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Mission

Ten Chimneys Foundation’s Mission

Preserve and Share the buildings, furnishings, collections, and grounds of a national treasure – Ten Chimneys, the estate created by Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
Serve as a continuing resource and powerful inspiration for theatre, the arts, and the art of living.
Offer public programs consistent with the Lunts’ varied interests and core values, while maintaining the integrity and intimacy of this extraordinary estate.

Ten Chimneys is a National Historic Landmark, a “Save America’s Treasures” project site, and is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. Ten Chimneys is owned by the non-profit 501(C)3 organization Ten Chimneys Foundation, Inc.

FASHION FORWARD: THE GOWNS AND GARMENTS OF LYNN FONTANNE (2008)

Developed in collaboration with the Mount Mary College Historic Costume Collection, this engaging and beautiful exhibition includes gowns designed by fashion luminaries, garments created by Miss Fontanne herself, and pieces she acquired at celebrated boutiques from around the world. Often referred to as “The Fontanne of Youth,” Lynn Fontanne’s choice in clothing was daring, youthful, and always fashion forward.
RUNS MAY 6–NOVEMBER 15, 2008. ADMISSION IS FREE.

TEN CHIMNEYS FOUNDATION

In addition to estate tours and programs for theatre and arts professionals, Ten Chimneys Foundation offers a number of exciting programs for the general public. The Ten Chimneys Experience is one of connections and wholeness: lasting relationships, creativity, collaboration, education, work, and fun. More than extraordinary artists, the Lunts were masters of the art of everyday life. They cooked, sewed, decorated, and farmed with the same artistic fervor they displayed on stage. The values that guided the Lunts’ lives and careers drive our programs. We are proud to highlight Miss Fontanne’s exceptional eye, deft hand, and fashion-forward elegance in this year’s exhibition.

MOUNT MARY COLLEGE HISTORIC COSTUME COLLECTION

Every garment spins a tale of lifestyles, art, and values for the period in which they were worn and of the people who wore them. Realizing the importance of Lynn Fontanne’s wardrobe, The Mount Mary College Historic Costume Collection was the only institution to purchase garments from the Lunts’ estate. The Mount Mary College Alumnae Association provided a grant for the purchase of most of the items on display in this exhibition. Other garments were donated to the Collection by Lynn’s niece, the step-daughter of George Bugbee, Mrs. Suzanne Knapp. The Mount Mary College Historic Costume Collection serves as an educational and artistic resource to the College’s Fashion Program students, as well as to the community and scholarly researchers. The Collection preserves and exhibits historically significant garments, accessories, fashion art, and fashion periodicals. Changing exhibitions are continually presented in Walter and Olive Stiemke Memorial Hall on the Mount Mary campus. For more information, please visit www.mtmary.edu/fashion_hcc.htm.

FASHION FORWARD: LYNN FONTANNE

Lynn Fontanne is best remembered as half of “the greatest acting team in the history of American theatre,” a devoted mentor to the next generation of actors, and as the consummate professional and perfectionist. Less well known is her role as a creative and inspiring force in the world of 20th-century fashion. With a sense of style that was ahead of its time, Lynn made an impact on high fashion and in the lives of women across America. Her interest in clothing design and construction, and her personal relationships with fashion designers, allowed her to assert an extraordinary level of control over her own image – both on stage and off.

“She has been gowned by the best ones – Worth, Chanel, Vionnet, Molyneux, Valentina, and Dior, Balenciaga, Lanvin-Castillo. And she uses hats for stress and punctuation and dramatic shadings of her appearance. Clothes are not merely objects to be put on and off, to be worn for a special occasion or to express the mood of an hour. They become a part of her body.” – Maurice Zolotow, Stagestruck

