height, he is dark with
0 bronzy-toned skin and crepe
paper hair" which he combs back
tightly to his well-shaped fore
head. The corrugationS in his fore
head exactly match the ridges IN
his hair.
If you ask him his age he is
Hhe]y to tell you "a hundred" in
all seriousness, but an accurate
guess would be impossible because
he has that well-knit look that is
good for a lifetime of proper
care.
He lives in the Garden of AL
lah," which suits him exactly. Sur
prisingly, it was he who did Mar
lene Dietrich'S clothes for the pic
ture of that name.
The garden is really very
beautiful spot in the center of
Hollywood hemmed in with tre-
mendouS eucalyptus trees and
Stringing little white green-shut-
tered bungalows over its grounds
where tenants live. In the center
of the community there is a sap
phire swimming pool on whose
terraces tables are set for lunch
con.
I had been invited for lunch
and my host met me dressed in an
amazing sort of blouse, long and
worn outside like a Russian ri.
bushka. It was of natural colored
linen and buttoned down the
front. Around his neck he wore
a soft blue linen scarf tied in two
rabbits ear tabs.
He was very cordial and he or
dered the lunch with the eff
cheney of a gourmet. After the
soup I had to admit defeat to the
dozens of dishes that came one
after the other to the table. He
ate hardly at all.
Il came to America because
every European wants to see
America and then l met lady
and she invited me to Holly
wood and here am" says Mr..
Dryden in answer to my query.
He talks with an accent and is
always very careful to see that his
listener gets the full meaning.
Hollywood OutdO Paris as a
style center? Never! But do
not misunderstood. l am the
greatest believer in American
design. Here you can get such
efficient clothes. No one is more
convinced of the efficiency or
ability of the American manu-
facturerS than l."
Manufacturers as far
as he'll go, but he won't give the
American designers themselves a
khiI3or for rno1 nrno otiUonaSc TIndpT