The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-04-21
ECONOMY IN DRESS
shs secret Of MalSfaE q Coed Age
pearnnce on small Exc
penditure.

One Of the great problems of every
day life is how to dress tastefuHy and
with due regard for the prevailing
style and yet with reasonableeeonomy
But few women have solved this. prob
lem satisfactorily, and only after years
Of painstaking and patient study.
The secret of success lies to a greas
extent in the choice of materials.
Fancy fabrics in new designs and novel
arrangements of color attract the ma
jority of young and dressy women. and
aimsy stuffs with dressy possibilities
are Irresistible temptations to them.
They buy these fabrics, and pay good
prices for having them made up, for
only an artist can handle them success
fully. The dresses are worn few times,
when they become faded, or draw in
the seams, or a few ~rain-drops make
ugly spots, and they become worthless
for best dresses. Then there is an inn
perative demand for something new,
and the same ground is gone over again,
with the same results.
OF course, this sort Of thing is ex-
naIlent for trade, and pleasing to dress
makers, and an right for wealthy wom
en- who can afford to wear such goods
and have them replaced every new
moon, but the who would be
economical must put all these tempta-
tons away from her, for economy in
dress means the purchase of only ex-
cellent fabrics, mostly in plain colors,
and these must be made in styles as
simple and plain as possible.
Some women are always in eXaggera-
tion of the fashion. When trains are
worn theirs are at least half a yard
longer than those of other people;
when high sleeves are in vogue theirs
cover their faces. The woman who
would be well dressed must remember
that there is no greater error than ex-
aggeration in dress, and to push fash
ion to the extreme is to suggest the
! grotesque. We often blame fashion for
ridiculous excuses, when it is the eX-
poncnts of fashion who by their exag-
geration bring certain styles into dis.
repute. Any fashion in excess degen.
crates into vulgarity, and the wearer
of such eX~aggerations is deficient in
refinement and good taste.
Ah~igh-grade siIk-warp cloth in black,
made up stylishly, but in a plain fash
ion, and finished with a little elegant
garniture, is one of the most useful
and becoming of garments. 1t is also
inconspicuous, and may be worn re-
peatedly without exciting comment.
A handsome black dress may be worn
again without exciting unpleasant com
ment, or it may be changed in appear
ance by the use of a few trifing yaria.
tions in the way of neck-dressing trim
mings or by the introduction Of a bit
of color.
Another useful costume would be 9
black china crepe trimmed with lace
or rufles of the same material. Pro.
vide several sets of ribbons, one set OF
black and the others of whatever tints
or tones are the most becoming and
appropriate. In buying ribbons avoid
high colOrs or fancy patterns, and above
all get a good quality. Cheap ribbons
do not belong i'll the wardrobe of the
economical woman, neither do cheap
fabrics of any sort. Everything she
buys must be first-class, and all gar.
ments must be well made to be profit.
able.
In outside garments-wraps, cloaka
and the Iike-the economical woman
must be to all appearances extrava.
giant. That means that she must buy
the best and richest material, goods
that do not depend upon show, but in.
trinsic worth, for their effects. Novel,
ties, II what are usually called stylish
patterns, are not her wisest selections
Richness and elegance, not snowy styles
and materials, must be the economical,
woman's dependence if she woul6
achieve satisfactory esults.-Farm ant
Fireside.
---- ---vv--&