Lynn Fontanne: Fashion On Stage

As a young actress, performing in Dulcy (1921), an unknown Lynn Fontanne felt strongly enough about the significance of fine clothing to defy producer George C. Tyler’s instruction to purchase costumes for her wealthy socialite character off the basement rack at Macy’s. Instead, Lynn went to one of the most elegant couturier shops in New York and had them run up three dresses for Dulcy. When Tyler got the bill, “he turned purple with rage and fell over in a faint.” Ultimately, Tyler admitted that Lynn’s choice of dresses helped make the show a success. Lynn continued to use fashion as a tool to create believable stage characters for more than four decades. She repeatedly turned to fashion designers (rather than costume designers) to craft the distinctly personal looks she envisioned. The list is a veritable who’s who of design from the first half of the 20th century, encompassing both the “old guard,” like Charles Worth and Paul Poiret, and daring up–and–coming designers like Valentina and Castillo. In 1924, Lynn traveled to Paris in search of gowns for the stage play The Guardsman. On Noël Coward’s advice, she sought out Edward Molyneux, a renowned young British couturier who had opened his own fashion house in Paris following the war. Molyneux snubbed the unknown actress – declaring he was an artist and simply too busy to work with her personally. Lynn promptly replied that she was an artist too and took her business to famed couturier Paul Poiret, from whom she bought a dress and cloak for the outrageous sum of $1,000.

Lynn chose gowns by Hattie Carnegie (New York) for The Second Man (1927), Yvonne Davidson (Paris), Worth, and Bruck-Weiss for Pygmalion (1927), and Jeanne Lanvin (Paris) for Caprice (1928). Edward Molyneux had come to deeply regret his earlier dismissal of the woman who had become a tour de force on the stage and in the world of fashion. After Molyneux made a public apology, Lynn hired him to design gowns for Reunion in Vienna (1931), O Mistress Mine (1946), and I Know My Love (1949). In addition to the Molyneux gowns, Lynn also chose garments designed by Kiam for Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman’s Custom Design Department for Reunion in Vienna (1931). Bergdorf Goodman designers were tapped again to create Lynn’s extraordinary clothing for Design for Living (1933). Friend and designer Valentina (New York) created Lynn’s gowns for three Lunt-Fontanne productions: Idiot’s Delight (1936), Amphitryon 38 (1937), and There Shall Be No Night (1940).

“If you can peel yourself away from the acting in ‘Design for Living’ long enough to concentrate on Miss Fontanne’s clothes you will find them, though not so glamorous as the lady, at least her perfect complement.” – “The Stage,” March 1933, “What the Well Dressed Play is Wearing, Rehearsal for Spring”

French couturier Mainbocher spent a week with the Lunts at Ten Chimneys working with Lynn to develop gown designs for The Great Sebastians (1956): “First I had to reconcile Lynn’s double personality – her stage personality as a cockney vaudevillian in ‘The Great Sebastians’ and her own reputation as a lady of quality. . .” Mainbocher designed Miss Fontanne’s evening gown to show off the star’s shoulders and neckline. “It’s a joy to make a low-cut ball gown for her,’’ he said. He chose a clear red for this dress because Miss Fontanne is a blonde in ‘The Great Sebastians,’ and he sprinkled it with “stage-sized, glittering polka dots so it would pick up the lights and be interesting for two acts.” (Excerpt from The New York Times, January 7, 1956, “Designer Reads Mind-Reader’s Mind”)

Lynn Fontanne: Fashion Icon

Because the Lunts were devoted to touring, and because they were prominently featured in so many popular magazines of the day, millions of women saw what Lynn Fontanne was wearing at home and on stage. What Lynn wore resonated with American women and they readily copied her look, making her a beloved fashion icon. Even the simple organdy hair bow that she wore as an accessory to Gilbert Adrian’s designer gowns in the movie The Guardsman (1931) sparked a national fad. Fashion manufacturers and fashion critics alike acknowledged Lynn’s insight and influence. The Realsilk Hosiery Company used Lynn’s image in advertisements touting her fashion sense. A review of Design for Living proclaimed, “Capes on half a dozen stages receive their final cachet of chic in the adoption of one of them by Lynn Fontanne.” If a style received Lynn’s personal seal of approval, the wearer could be assured her choice was sophisticated, fashionable, and unquestionably appropriate.

