The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-15
TASTE IN DRESS.
The Individuality and Fitness of Costume !
Dependent Upon the Wearer, Rather than
the Maker.


London Daily News.
A popular novelist has called those "unex-
pected knots of lace and velvet to be seen
on the attire of women who possess the true
instinct of drapery the very poetry of
dress" An aesthetic poet has. too, ex-
pressed his opinion that gown should never
come home more than half finished by the
maker, and should receive the finishing
touches at the hand of the wearer. To fol-
low out this piece of advice with abject liter
alness would be announcement, to say the
least, and perhaps the poet is unaware of the
fact that most new dresses receive a vigorous
treatment of correction before or immediate
ly after the first time of wear This is the
opportunity for infusing that poetry" of
which our novelist has taken note. A gown
may indeed be invested with artistic
merit of a very high degree by the
milliner who created it, and vet he capable
of improvement by adapting it to the special
individuality of the person by whom it is to
be worn. The treatment OF the neck is one
of those points which mark a woman of
taste, or the reverse. Nowadays there is no
hard and fast rule prescribing for all the
turned-down embroidered collar which suits
the short-neckeG only, or the thick rIffle
which seems invented expressly for the be-
hoof of the long-necked Any variety of col
lar or ruff may be worn, or the whole species
may be and often is abandoned in favor of a
small silk handkerchief ofsome softly brilliant
color, or swathing of black lace or white.
A piece of old lace, artistically folded down
wards from the neck, forms one of the pref
test adornments of white and rounded
neck not too long; for the swan-like effects
of the poets are simply out of date just
now. They may again come in, with aqui-
line noses and ringlets but at present
they are to be dissen bled, hidden away
as defects. Wherefore it is depressing to
note those misguided persons who in full
possession of long slight and even scraggy
necks, wear the turned-down lace which is
suitable only to the full white low, and
rounded column of the throat" which is
"in' at present A row or two of we'll
colored pearls forms an enhancing addition
to this down-turned frill of lace under ideal
circumstances; but when the neck is salow
and of that irregular muscular order which
exhibits startingly prominent tendons the
row OF soft and poetic pearls only serves to
show up with gentle disdain the contrasting
ruggedness and painfully deficient coloring
wide band of black or dark colored
velvet would be the proper treatment,
aided by thick outstanding ruche of yellow
ish hue. Even with fair skin the velvet
band frequently serves to aid the artistic
aspect of the face. 1t may be observed
that portrait painters occasionally add
a band of the kind. or dark ruching, as con-
donlng any weakness of effect either in the
drawing or the original. Jewelry is another
test OF taste No woman possessing the in
stinct of dress will wear three necklets at
once. She knows that to do so would be to
subordinate herself to the contents of her
Jewel casket. Women who commit such
errors as these are content to act as walking
advertisements of their own or their hus-
bands wealth. A bride not long ago wore
three necklets on her wedding day. They
were magnificent They carried off the
honors OF the day. The BRIDE WHO on such
an occasion should have been first in every
ones thoughts. was but the animated peg on
which those costly necklets We're hung. 1t
is sai1-but it may be malicious invention
that she expressed her regret at not having
admit of her exhibiting two pairs OF earrings
at once
There are a few frst-rate modstes who
send home dress, a bonnet a hat, that
touch would spoil. But, alas! gen;uses such
as these may be reckoned on the fingers OF
one hand, and they charge, very naturally
in proportion to their skill. Tae crowd of
others deal in articles which need very
thorough revision before they are all that
they ought to be. The dress needs a pinch
taken in here, a seam let out there. good
inch taken up in the skirt just where the
Stees begin. and good inch let down where
these are in full force. Happy is the owner if
she possess that practical knowledge OF de-
tails which. combined with a perception of
the becoming. will enable her 10 convert an
inspid and ll-fittlng frock into a comfortable
and satisfactory composition, which pleases
the eye without aggreSsiveneSs. Given
a ready mate gown OF white or grey,
built upon those economic lines which are