Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies (Applause Books) (25 page)

Then came the black-and-white ghost Follies dresses, to be worn by the showgirls and a few of the taller dancers throughout. They were as fantastic and spectacular as anyone could have hoped, each one a near replica of showgirl costumes as seen in photographs in several books on the Ziegfeld Follies, some Erté-like in long, glamorous lines and totally fanciful. Although black and white was the rule, each of these was vastly different in look, in texture, even including variations of shades of gray. They were covered with beads, feathers, sequins of all sizes and shapes—shimmery, iridescent, and stunning. Ursula Maschmeyer, six feet two inches tall, walked out to create what would be the first living image seen by the audience at the very opening of the show—in a floor-length dress of white and black beaded fabric with two bold inverted “V” stripes of long black beaded fringe, patterns of black and white beads in circles and rectangles around the bottom, and a large headdress of black ostrich feathers rising from a beaded crown, cascading down her back. She was wearing platform heels, so she would top off at almost seven feet. Kathie Dalton, one of the taller dancers, came on in a white halter top, floor-length, flared-leg costume with an elaborately beaded neck and a fan headdress of white peacock feathers six feet long each, fanning out of a beaded brim framing her face and giving her somewhat the appearance of the show’s poster. Margot Travers was all in black—a tight fitting, floor-length beaded black halter-top dress, turban, long gloves, and feather boa draped around her shoulders, both ends falling to the floor. Linda Perkins had a huge fan attached to the rear of her waist rising up above her head. Suzanne Briggs had a black-and-white beaded dress with enormous butterfly wings and a headdress with butterfly antennae rising straight up. Everyone in the company was astounded and overwhelmed. The women who had to move in them, however, found them somewhat challenging.