“The best dressed woman on the American stage. Critics praise her acting. But women remember her clothes! The suave princess line of her creamy satin gown in The Guardsman – two years in advance of the princess line as we know it now! The daring beauty of her frocks with normal waistline in Caprice – when the rise of the belt was a matter of conjecture even on the Rue de la Paix! Lynn Fontanne adopts a new line, a new color – and thereby creates a new fashion. Her name is a synonym for taste and individuality in dress.” – Realsilk Hosiery Advertisement, March 1930

Lynn Fontanne’s name remained synonymous with high style and forward–looking fashion sense throughout her lifetime. Well into her 70s, the actress was still being interviewed by women’s magazines about her choice in clothing. In a Ladies’ Home Journal article published in August 1958, Lynn (then 70) explained the rationale behind her clothing selections and was featured modeling garments from her personal wardrobe:

Luminous star of the theater, known around the world, believes private life clothes should be simple, seasonless, and, above all, becoming. Mrs. Alfred Lunt dresses primarily and brilliantly for after dark. “You see, life begins later in the day for us. I love something red . . . buy a little at a time to keep my wardrobe tiny.” She likes things that are “useful as all get-out” and keeps her favorites “forever.” A good black suit answers her daytime needs, and there’s a very special chiffon tea gown she has had for fifteen years. First requirement for any dress: her husband must like it. He shops with her and she wouldn’t dream of wearing anything he does not approve.

Just as Lynn demanded attention to detail, discipline, and dedication to craft from herself and other actors in a theatrical production, she sought out designers who met her demanding notions of fine clothing design and construction. She selected garments from designers who aligned with her deeply personal sense of style, daring the popular notion of what is fashionable to catch up with her vision of beauty. In 1961, Gimbels (the department store giant and parent company of upscale Saks Fifth Avenue) recognized Lynn Fontanne’s “distinguished contribution to the world of fashion” by presenting her with the store’s prestigious Gimbels Fashion Forum Award. “I’ve never been so thrilled before,” she announced upon receiving the honor.

Lynn Fontanne: Fashion At Home

Not all of Lynn’s clothing was haute couture. She was immensely proud of her well-honed sewing skills and talked about her early lessons, crafting clothing for her dolls under her mother’s tutelage. “I made doll clothes, and just kept adjusting the patterns to bigger sizes to make clothes for myself.” This skill, she told reporters, “was most useful when I became an actress. I had no money. I bought cheap material but was always well dressed.”

“I spent the summer making some clothes for myself. It was the greatest possible fun. I had a figure molded to my form. We called her Lassie and she gave me an awful shock every time I saw her. I can’t believe I look like that. I made hats too – all very successful.” – Lynn Fontanne writing to Noël Coward, September 4, 1946

Even when she had clearly “made it” as a star and had the wherewithal to afford custom couture clothing, Lynn took great pleasure in creating garments and hats of her own design, as well as couture knock-offs. Her skill with the needle gave her the confidence to refuse to pay couturier prices that she deemed exorbitant. During WWII, when a Molyneux gown was priced at a staggering $1,000, Lynn refused to pay the price and instead ran up her own “designer” gowns from the couturier patterns being published for American women by Vogue and McCall’s pattern companies. She proudly wore the clothes that she designed and stitched.
Lynn sewed nightgowns for Vivien Leigh and thought nothing of altering one of her own dresses to fit a weekend guest in need of evening wear. Her portable Singer sewing machine was as much a part of her luggage ensemble as her hat boxes and traveling trunks. She took it on the road with her and refused to let anyone else use it, stating that it was set up for her touch alone. Not that there would have been many opportunities for others to use it. As in so many things, Lynn could become overly absorbed in her sewing projects. Alfred Lunt writing to Noël Coward, January 21, 1961: Lynn has been copying a dress of his [Spanish couturier Castillo] for the past two weeks. In all fairness I must say the dress is very good but I’m fond of the old girl and would enjoy seeing her once in a while this side of a sewing machine.

