Fancy People in Fancy Dress

It seems that Halloween has become just as much a holiday for adults as it is for children.  Although I haven't celebrated Halloween since I was a child (and have no plans to do so this year), I know many people who do.  So, if your Halloween plans include getting decked out in costume, forgo the cheap plastic mask and take your cue from these swells, who took their fancy dress very seriously.


Image above: Christian Dior attired as the King of Beasts for Le Bal des Rois et Reines (King and Queens Ball), 1949.

 Elsa Schiaparelli dressed as a blackamoor. (Photo by Horst)

 Misia Sert in exotic fancy dress.  (Photo by Horst)

 Cecil Beaton in drag, dressed as writer Elinor Glyn.  (Photo by Horst)

 Elsie de Wolfe outfitted for Le Bal Oriental.  (Photo by Horst)

 A costumed Jean-Michel Frank, looking rather Fu Manchu.  (Photo by Horst)

 Daisy Fellowes, bewigged and bedecked in satin.  (Photo by Horst)

 Valentine Hugo dressed as a merry go-round at Le Bal des Jeux (Games Ball), 1922.

Emilio Terry (left) as Mme Fichini and Jean de Moulignon as General Dourakine, Le Bal Bibliothèque Rose (Pink Library Ball), 1929.

Coco Chanel at Le Bal de la Fôret (Forest Ball), attending as a tree. 1939.

Baroness de Almeida photographed as a sheaf of wheat.  1929.

Jacques Fath and his wife attending the legendary Bal des Masques et Dominos du XVIIIe Siècle (18th-century Masks and Dominoes Ball), hosted by Charles de Beistegui at his Palazzo Labia, Venice, in 1951. Fath was costumed as the Sun King, while his wife was Queen of the Night.

And last but certainly not least, Audrey Hepburn in a bird-cage headdress at Le Bal Surréaliste (Surrealist Ball) in 1972.

Crazy for Cartouches

While reading A Curious Friendship, I was reminded of Rex Whistler's proclivity for cartouches, which he incorporated into his murals, like those he painted for Brook House, above, as well as his myriad illustrations:

See what I mean? The man was mad for cartouches.

Best described as an ornamental frame, the cartouche has been a presence throughout time, from Egyptian hieroglyphics to Baroque architecture and Rococo-style furniture.  From an aesthetic standpoint, the cartouche, with its typically sinuous lines, might look fanciful, but it does seem to serve an important artistic purpose.  When an artist wishes to introduce text or a scene into, say, a drawing, the cartouche provides the artist with the decorative framework to do so, allowing the text or scene to be decoratively, and cohesively, incorporated into the overall work.  This concept is best illustrated in two different Brunschwig & Fils textiles, shown below.  Without their surrounding cartouches, the Chinoiserie scenes of Chinese Leopard Toile and the ocean-faring ships of Clipper Ships would likely look at odds with their surroundings.  But with their frames, these scenes get absorbed into the overall design while still maintaining their distinctive looks.
 

Gaming table, German, c. 1755-58

Screen by Jacques de Lajoüe, French, c. 1740

Cartouche Design by Jean-François Cuvilliés, 18th century.

Cartouches can be found in textile design, most memorably (to me) in Brunschwig & Fils' Chinese Leopard Toile and Clipper Ships.

The ballroom of Atlanta's Calhoun house has plasterwork topped by a cartouche-motif.

The appliqués on this Schiaparelli dress are reminiscent of cartouches.