New Club in Paris For “Elegant Men”

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 2, 4 January 1937, Page 11

New Club in Paris For “Elegant Men”

The newly founded Gardenia Club in Paris is a very distinguished body. Its object is “to be elegant,” and it's membership of 2000 young men, all under thirty, has adopted as a badge the flower suggesting the distinguished bearing and refined manners of a former generation.

In particular tho club has determined to restore taste and stylo to Paris night life and rule number one is to dress in the evening. In conclave the Gardenias decide upon the next establishment they will honour with their attention and on a chosen date they subsequently invade it in almost overpowering boiled-shirt-frontf array. Already they have tickled up certain selected night clubs and restaurants and now their interest has spread to theatreland. The other night when they bought up the house for “Madame Bovary,” the popular quarter in which Gaston's Baty's theatre is situated lined the streets to watch the smart automobiles draw up and the shiny toppers emerge—with pretty frocks by the side of them, naturally, for in Paris a boiled shrrtfront and shiny top hat without a soft frou-frou movement by their side are unthinkable. Incidentally these new dandies may, by their, massed favour, make theatre history one of these days by putting their well-dressed cachet on a piece that has almost or quite escaped the notice of critics; they may further put some unheard of night club right on the inap or bring back fame to a restaurant that had thought its heyday over.

There is, as a matter of fact, a general tendency among the youth of Paris to put some smartness back into theatre first nights and gala nights by dressing for these at least. The fashionable night at the opera from now on. is to be Thursday, when the fck>ciety Parisienno will onco more make it a social duty to be in her box in full panoply of fur and silk. Tho Gardenias know this very well, but they will

know no Thursday bounds, nor keep their immaculate black and white elegance for galas only.