Evening star., 1898-07-30
FOR UP-TO-DATE WOMEN
Hints for Stout Women in Styles and
Oolors.
smooth Fits and Good Designs
Heliotrope and Purple Good, but
Black and White Hest.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

| Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
NEW YORK, July IS 1895
| Although this is emphaticaliy season
| for tall, slim women yet their stout sisters
| may seize upon many features of the pres
| ent petticoat with confidence that it will
| be becoming and suitable. A nounced skirt
for instance, would not be considered at all
| times and in all models an appropriate
| garment for one who was burdened with
| too much flesh. Yet properly cut and cur
tailed ftounced ruffied skirt gives a
| slender look to the stoutest woman. True
the fiounce or rufies must be scant. and If
rufties, they must be few In number and
scant of outline, but properly managed,
starting very low on the front of the skirt
| and not going very high in the back, they
add grace and slimness. The skirt on
| which they are put must itself be very well
| hung and very we'll fitted over the hips.
! Herein lies one of the secrets of the woman
| who weighs too much in proportion to her
| height Everything she wears must be well
| cut, well fitted and well hung. Gone for
| her are the days of home maze and home
| hung gowns. Her substantial outlines re-
| quire the drapIng and skill of a master
| hand
feature which makes the present skirt
| applicable to stout women is one which is
| particularly objectionable in itself, and that
| is it's length. All f1ounced and ruffied
| skirts are extremely long in front and
| touch in the back. Sensible women have
| SO far refused to make their heavy gowns
! in this fashion, but all their organdies,
| musiins, laces and grenadines trail along
In a graceful, but unhygienic fashion.
When a woman at length acknowledges
| to herself In the words of Lady Jane,
there will be too much of me in the com
| ing by and by her first remedy is to have
| black gown made with a plain tightly
| fitted waist ard a plain gored skirt. Grant
| ed that this is all that be done
| some occasions on most women, it will be
| found failure. 1t takes shapely stout
woman to look we'll in a gown of this sort,
| and shaDely is exactly what most women
| are not who are 6eshy. Did they require
| avoirdupoiss in equal proportions on all
| parts of their frames, the problem of dress
| ing would be an easy one. But unfortu-
| natey flesh has tendency to settle about
| the hips, abdomen and bust, usually leaV-
| ing the chest and shoulders far in the
| and often imparting only sc much of
| plumpness to the arms any woman of
| ordinary size might envy.
| The problem, therefore, is to make the
| hips, abdomen and bust look smaller. and,
with the tendency TO iatness of shoulder
| and chest which often observes in
| such cases, one way of doing this is to fill
| out the chest and shoulders. Hence many
| models of gowns made for women who
| ''oer plump this summer have bows or
| other trimming about the shoulders and
| chest.
| A proof that the tight-ftting basque, so
| long cherished, is not always the best model
| is shown by the successful adaptation of
| the bloused front to the figures of stout
| women. Properly managed, the bloused
| front has been most effective. One model
| gown which made its wearer seem to lose
| several inches in circumference was hair
| striped black and white organdie over white
| silk. The stripes on the waist were slight
| ly bias, running from left to right The
gown opened on the left side and bows of
| black ribbon beginning at the shoulder,
| concealed the opening. Similar bows orna-
| mented the shoulders on the right side and
gave the fullness to the chest which has
| already been mentioned as a most desirable
| feature The distinguishing mark of the
| gown however. was the tucks This bias
| slightly bloused front was tucked from the
neck nearly to the waist line. The tucks
were narrow and terminated before the he
ginning of the bloused effect The skirt
was plain and snugly fitted over the hips
around the bottom was little ruff1e, put
on quite full. The sleeves were tucked
| from shoulder to wrist and fitted snuglv
| finishing with little ruff1e at the wrfst
and relieved by cap of the organdie trim
| med with lace.
Separate Waists No Help.
1t Is fortunate for stout women that
separate waists are no longer as popular
as they were, for the separate waist with
a black skirt was the rock on which MANY
OF them split. Arguing that 1t was their
HlpS Wnlcn were abn0rmally large theV con-
cealed them, as they fondly believed by
plain black skirt. Then they INDUCED their
fancy for bright, pretty colors-long starred
on modest black-in a gay silk waist. The
result was c.-aos and confusion. Ones ac-
qua1ntances, who had never before seemed
to belong to the heavy class suddenly
seemed to take on several inches round
about. In reality they weighed no more
1t was only the effect of a waist and skirt
which did not match.
If separate skirts and waists are to be
a hf,-S
condemned. BY this it is not meant that
any woman who weighs over 100 pounds
shall never feel the grateful relief which
comes to simmer daughters of Eve from
an unlined waist. But the separate fancy
shirt waist she should eschew. There are
black China silk or india silk shirt waists to
be had this year which are even cooler
than the starched muslin ones. Most of
them are made with wide tucks finished
with hemstitched tops, and all are full
enough to almost blouse in front. A prop
erly constructed shirt waists, should not
show the line Of the figure. yet should fit
snugly over shoulders and back. and be
trim on the side seams. This sort of
shirt waist If the same color as the skirt
can be worn travelling or shopping with
perfect propriety and a great deal of per-
sonal ease and comfort. But upon or1i-
nary occasions the summer gowns had best
be well fitted over a silk or lawn lining,
which may be low-necked and short
sleeved.
Stout womsn whose complexion admits Of
it may wear heliotrcpe and royal purple.
They are not large coiors. Red is and
yellow should Usually be avoided. Pink
should be used with discretion, although
whether be stout slender its effect
on the complexion is the most important
point to be considered. White is not as
much to be avoided as one would suppose,
although white gloves and white shoes are
said to make the hands and feet look quite
out of proportion. A ell-fitted, weli-made
white gown makes many stout women look
extremely trim and shipshape.
RI3ck is tlTayS .SfOered good color.
and is universally supposed to dwarf size,
but 1t should not be depended upon entire
| ly, nor should woman wear it simply be-
| &C use she is gaining in weight if it dis
agrees in a marked manner with her COM.
pleXion. Dark blue, stone gray, seal brown
and various othe. plain colors can be worn
with much more effect than black in sucn
cases.
Princess and Jackets.
Not the princess gown, but the princess
effects, as modified by slightly bloused
| fronts and half-coat effects, be sue
cessfully used, always taking care to use
reveres or a jacket effect to make the
| chest and shoulders wide enough to be pro-