Dolly Tree: Mae West's costume designer in 1928

Dolly Tree: costumer for "Diamond Lil" and "The Pleasure Man"

According to author Gary Chapman, Dolly Tree arrived in New York on board the Leviathan in the Autumn of 1926 on an exploratory trip to investigate the likelihood of obtaining work.
"Go to America, that's where the money is," Major E.O. Leadlay, the manager at the Piccadilly Hotel in London told her. She had regularly met, socialised and worked with a host of American performers. who must have also urged her to at least visit New York and see if she could utilise her talents on Broadway. Shortly after her arrival, Billboard announced: "Dolly Tree well known as a freelance designer abroad and who has made sketches for many of the big musical shows in London and Paris is paying her first visit to New York and is considering several offers if she decides to remain in this country."
"England's leading stage designer" - - Variety

Dolly Tree quickly learned that the costume designing scene in New York was not an easy one for an outsider to infiltrate being monopolised by such names as Charles LeMaire, Mabel Johnson, Kiviette, Ernest Schrapps, William Henry Mathews, John Harkrider and James Reynolds. Yet despite the dominance of these designers and a worsening economic situation she swiftly obtained some interesting contracts and then manoeuvred herself into a secure position of relative prominence and success by working with Charles LeMaire, at Brooks the most prestigious costume house on the East Coast. . . .
Despite the fact that Dolly Tree worked for the most prestigious costume house in New York she received few printed confirmations of credit although there are numerous tantalising indications that she worked on a vast array of projects for which for some unknown reason she was denied credit.
By far the most interesting productions that Dolly Tree worked on in New York from a historical perspective were the two Mae West shows staged in 1928: Diamond Lil and The Pleasure Man.
A shrewd and opportunistic performer Mae West settled on the nostalgic allure of the "gay 90's" look made famous in the stage show Diamond Lil as her enduring persona. The carefully designed gowns by Dolly Tree, based on fashion ideas derived from the 1890's cleverly balanced Mae West's naturally sleazy style with a glamorous and nostalgic image making her more palatable to a middle class audience. The gowns which featured the hour glass waist, revealing decolletage, frills and flounces, feather boas and corsets have become firmly entrenched in our mind as part of the icon that has become Mae West. Dolly Tree should be given the full credit for creating this image which was later immortalised on the screen by Paramount. Mae West's The Pleasure Man featured a range of exotic gowns designed by Dolly Tree for the cast which included several female impersonators. The play itself illustrated West's continued preoccupation with New York's gay subculture and generated as much controversy as her earlier production The Drag.
One of the consistent credits that Dolly Tree is known to have enjoyed in New York was creating the costumes for many of the weekly stage presentation shows or units as they were called, that played on the Publix/ Loew theatre circuits . . . .
Alas, when the 1920s were up, Hollywood beckoned as the next best thing.
- - this excerpt was written by Gary Chapman - -

Gary Chapman's book, A Dream of Beauty, Dolly Tree and the Golden Age of Stage and Screen, is currently being considered for publication with a UK publisher. The book does not just focus on the work of Dolly Tree. Its scope is much broader, and describes the environment in which this designer had worked. As a result, it provides an overview of the role of the costume designer, specifically for the stage in the pivotal cities of entertainment culture - - namely, London, Paris, and New York.
Gary Chapman has a degree in Prehistory and Archaeology. He wanted to be an Egyptologist but instead worked for a variety of book publishing companies in marketing and PR for many years. Besides Dolly Tree, his other passion [and latest career] is creating elaborate cakes.
Learn more about Dolly Tree: http://www.dollytree.co.uk/
- - this excerpt was written by Gary Chapman - -