“I brought a dress to N.Y. which I had made. In The Times – the day after the opening of the State Theatre – was a notice of it. ‘Miss F. wore a black dress – but it was no ordinary black dress.’ No rave notice about my acting ever gave me so much pleasure.” – Lynn Fontanne writing to Noël Coward, circa 1960

Lynn Fontanne: Fashion Forward

Today, Lynn’s personal style would be defined as classic elegance, typified by simplicity of line, discreet design (feminine and sensuous, but never tarty), fine finishing, excellent cut, and ease of wear. Her style was practical, timeless, and youthful. She bought from the top ranks of fashion designers and exclusive boutiques throughout her life, and developed long-standing relationships with a number of designers – becoming as much a partner in design as a client. Indeed, of all the compliments paid to Lynn over the course of her life, the most cherished was not related to her acting, but to her fashion sense, when French courtier Pierre Balmain told her, “You should have been a designer.” Thankfully, she was more than that. The headstrong young actress who refused to shop in a basement; the elegant theatre icon who turned to fashion designers instead of costumers; the sewing-machine toting “old girl” who created nightgowns for friends and evening gowns for herself; the award-winning contributor to the worlds of fashion and theatre – all were her roles, and all made up the “fashion forward” woman who was Lynn Fontanne.

GARMENTS ON DISPLAY IN THE EXHIBITION HALL

All garments on loan from the Mount Mary College Historic Costume Collection

1. Valentina, Red Wool Jacket, 1940 – 1946: Created during the run of There Shall Be No Night, for which Valentina designed Lynn’s costumes.

2. Ben Zuckerman, Red Wool Doubleknit Dress, 1965 – 1975: Known as the “Fontanne of Youth” for her ability to retain her youthful good looks, Lynn Fontanne was in her late 70s when she purchased this trendy dress.

3. Vuokko Nuremesniemi, Orange and White Cotton Caftan, 1965 – 1975: Though Lynn maintained long–lasting relationships with beloved couturiers, she was also open to trying the work of innovative new designers like Vuokko.

4. Valentina, Brown Linen Suit, 1950 – 1960: Lynn Fontanne’s couturier – client relationship with Valentina spanned more than 30 years, on stage and off.

5. Pierre Balmain, Brown Wool Suit, 1960 – 1970: During the 1960s, when Lynn Fontanne purchased this suit, Balmain was noted for his simplified lines and sculptural approach to clothing design.

6. Pierre Balmain, Black Cashmere Coat, 1955 – 1965: This coat is similar to one worn by Lynn for the 1957 opening of the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

7. Sabrina (Paris), White and Mustard Printed Jacket and Skirt, 1958 – 1963: This label represents just one of the fashionable boutiques that Lynn Fontanne frequented.

8. Captain Edward Molyneux, Mustard Chiffon Evening Gown, 1940: This garment is similar to a much–loved Molyneux design that Lynn wore for a LIFE Magazine cover (1951) and a command appearance before the Queen of England (1953).

9. Elinor Simmons for Malcolm Starr, White Wool Dress with Rhinestones, 1960s: This garment’s heavy embellishments made it an unusual choice for Lynn, who usually favored clean, unadorned styles.

10. Unknown Designer, Parti–colored Gown, 1935 – 1940: Constructed with couture techniques, this gown is similar to costumes worn by Lynn Fontanne for her role as “Kate” in _The Taming of the Shrew _(1935).

GARMENTS ON DISPLAY IN THE ESTATE

All garments on loan from the Mount Mary College Historic Costume Collection

1. Norman Norell, Red Wool Doubleknit Dress, 1965 – 1970: Norell’s attention to detail rivaled that of the Lunts. He used the finest fabrics and hand-tailoring techniques, and inspected each garment individually in the couturier manner. Main House, Belasco Room

2. Saks Fifth Avenue, Grey Wool Crepe Dressing Gown, 1940 – 1947: Lynn had Saks’ Custom Design Department run up this copy of the Molyneux–designed wrapper that she wore in O Mistress Mine. Main House, Master Bedroom

