The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1882-08-05
styles for Stout Women.

styles for Stout Women.
An exchange remarks loosely, in it's
funny column, upon the fact that all the
fashion plates represent slender women,
and asks why it is that athe makers of
the fashions do not give the fat girls q
show" The matter is, however, by no
means joke to 1.-THE fat girls" Slen-
der. willowy figures are the correct
thing, and to be stout is to be altogether
out of fashion. Therefore, most of the
styles of the day are such as suit only
slight figures. Paris sets the fashions
for the world, and the theater has much
to do with setting the fashions for Paris.
Sara Bernhardt is an acknowledged
leader therein, and no woman living bet
ter understands the art of dress. But
Sara is thin to proverb, and she does
not dress, she drapes and swathes herself
artistically, making of her meager figure
marvel of slender grace. But that
which is the perfection of style on her
becomes ridiculous on a stout woman.
Shirrings exaggerate her sembonpoint;;" J"
puffed sleeves add breath to shoulders
already too broad fer the standard of
fashion. and the suit designed for sylph
degenerates into caricature when worn
by some one who turns the scale at q
hundred and fifty pounds.
Unfortunately many of the stout women
do not realize this. They array them
selves in many founces, which take
from their height; they don Mother
Hubbard capes, which give them round
shouldered appearance; they puff their
draperies into full paniers, and go on
making mistakes of the like nature with
an utter nnconsciousness, often extreme
ly amusing to their thin friends.
So many styles are in vogue, however,
and such latitude, within certain limits,
is allowed in dress that it is perfectly
possible for every woman to make the
best of her looks. Large plaids, for in
stance, increase the apparent breadth of
the figure, but stripes, which are equally
fashionable, on the other hand give the
effect of added height. Perpendicular
trimmings have the same effect, and
plated skirts with scarf draperies and
closely fitting jersey basques are admir-
some of the tablier (apron) styles,
punched rather fiat below the waist, and
with full, soft, but narrow drapery be-
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basque, are extremely lady-like for large
women, since they give longer outline
to the tout ensemble.
A style of dress well adopted to stout
figures consists of plain black silk skirt
trimmed with two hounces of striped
Louisine, a tunic and waist. The
founces are plaided. and are about six
nches deep. The redingote tunic is of
wo breadths of Lousine, lined with
silk crinoline to give it body. Itopens
in front to show the black silk skirt, and
is trimmed with black Spanish lace put
on full. The waist of Louisine has long
points back and front. The back of the
tunic consists of square piece of Louis
inc trimmed with lace. It is fastened to
tile skirt by one corner, and draped
hawlwise. The coat sleeves have lace
and plating at the hand. The same idea
may be carried out in any color, but
nsthing is SO becoming to stout people
as black.
Next to black in the scale of the be-
coming comes white, and then all very
dark shades and soft neutral tints Gay
colors are to be avoided, since they take
too large q space in the field of vision,
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than her natural size. Trains are be-
coming, for their soft, flowing outlines
give added height to the figure. Circu-
lars are becoming, wraps for the same
reason, and next to these come dolmans.
If woman be well proportioned and
is tall in accordance with her size, she
may, II able to dress handsomely, be
magnificent, an object of admiration, and
will always throw smaller women into
the shade. Such one should choose
rich velvets, heavy brocades, thick silks,
and the handsomer her garments the
better, since she may carry any amount
of dress with success. But she must re-
member that her role is to be stately ,and
eschew whatever savors of fussiness.
Still materials also are inappropriate, and
the soft, clinging fabrics of the dsy suit
her to perfection.
The best model fol. cashmere or cloth
dress for stout woman is, as already
said, the kilt dress. For this the skirt is
cut with a yoke, extending over the hips
and cut perfectly smooth. To this yoke
the plated skirt is sewed on the edge.
and over the join is laid fiat plated
scarf, kept in place by stitches under the
folds. The back drapery is in straight
loose puffs, and the waist is either q
Louis XIV. coat, with long tails at the
back, or skirted jacket with flaps on the
hips.
The most disastrous mistake stout
woman can make is to lace tightly in the
hope of making herself smaller. She
may perhaps reduce her waist measure
an inch or two at the cost of infinite dis
comfort, but this gain is more than coun
terbalanced by the stuffed appearanc.
given to her whole figure. Moreover
the cannot be easy, or even natural, no
to say graceful. Then her shoulder
are made to look unnaturally high, he
nose red, while her hands and feet ar,
enlarged, as any physician will tell her
| by the violence done to her circulation
! and ell this is without reference to th