The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1905-11-11

OpOA GllOLlOA Xix oluC liz
Black Waist, Yellow Skirt Medley
Articles of Clothing Should b
Selected with Reference to VIVA
They Must Accompany - French
Fashion Journals Say the Ha'
Should Harmonize with Gown.
beauty of line, it must still yield pre-
cedence to beauty of color. In tht
first place color enjoys the same ad
vantage over line as Togo's guns die
over ROjestvenSky'S, it has a longer
range. The intervening air soon be.
tant object, so that a painter car
properly depict a figure in his land
scape by three or four blots of color
because this much is really all that
any observer sees, though he often
thinks he sees more simply because he
knows that there is mor to be seen,
Then, in the case where color is near
one, it is usually more insistent than
is line, being stronger in its effect
upon emotion, while line appeals more
strongly to intellect; and being mas
sive, while line can never be more
than liny. Lastly, color can Eve COM
pensate in some degree for bad line,
and is frequently so used by orna-
mentists.
But, If color be thus chief, how
chief must be the chief thing about
color! The dominating Importance of
this chief of the chief cannot be too
strongly impressed upon the mind OF
anyone that wears clothes. And
though the secret is an open one and
Is as simple as can be, 1t is still hidden
from the mass of womankind. 1t is
unity. Without it, no work Of art,
whether musical, literary or artistic
can exist; and therefore, since all
dress belongs Of necessity to decora-
tive art, every costume must keep
unity in the forefront, first, last and
all the time.
Consider, for example, this case.
which is not drawn from imagination
but was actually seen upon the street:
Red and blue hat, black waist, and
yellow skirt. These colors are not
simply four, which might conceivably
not be too many, but show no obvious
unity of selection or arrangement and
very little that can be searched out.
Doubtless the wearer had never given
the matter of arrangement a single
thought, had probably never heard Or
read that it was desirable to keep her
self collected together in one place and
not provoke an artistic eye to view
her with alarm as an object which,
being composed of such mutually re-
pellent elements, might explode and
fly apart at any time!
1t is to be feared that many articles
of clothing are selected, as are most
articles of furnishings, without refer
ence to the other articles they must
accompany. But such a malpractice
makes a nOndescript, styleless, scat
tering, and eve queer medley of what
could and should be a united, consist
ent and harmonious muster of mutual
ly helpful parts. This commanding
principle is observed by the best
dressers, Of course; but, like the best
speech and the best manners, spreads
only slowly to the less gifted, Guilt
waited and Observant many. The in
.sistence upon unity must be main
tanned, though the varieties of unity
be several, which happily is quite
true, and though degree Of unity be
left to individual temperament or to
the love for change. But plan or
in accordance with some &C
knowledged principle must somehow
be shown.
No article of feminine attire is SO
likely to bolt the ranks OF ordered
unity as is the %headgear, whether hat
or bonnet, flower, ribbon or other
ornament in the hair. The head is an
outlying member Of the body, and
to many persons for that reason
to be a fit place for any vagary of
they may fancy. 1t is rather for
that reason to be the more carefully
W luc SupSlSIi uCCuIC IL ~ uOUIy
crowns; and it is SO bound in those
cases which alone are worth
consideration.
Thus, an examination of the French
journal, lie Figaro-MOdes,"
for the years 1923, shows that out
of SO costumes the hat had the same cases.,
while in only nine cases, One-fourth
as the gown in % cases, the
color as the fur in two cases, and
4 properly contrasting color in three
the whole, was the color of the hat
eft to individual caprice. Among the
36 hats only one was black and that
worn with a yellow gown, in OBJ
,ervance of the rule that at least one
color In any combination must be
warm cred, orange Or Yellow and not
,old (green, blue or violet, assuming
hat black is a cold color. If the gown
contained two colors, the hat schemed
either with one of them or with both;
and such a choice is obviously permits
;ible, since unity is maintained in
,ither case.
These examples from a fashion book
ire the more trustworthy. because
:olor offers no inducement, as does