3. Lynn Fontanne, Blue Silk Chiffon Evening Gown, 1965: Lynn proudly wore this gown, of her own making, in a 1980 PBS television special about the Lunts’ career. Main House, Master Bedroom

4. Valentina, White Organza Gown, 1936 – 1940: Lynn Fontanne had two copies of this favorite Valentina design made, in white and in beige. Main House, Dining Room

5. Unknown Designer, White Gown with Blue Roses, unknown date: Lynn wore this gown, finished with couture techniques, to receive a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1970. Cottage, Syrie Maugham Bedroom

ABOUT THE DESIGNERS

Valentina Sanina, a Russian émigré to New York, dressed more than 2,000 women in the course of her career, including Lynn Fontanne, with whom she became a personal friend. Her designs ran contrary to popular trends. She designed and wore long gowns when everyone else was cutting them short. She covered up her throat when others were baring the décolletage. Valentina designs appealed to women who appreciated the unique look created by the subtle draping of her monochromatic textiles and her meticulous attention to detail. Her designs were used in three Lunt productions including Idiot’s Delight, There Shall Be No Night, and Amphitryon 38. In fact, Lynn modeled her character in _Idiot’s Delight _after Valentina. In addition to Lynn Fontanne, Valentina’s celebrity clients included fellow stage greats Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Mary Martin, Gloria Swanson, and Gertrude Lawrence. A trip to Hollywood in the late 1930s brought Valentina additional clients like Paulette Goddard, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer.

French fashion designer Pierre Balmain began his training with two of the great designers of the 20th century – Edward Molyneux and Lucien Lelong. He opened his own haute couture house in Paris in 1945. Balmain was influential in developing the post-war “New Look,” shedding the economies of wartime rationing in favor of a return to opulence in richly-embroidered gowns and ensembles. During the 1960s, when Lynn Fontanne wore the Balmain suit seen in this exhibition, the designer was known for his innovations in simplified design and the sculptural use of fabric as though it was an architectural element. His uncluttered designs were enlivened by daring combinations of cut and stylistic elements, often highlighted by fur stoles or fur trim. In addition to his work with Lynn Fontanne, Balmain designed personal wardrobes for numerous international stars, including Brigitte Bardot, Marlene Dietrich, and Katharine Hepburn. Though Balmain died in 1982, his famous Paris design house continues to thrive today.

Captain Edward Molyneux was described as, “a master of subdued elegance. . . the man to whom a woman would turn if she wanted to look absolutely right without being utterly predictable.” Molyneux got his start in fashion in 1911, when he won a contest sponsored by London couturier Lucile. Service in the First World War interrupted his design career, but earned him the title of captain. After the war, he opened his own fashion house in Paris, later adding a London branch. He came to be known for clothing that was perfectly tailored and very wearable, favoring a quiet, classic color palette. His garments were particularly notable for their modernist lines and perfect cut. During the Second World War, Molyneux designed “Utility” clothing for the British government, based on the strict rationing rules of that period. After the war, he returned to Paris and re-opened his couture house. Though Molyneux came to be known as Lynn Fontanne’s favorite couturier, their relationship had a notoriously rocky start.

Ben Zuckerman emigrated from Rumania to live and work in New York’s Garment District, where he became known for his fine tailoring technique. In 1925, he co-founded Zuckerman and Kraus, a design house that eventually became known as Ben Zuckerman. Zuckerman had the distinction of having the largest collection in most seasons – as many as 300 styles in a single year. Harry Shacter, Zuckerman’s designer, was known for his ability to create suits and coats that were inspired by the Paris collections, but that were also highly wearable. Known as the “Fontanne of Youth” for her ability to retain her youthful good looks, Lynn Fontanne was in her 70s when she wore the trendy Zuckerman dress in this exhibition.

