St. Tammany farmer., 1905-12-23


dress have established several cleal
truths which should never be forgot
ten. Dress must be determined by fit
ness to the wearer. 1t must, therefore
display the figure. But it's folds must
slur unwelcome details, though they
should favor good points All ina.
mentation should be structural, that is
should conform to the structure CT the
dress, and not to the caprice Ct a
modiste.
We are now ready for some special
problems, and soon find that discussion
RACES around five places-the shcul-
ders, the bust, the waist, the hips. and
the train, but incomparably Eore
about the waist than the other four to-
gether, because this is the pivotal
point where most of the mistakes nave
been made, and also because it in
wolves the other points. The leading
error has always been the constrict-
ed waist; and this, like most errors. is
simply an exaggeration of a truth.
The female spine actually curves in
ward at the waist more than does
that of the male. the female breathes
mainly with the chest, while the male
breathes rather with the diaphragm,
and the broader pelvis of the female
also allows less bulk at the waist. It
follows that woman's waist is natu-
rally far smaller than mans, even in
proportion to her smaller figure; and
this distinctive trait is properly OBJ
served in woman's dress as a great
gain to variety, which is the very life
of art.
The slim waist is beautiful, by rea-
son of contrast with the amp1er masses
above it and below, as also because
of the change in rate of curvature it
produces in the contour But exag-
gerate a beauty. and it becomes a
blemish. to be known and decrie.l by
all balanced minds Their indictment
is this: The average fashion-pla and
fashion-follower show a waist only
half as wide again as the neck, where
as, it should appear at least twice as
wide. This wasp waist is a violation
artificial. and belongs to the same class
with the pinched hand and the spoon
foot. 1t strikes the architect like
column too slender equally for the
weight supported and for the base be-
meath, which as such is termed de-
based. To the sculptor or painter, fa-
miliar with the undraped normal fig
ure, the pipe waist seems as false and
ugly as the cropped ears of dog or
the docked tail of horse, while the
abrupt curve made with the hips
stands far remote from the gradual
curves in Hogarth's fine of beauty.
Our erring sisters have been told
often enough that the CONSTRUCTED
waist is unhealthful, and, therefore,
now they should know that it
is also ungraceful, and as such de-
feats their evident desire for admira-
ton. If this move them not, let them
furthermore, that the tightly
laced girl can never have her waist
squeezed, simply because it has al
ready reached the squeeze limit!
There is the less need to construct
the waist whenever there are folds in
the skirt, and more especially in the
waist, because both systems of neces-
sity converge toward the waist-Hne,
and thus produce an illusion of mar
rowness decidedly beyond what really
exists. The same effect would fellow
vertical stripes or trimming, of course.
A like effect again would result from
breadth of decorative arrangement at
shoulders or hips, but here care should
be taken to keep the breadth at ,he
shoulders less than that at the hips.
IN pain of passing into the masculine
type, which is always broadest at
he shoulders, narrowing from tha
point downward like a wedge. This
point is vital, for no abstract beau
y nor any advantage from change
ian ever compensate for departure
rom sexual type. Nature knows what
'he is about far better than does the
and har made nothing So at
.ractive to man as his counterpart.
md not any ridiculous imitation of
himself.
There are other Elusive effects of |
inc, which prove of great value to
persons of unseemly shape, while they
nay be used at choice by the more |
ortunate few. When a gown is de-
signed in reference to such individ-
,a1 fraits If hacomos fru1v hooon.;.
hat is, it comes to properly adcrn it's
Eearer. The chief of these Illusions |
s that lines carry the eye along them,
md so increase the apparent dimen-
ion in,which they lie. In consequence,
he tall woman may reduce height by
he use of horizontal lines, whether in |
pattern, fold, or trimming; while the I
short woman will increase her height by
vertical lines. It follows. |