Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-01-24
No Longer Young.

ANo
1t is the easiest thing in the world
to sheer at the passing woman whose
youthful dress caricatures her age; it
is the hardest thing in the world, as
those who sneer will themselves dis
cover later on, to dress suitably for
that trying period when autumn is just
shading into winter. If any woman
wants to make grandmother of her.
self Though have never found that
woman yeti the problem is easy
enough, for there are endless sug-
gestions for the wearer of snowy locks
and spectacles, but for the woman
with slight sprinkle only of iron
gray in her hair and strong determin
alton to dress in style. there are diff
culties. "Wear dark, rich materials"
the fashion plates vaguely advise,
with the light-hearted disregG for
probabilities and pocket-books which
distinguish them, and as to what
she shall do for rich materials
if she herself is not rich profound
Ysilence is observed.
FNIt is safe to say that more middle
aged women err on the side of sober
ness than on that of gayety in dress.
"Black, black, blackn mcurned fas-
tidious foreigner from the capital of
fashion at an assembly of middle-age
American men and women. "Do zey
not know it take Young complex
ion?" A mistak IF that black is
the kindeSt of to faded face
tints and gather rows feet-in
reality it is the mos. merciless-leais
the woman in her 4os and sos to neg
lect the soft stone and navy blues, the
dark reds and olive green's, the rich
autumn-leaf browns, which are so
often far more becoming than the
perennial blacks and grays. Of course,
harsh striking scarlets, puppies, rose
pinks, and bright greens are man
ifestly unsuited to the period of the
sere and yellow leaf; the colors
selected should be either deep or del
icate, garnets and olives, or else laven-
d1s and turquoise blues.
A literally startling transformation
was that effected the other day by
the temperance in colors of a mid
dle-aged woman, whose friends had
for many years seen her only in
mourning. The costume of stylish,
yet inconspicuous cut, was an ecru
brown and pale pink jabot at the
neck, and pale pink roses in the bon
net frightened and softened the
whole, with the effect. not that the
wearer was trying to ape the dress of
her juniors, but that she was younger
in truth than any one had thought.
The inalienable right of woman to
Gymake herself as dowdy as she pleases,
without let or hindrance. is more
often snatched by middle-aged wo-
men than others. Sometimes it is
from an indolent unwillingness to
bother about styles; sometimes the
dread of being ridiculed for endeavor-
ing to make up young" both times
it is a mistake. Few fashions in the
present season, at all events, are nom
adaptable to middle age. The inn
mensest of immensities In the way of
sleeves, the juvenile jackets and di-
rectoire fronts, the sashes and belts
which only accentuate the portliness
of so, are avoided, of course, by the
sensible woman, but the innumera-
BILE revers and flaps, the vests, and
moderately large sleeves are emin-
emily suited to her. Fancy collars
are not to be recommended.
A basque with skirts is always to
be preferred to one without them, and
stiff, square effects in cut, trimming,
or accessories are to be eschewed. ''Be
trim, be trim, and everywhere be
TRIM is a safe motto to take, for it is
too often the case that. as one of
them expressed it, "middle-aged wo-
men do slump SOP
Finally, the couture, the browning
adornment of the chief end of women.
Why is it 50 difficult to persuade a
woman, stylish enough in all else,
y that the mode of Embarrassing which
WAS becoming and fashionable at
> 10 is outlandish and unbecoming at
So? Also, nothing so ages woman's
face as an out. Of date couture
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