Malcolm Starr produced a popular line of evening dresses from the early 1960s through the 1970s. A Malcolm Starr dress was commonly a simple shift dress which was elaborately beaded and encrusted with sparkling rhinestones. The company also made day attire, in the form of dress and coat or jacket sets. By the end of the 1970s, they were also designing separates. Two of Malcolm Starr’s most prominent designers were Youssef Rizkallah, who joined Starr in 1969 and was there until 1975, and Elinor Rizkallah Simmons, who worked there from the early 1960s until 1972. Elinor Rizkallah Simmons designed the Malcolm Starr dress owned by Lynn Fontanne.

Vuokko Nurmesniemi revolutionized printed fabrics and fashion design in Finland. She was hired as a textile designer by Marimekko in 1953, where she developed innovative fabric designs that incorporated large graphic swathes of bold color. In garment design, she rejected the form-fitting shapes popular in women’s dresses and gowns during the early 1960s, in favor of loose shapes in a graphically dynamic and uncluttered style. Her designs rose to prominence when Jacqueline Kennedy ordered a series of Vuokko dresses. In 1964, Vuokko established her own company where she was managing director and the only designer. She controlled all aspects of the creation of her designs from concept to fabric design to manufacturing to marketing.

Norman Norell began his career in the early 1920s as a costume designer for the New York studio of Paramount Pictures. He did some work for Broadway shows and was hired by designer Hattie Carnegie. Norell worked for Ms. Carnegie until 1941, when he became the design partner in Traina-Norell. America was cut off from Paris fashions during the war years, and Norell came to prominence with his all-American look. He had a unique ability to translate couture into American ready-to-wear. In 1956, he was inducted into the Coty Hall of Fame, which honors the most talented American designers. In 1960, Norell opened his own company and became known for his well-proportioned suits, clean, precisely-tailored silhouettes, and classy, simple wool dresses with a high, round neckline – like the one that Lynn purchased, seen in this exhibition. Women enjoyed Norell’s playful side as well. His sequined cocktail dresses, sailor motifs, culottes for day and evening wear, harem pants, and décolleté evening dresses were immensely popular. He used fabric flamboyantly, trimming garments in fur and feathers. Fashion historians consider Norell to be the best designer of the “New York” style and one of the foremost U.S. designers, on par with the French couturiers. His attention to detail rivaled that of the Lunts themselves. He inspected each garment individually in the couturier manner and was just as demanding in proper fabrication and finish. His clothes lasted, and their classicism made them timeless.

Saks Fifth Avenue department store has been synonymous with high fashion and gracious living from its beginnings in 1924. Founders Horace Saks and Bernard Gimbel catered to fashion-conscious New Yorkers, among them Lynn Fontanne. Fontanne shopped Saks’ Specialty-Designer Ready-To-Wear Department and had garments sewn for her in the Custom Clothing Department. Like other American women during the war years of the 1940s, Lynn balked at the exorbitant prices asked by European couturiers. Lynn’s solution was to run up her own designs based on couture patterns published by Vogue, or to have the custom dressmakers of fashionable department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman construct designer knock-offs – as she did with the dressing gown in this exhibition, which closely resembles the Molyneux garment Lynn wore in _O Mistress Mine. _

SOURCES : Brown, Jared. The Fabulous Lunts. New York: Atheneum, 1988. Cushman, Wilhela (Fashion Editor). “There’s Something About Her.” Ladies’ Home Journal. August 1958. “Designer Reads Mind-Reader’s Mind.” The New York Times. 7 January 1956. Fontanne, Lynn. Letter to Noël Coward. 4 September 1946. Fontanne, Lynn. Letter to Noël Coward. Circa 1960. Gilbert Adrian Obituary. TIME. 21 September 1959. Gimbels Fashion Forum Award. Silver Tray. 1961. “How to Stay Married Forever.” Woman’s Home Companion. November 1956. “LIFE Goes Calling on the Lunts.” LIFE Magazine. 26 July 1963. Lunt, Alfred. Letter to Noël Coward. 21 January 1961. Peters, Margot. Design for Living. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. Realsilk Hosiery. Advertisement. Ladies’ Home Journal. March 1930. “Stage-Struck.” LOOK. 15 December 1964. “What the Well Dressed Play is Wearing, Rehearsal for Spring.” The Stage. March 1933. Zolotow, Maurice. Stagestruck. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1965.

