Evening star., 1896-09-26

capacity of summer girls The stout wo-
man compensated for her superhuous
ayOirdupoiS by a corresponding lack or
taste in dress. For she was dressed in
severely plain, tight-fitting gown that en-
phasized every faulty line Of her figure.
Of all things in the world that the stout
woman should avoid as she values the ad-
miration of her friends and the silent COM
lnendation of her enemies. it is the appear
ance of mannishness 1t is only the woman
Of perfect proportions who can afford to
Iispense with the frills and fiounces that
make the slender woman look stout and
which, If they do not make wtlloWy dam
sci of a feminine Sandow, at least give the
imagir alton chance to work.
Concealing Faulty Lines.
A stout woman looks especially we'll In
drapery that hangs from the shoulder.
Hence, she is at her best in loose house
dress or tea jacket that has no waist
line, but hangs from the shoulder in folds
that conceal the lines of the figure. 1t
should be as If she had waist, except
perhaps in the back. This is difficult
rule to follow in the making of street
dresses, but there are many devices wh1cn
have no other reason for being than just
| to conceal the faulty lines about womans
waist, and these are the rightflil property
| of the woman who Is stout. The jacket
with its long points on each side reaching
| several inches below the waist Is good
| example, and a fall of lace from chin to a
! point below the waist is another. Large
| Sleeves cid as much toward beautifying
her lines as they did for the woman that
/ was too thin. But these aids to beauty
must be foregone by her well as by her
| slender sister.
| It is remarkable with what suddenness
| the epidemic Of small sleeves has spread.
In the spring and summer we positively
| refused to have them in our thin dresses,
| and every woman OF opinions stoutly
maintained that she would never wear
| them. Meanwhile the designers have gone
/ inc fxyl yxyif h
| which to win us against our Wills. and 10
| and behold, our new gowns have small
| sleeves. After all it is the general effect
| that we admired, and not any technical
| Dor tions which the large sleeves gave her.
She was wide through the shoulders and
| narrow through the waist. consumma-
ton which has been strfven for ever since
the first woman wore stays and Medici
collar.
Shoulders and Waist.
This effect We have preserved for lis
in the autumn fashions. by one device
or another whether it DE puff, bertha,
or epaulet, the shoulder line Is extended
and this is enough. But just as rigidly
Is the rule Of the close-fttng sleeve ad.
hered to. In one case the large puff looks
almost like last years irapery, but from
the front it is plainly seen that it Is at
tached to the sleeve nowhere except at the
top, being slashed open in the front ant
edged with a strip of lace insertion. ant
showing the tight sleeve underneath from
wrist to shoulder. Most Of the sleeves are
very long, with a cuff or frill of lac,
hanging over the hand.
The most common sleeve Is the one tha
, is tight almost to the top. then suddenly
swells into a puff that Is part Of tn,
sleeve proper and not separate drapery
This style of dress was made with q boiler,
jacket that was laid in tucks on each sid,
, across the bust line. Beneath this was
tight-fitting bodice that extended below
. the waist in points in front. with a sligh
pc nier effect over the hips. This unde
bodice was made Of silk, but the boiler,
jacket and sleeves were of the same woole,
, material as the skirt.
, A dress that might be considered decided
, ly advanced" SO far as the sleeves wer
concerned had the appearance Of havlnI
had puffs that had been shipped of like tn
old woman's petticoat Of Mother Coos
fame. 1t was a combination of grayisl
brown and a warm shade Of maroon velvet
Tho skirt, which was scant, as skirts hav
been going lately. had some embroider!
trimming around the bottom that ran vi
the body Of the skirt in points of differen
| lengths, The sleeves were tfRht anH mn n