Baron Mai. On the Banks of the Geneva Lake

ON THE BANKS OF THE GENEVA LAKE
(A LETTER FROM GENEVA)
Through the huge windows of the verandah one can see the turquoise-colored strip of the Geneva Lake…Sitting in the verandah are six hundred people, clinging very close to each other, on chairs standing in long lines, covering the whole floor of the magnificent hall. A platform has been built at its back, covered with expensive carpets and Oriental pillows.
Today a "grand thee" for the benefit of Russian Red Cross will take place here.
This idea received a keen response in the Geneva society, while the program of this “tea party” itself deserves special attention: Russian piano player Nezhvinsky, Russian cello player Karinsky, a young dancer of the Imperial Ballet Mr. Bolm, then the rising Russian star of the Parisian theatrical world Tatyanova, and, last but not least, artist Bakst, who created the costumes for the performers.
The sounds of Rubinstein’s Demon fill the verandah facing the Geneva Lake, and a Circassian girl flutters onto the stage, followed by a young man in a chokha, and the audience is at a loss, not knowing what to pay attention to – an Oriental melody, a surprisingly expressive dance, or the artistic costumes striking with their colors…
But here is another highlight of the “tea party”. M-lle Tatyanova. She is dressed in a white dress with bright blue silk rhombuses. She is wearing a head-band in the form of a huge fan-like shield. This was the “monumental” outfit created by Bakst in which Tatyanova sang God Save the Tsar.
Then the audience moves to the hotel’s halls, taking their places at the tables to have the tea prepared for them. In one of the remotest rooms a small group has surrounded a person dressed in a cutaway and remarkable light gray trousers… This is artist Bakst.
In a couple of minutes our celebrated countryman is sharing with me his impressions of war, Paris, and his works…
What influence did the war have on art?
At the moment, the “patriotic” trend dominates, and there are many grounds for thinking that a great reevaluation is going to take place after the war. The war has caused an unbelievable patriotic uplift in the French society. High-society ladies have changed their luxurious outfits for humble dresses worn by sisters of mercy.
It goes without saying that war has influenced fashion as well.
According to Bakst, fashion is far from being a whim of a single extravagant woman.
There was a time when the trends in Parisian fashion were set by the Russian ballet… When the Parisians saw the abundance of colors in Bakst’s costumes created for the famous Faun, its motives were soon caught up by major fashion “houses”. But today the recent luxury of Lyonese velvets and silks was replaced by humble colors of the allies: black, white, and blue.
“Of course, I have no doubt,” Bakst told us, “that after the war the “come unnoticed” motto will be replaced by the other one, shifting towards even greater splendor that during the pre-war period…”
BARON MAI.