Quotes and Anecdotes

“I brought a dress to N.Y. which I had made, – in the Times the day after the opening of the State Theatre – was a notice of it – ‘Miss F. wore a black dress – but it was no ordinary black dress’ no rave notice about my acting ever gave me so much pleasure.” – Lynn Fontanne writing to Noël Coward, circa 1960

“‘First Love’ closes next week – not surprising but a disappointment – and so we are back here (TC) – Lynn at her new sewing machine (where she’ll wear the dress is a mystery, unless we give a dance in the hen house)…” – Alfred Lunt writing to Noël Coward, January 3, 1962

“I left Lynnie sewing a collar on to a white sharkskin dress (she bought for you and Jamaica but never wore) that she gave me…” – Enid Bagnold writing to Noël Coward from Ten Chimneys, July 14, 1966

“Outraged that Valentina and Mainbocher were now charging $1000 for an evening dress, war-wise Lynn, an expert dress-maker, had begun designing and making her own clothes.” – “Design for Living,” p. 226

“Wearing tight black satin with a very long V back or a silk suit, she [Lynn] let Edward Molyneux take her to parties for Noël at Neysa McMein’s and Gilbert Miller’s. “I designed both of them and had them made by an unimportant little tailor at about a third the price of Mainbocher and Valentina and I must say that I looked more chic than I have done for years…thin as a pencil.” – “Design for Living,” p. 227

“I made doll clothes, and just kept adjusting the patterns to bigger sizes to make clothes for myself.” – Lynn Fontanne speaking to “The New Haven Register,” August 1, 1976

“I have bought a sort of light tobacco-brown, three quarter length, double breasted coat. The cloth has rather a long nap, like suede, and tortoise shell buttons with a silver design on them. It is very smart and I wear a sort of a pullover hat of the same stuff, rather like a short stocking cap with a black wool imitation feather in front. I wear it with my new taupe suit that I arrived in Genesee from New York in. The whole effect is very smart and everything about it is very useful too. The coat is a lovely lightweight wool, kind of floppy, you know.” – Lynn Fontanne writing to Hattie Sederholm, August 23, 1943

“I saw a jacket in the street today you would go nuts over. It was a sort of modern version of the tailored jackets they wore when you were a girl … you know with three seams in back. It was divine, even Alfred could see it was something. I shall do a little ferreting to find out where it came from.” – Lynn Fontanne writing to Hattie Sederholm while in Paris entertaining troops, July 7, 1945

“Luminous star of the theater, known around the world, believes private life clothes should be simple, seasonless and, above all, becoming. Mrs. Alfred Lunt (actress Lynn Fontanne, distaff side of the illustrious Lunts) dresses primarily and brilliantly for after dark. ‘You see, life begins later in the day for us. I love something red…buy a little a t a time to keep my wardrobe tiny.’ She likes things that are ‘useful as all get-out’ and keeps her favorites ‘forever.’ A good black suit answers her daytime needs, and there’s a very special chiffon tea gown she has had for fifteen years. First requirement for any dress: her husband must like it. He shops with her and she wouldn’t dream of wearing anything he does not approve.” – “Ladies Home Journal,” August 1958

“For more than a decade [Gilbert] Adrian set the pace for women’s fashions across the U.S. and even to Paris, made Jean Harlow, Katharine Hepburn and Norma Shearer look like haute couture models, put Greta Garbo in sequined slacks. Lynn Fontanne in a white organdy bow that started a national fad, released Joan Crawford from a movie prison in a little basic black dress that any right-thinking woman would have given her eyeteeth for.” – “TIME,” Sept. 21, 1959

“Lynn says she’ll look for dresses for you at Balmain’s (Paris) – Has lost your list but remembers long evening dress (cover up) and an evening suit and dress on the character of the red dress.” – Alfred Lunt writing to sister-in-law, Karin Bugbee, Sept. 13, 1953

