The commonwealth., 1904-03-31
APPROPRIATENESS IN DRESS.
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stuff skirts and the waist, encompass
us about on every side.
The tailor is the best friend OF the
woman who must be economical about
her clothes. A tailor made gown, 1t
the style in which it is fashioned Is
carefully chosen, is likely to suit al
most any figure. Its simplicity dis
arms criticism and renders it appropr'-
ate for nearly any occasion except one
where full dress is required. The wo-
man who has tailor made skirt and
jacket of good cut can let her fancy 60
bit in the matter OF shirt waists.
She may have them plain and service
able for morning wear, dressy and
friliy for calling or the theatre or small
social affairs, and she may seek COM
promise between the two for a waist to
wear to church or to lectures. And
with each and all of them there may
be worn the same skirt and no one will
comment upon the persistency with
which it appears, 80 long as the waist
Is what it should be and the skirt
itself is not startling in color or in
style.
Black isl boon to the woman who can
afford only one or two new costumes
year. She must buy good black in the
first place and then, If she takes toler-
able care OF it, it will look we'll always.
For the woman who objects to black,
(and there are such women there are
dark blue, dark green, dark brown and
other indeterminate shades or mix
lures that are plentiful. With one
good tailor made gown of heavy weight
for Winter wear, another of lighter
material for Spring and Fall, and shirt
waists, plain and dressy, at discretion,
a woman may feel provided for. even If
she goes out a good deal.
One sensible woman of my acquain-
tance makes it rule not to have more
than two ordinary gowns on hand at
one time. AS soon as the first one be-
gins to lose it's original freshness, she
buys another and takes number one
into service for second best. By the
time this is wholly past worthy the
second gown is ready to retreat to a
more retired position and to yield the
field to new costume. The only OBJ
lection to this in tailor made frocks is
that the jackets are more on hand
than one can wear out. So it is as
we'll to break the sequence by an occa-
sional skirt.
All this is for the plain house or
street dress. When one comes to eye
ming dress the matter Is more compli-
Gated. Even here the separate waist
comes in as respectable mskeshift. I
know a woman who considers herself
fortunate in owning a handsome black
broadcloth gown, which she wears on
state occasions, at receptions and teas.
When she goes to dinner where full
dress Is essential, she exchanges the
thick broadcloth waist for low necked
bodice of chiffon and crepe de chine,
but the black broadcloth skirt is still
worn. If she could, she would indulge
hsrself in heavy silk skirt, but as she
cannot, she relies upon the combina-
ton have described.
The same spirit of compromise must
be practiced all through the wardrobe
of the woman of slender means. The
woman who is able to ride in her own
carriage or to summon one from a
livery stables whenever she goes out to
dinner or to the theatre may treat her.
self to long light wrap to throw over
her dinner gown. But she who thinks
herself lucky it she is able to allow her
self new Winter coat once in two or
three years must restrain her desire tor
such pomps and vanities. Her cold
weather outer g~rment may be long,
but it must be dark enough to make it
suitable for street wear. If she chooses
to follow her fancy in the matter of
dainty Innings, we'll and good, but the
outward appearance of the cloak must
be sober and subdued.
After all, one of the best aids to ap-
propriateness of dress is found in con-
sistency. A woman does not wish to
order her clothing on the principle OF
the tramp who when asked what were
his needs in the line of dress, replied,
Il kin get along without clean shirt,
but I'm dyin' for want of buzzom
PIN"
IN N CIT