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Author: Davina
Davina ~ Dawn Devine is a belly dance costume designer, dance instructor and author of more than a dozen publications on Middle Eastern dance.
An Assiut Gown: Hedy Lamarr, Edith Head & Delilah
In 1948, Cicil B. Demille, noted film director began work on the Oscar award winning sword and sandal film, Sampson and Delilah starring Hedy Lamarr and Victor Mature. Edith Head, the top costume designer of the day was selected to create a collection of gorgeous gowns for the role of Delilah. Along with peacock feathered robes, and rich gowns of gold and purple, Head designed this luxurious two-piece ensemble made of supple and sensual assiut.
Delilah’s dress in motion in this
scene from the film.
Hedy was considered one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood and designer Edith Head carefully cut this top and skirt to take advantage of the natural drape and cling of the garment to showcase Hedy’s sumptuous curves. In the scene from the film, you can see how the outfit drapes when she’s still, glistens when she moves, and clings in all the right places.
Images Above
Left: Screen Capture from Film
Right: Studio Publicity Still of Hedy Lamarr as Delilah
Images Below
Top Left: Studio Publicity Still of Hedy Lamarr as Delilah
Top Right: Movie Poster from Samson & Delilah
Middle Left: Director Cicil B. DeMille directs Hedy Lamarr on Set
Middle Right: Costume designer Edith Head with her record 8 Oscar wins for best costume designer
Lower Middle Center: Studio Publicity Still of Hedy Lamaar as Delilah
Bottom Left: Costume Designer Edith Head surrounded by Sketches
Bottom Right: Costume Sketch for Hedy Lamarr in the role of Delilah
Categories
The Belly Dance Reader
The Belly Dance Reader
During the better part of 2012, I was working on a fantastic new publication, The Belly Dance Reader. This 280 page book is a collection of articles, artwork, photographs and essays from the leaders of the belly dance. I contributed an article “Practice Makes Perfection,” which I wrote after interviewing two pro makeup artists, Lisa “Firefly” Felten and Adriana Marrelli. Our mission is to inspire dancers to improve their appearance by experimenting and practicing with makeup.
The goal was to create an informative and inspiring collection of writing from academics, independent scholars and talented pros from around the globe. I was pleased to join the team of editors working on this groundbreaking project. Never before has there been book with such a large and diverse collection writing on belly dance.
I helped editor Lynette Harris with numerous fine details. From writing captions, to editing text and formatting page layouts, we worked tirelessly to get this publication ready before Dec. 5 so we can relax during the holiday season. Check out some of the content below.
Purchase at Amazon
Categories
June Havoc in Assiut
June Havoc
in Assiut
As I continue my ongoing research into the history of assiut cloth, one of the themes I’ve been exploring is the use of assiut by Hollywood fashion designers. One of my all-time favorite appearances of assiut in an American movie is this lovely dress designed by Peter Tuesday for the 1947 movie Intrigue.
Assiut Gown Designed by Peter Tuesday
Peter Tuesday is a mysterious figure in the world of Hollywood costumes. He did the costume design for only two major motion pictures and while this dress is divine, the rest of the costumes in this rather long and slow film are just okay.
Legendary Actress June Havoc
June Havoc began her career in the world of vaudeville as “Baby June,” a singing and dancing child star and younger sister to the notorious Gypsy Rose Lee. She went to Hollywood and became a screen siren through the ’40s but later returned to her theater roots to become a Tony award-winning director.
Intrigue: A Film Noir Movie
In Intrigue, June Havoc plays the icy blond and coldly sinister Mme. Tamara Baranoff. Her dress is lusciously painted onto her star-worthy physique, which lends her statuesque frame a cool metallic quality that supports her hard-as-nails character. In this publicity shot, you can see the striking late 40’s shoulder pads and the popular dolman cut of the sleeve both of which emphasize her tiny waist.
This scene is lit to showcase this assiut gown to the perfect advantage. Although dark, the lights set the metal ablaze as she stalks around her office. It’s the perfect gown to wear while flirting with Hollywood’s most popular gangster, George Raft. There’s a clip integrated into a music montage, so be prepared for some pop music if you follow this YouTube link. If you find the full film, be warned, the movie is a bit slow-moving but worth the wait to see every angle on this magnificent assiut dress.
Movie Still: June in Assiut Gown
The image above captures June at the height of Hollywood glamour. This is one of the movie stills released by United Artists to promote the film. These were printed as 8 by 10 black and white glossies. Included in press releases and sent to movie theaters for film promotion, you can occasionally find these popping up in the film collectors markets, eBay and etsy.
The montage to the left are screen captures from the film. Notice how the assiut changes in tone and texture as she moves through the various lighting conditions in the room.
For more about my research on Hollywood and Assiut, check out this article over at Gilded Serpent.
Assiut and Hollywood.
Over the past six weeks, I’ve been spending hours each day processing the hundreds of facts, images, and dates as I work towards publication of my book The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut. One of the many little “finds” in my research is this super sweet image I located in the collection at National Portrait Gallery, London. It’s rare when my research turns up an image where I know not only the person, in this case, Lily Elsie, Edwardian star of numerous musical comedies, but also, the role the costume came from, Sonia in The Merry Widow.
But the highlight for me, is knowing the name of the costume designer. This ensemble was created by one of the first couturiers in London, Lady Duff-Gordon, who designed under the name Lucile. As you look at these images, you can see that Lily, in her role as Sonia, wears an amazing assiut covered corselet with an assiut shawl draped around her hips and secured with a sparkling pair of rhinestone brooches. The entire ensemble captures the worldly bohemian aesthetic of the character. This costume is the origin point for the phrase “merry widow” used throughout the 20th century to describe a corselet.
The Merry Widow opened in 1907 had 778 performances in London’s West End. Several prominent photographers shot Lily for promotional postcards during the run of the operetta. I was lucky enough to get my own promotional postcard of Lily as Sonia from the Merry Widow, but the photographer is unknown. Although my image is sweet, it’s not as good at showing off the costume as the National Portrait Gallery postcard. But in either case, Lily’s costume is an inspiration.