“We have been to some lovely parties and my Balmain clothes, apparently, were very well chosen, as I seem to find an occasion for each dress – and quite often. Especially successful has been a little black silk suit with black velvet ribbon and a hint of jet all round the bottom of the skirt, and a little jacket with a small waist embroidered all over the front with narrow black velvet ribbon and a sort of wheat design in black jet. With that I wear my little pillbox ermine hat and a narrow 2” white ermine tie round the neck.” – Lynn Fontanne writing to Hattie Sederholm, February 26, 1953

“In ‘The Great Sebastians’ Miss Fontanne is required to take off a white gown under which she wears a white slip, and to do it in hurry. She was fearful that she might remove both at once, since both had white straps. Where upon Mainbocher hit upon a brilliantly basic solution – he equipped the white slip with pink straps.” – “The New York Times,” March 25, 1956

“I hope you will laugh yourself sick when you learn that Edward Molyneux and Lynn and I are practically inseparable! We’re mad about the boy and he has indeed outdone himself as you said he would – Sounds worse than it should. We literally have to fight our way through the lilies and gardenias he has filled our rooms and lives with and Lynn at this very moment is at his shop – he only having left her a few moments before. He is most endearing and I have enormous respect for his uncanny business ability.” – Alfred Lunt writing to Noël Coward, circa 1948

“We came in last night from Paris but must return again on the 30th for a few days to finish up Lynn’s clothes – both her own and for the play. Edward’s collection was beautiful – very wearable and the materials are superb silks Lyon’s velvet, all as it was 20 years ago.” – Alfred Lunt writing to brother-in-law George Bugbee, August 10, 1948

“The party for the Queen was at the Royal Academy… They gave a dinner for her, which was at 8 o’clock, and we were asked to come in after, which we did. I wore that old yellow Molyneux – with a low mink collar, which seems to be the most flattering dress which I have. Do you remember that photo of me with Helen Hayes and Kit Cornell on the cover of ‘LIFE’ – that dress.” – Lynn Fontanne writing to Hattie Sederholm, February 26, 1953

“Life is so exciting I can hardly bear it. Have seen Valentina, she came by herself to dinner. I invited her on the phone the minute we got here. She mewed wretchedly and said ‘but darling, a woman alone in a taxi-cab at night.’ I at once offered a car (hired). She came in a state of terror, one eye insane with fright, the other closed up. The driver had asked her what perfume she used and was this Lynn F’s home? Otherwise she is a physical wreck.” – Lynn Fontanne writing to Noël Coward, October 1964

“I’m afraid I shall have to sue you (and Willy Maugham) for contributing to the delinquency of a minor – Lynn is not the same girl since you led her into that solitaire game – and Costillo is involved, too, as Lynn has been copying a dress of his for the past two weeks. In all fairness I must say the dress is very good but I’m fond of the old girl and would enjoy seeing her once in a while this side of a sewing machine.” – Alfred Lunt writing to Noël Coward, January 21, 1961

“I went to Schiapiarelli and tried on a Turban – it was not quite as awful as some. How much do you think? Just a taffeta twist with a bow at the back – eighty-five dollars!!!! A lingerie blouse – worth about 25 dollars at the most – one hundred and fifty dollars! Quite prohibitive of course and one can do better in America anyway.” – Lynn Fontanne writing to Hattie Sederholm while she and Alfred Lunt are playing in Paris for the troops, July 7, 1945

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Past Annual Exhibitions

2008: FASHION FORWARD: THE GOWNS AND GARMENTS OF LYNN FONTANNE (2008)
2007: Noël Coward in Ten: Ten Chimneys Presents Ten Views of the Master
2006: “The Work of Photographer Art Shay”
2005: “All That Glitters”
2004: Tea Time With Lynn & Alfred
View the current Exhibition

Exhibitions News

Headed to the Oscars

Jan 01, 2010

Ten Chimneys’ traveling Noël Coward exhibition, made possible through the generosity of the Noël Coward Foundation, is headed to The Oscars.

Ten Chimneys Foundation

Ten Chimneys - Annual Exhibition (2008)