St. Tammany farmer., 1905-12-09

Arrangements Of Tints, Shades anG
Grays-Jewelry Should Harmon
ize with General Scheme-Whit,
a Crude Color-Shirt Waists Shoule
Be Cotton and Colored.
The very existence OF such a special
ICED term as monochromy should war;
the reader that some unexpected fac
lies hidden therein.
The word is used to express the fac
that an entire scheme of ornaments
ton can be executed in one color; an6
that the term is needed becomes piaiI
when one considers how generally wo
men seek for at least two colors wher
planning dress. Two colors are not
wrong, of course, but neither are they
necessary to the most refined effects
Indeed, it is not too much to claim
that, in view of the riot of color thai
now prevails, devotion of everyone to
monochromy for decade would prove
invaluable as a training in moderation;
for, once we have ceased to shout, we
shall be able to hear the soft, low
tones again.
But how is it possible to contrive the
scheme, which is necessary for vari-
ety's sake to every dress, with only one
color? Very simply, by playing upon
the tones of the one color. Tones in
clude tints, which are the color mixed
In various ratios with white; shades,
which are the color mixed in various
ratios with black; and grays, which
are the color mixed in various ratios
with gray. Here is variety enough,
while unity is guaranteed by the one
ness of color. In fact, the tonal differ
ences are so marked that frequently
separate names have been assigned
them; as pink for tinted red, brown for
shaded orange, olive for grayed green,
and slate for grayed blue.
Five tones can easily be distin-
guished. and that much variety should
suffice anyone. Among these, strong
effects can be obtained by juxtaposition
of the darkest shade and the lightest
tint procurable; while any degree of re-
fnement can be secured by placing
near together the darkest tint and the
lightest shade, or either of these with
the pure color, which will thus be so
reduced in intensity that it can be used
more freely than would be permissible
In scheme of contrasting colors.
Free choice is allowable in the order
of tones from skirt to hat, except that
the lightest tone must not stay at the
bottom nor the darkest at the top. One
OF the finest arrangements shows the
two lightest tones in the ueadgear, an
tone in the gown, and the
darkest tone in the jacket, with a bit
Of pure color (full tone) in the trim
ming of the gown. The bit of pure
color, or bit of pure black or white in
The shape of embroidery, piping. or the
like, is needful to insure vitality or
crispness to monochromatic scheme.
Besides securing unity and refine
nent, monochromy possesses two other
merits; it displays differences of tex
ture in the. clearest way, and it solves
he shirt-waist problem
The differences of texture seen in
he dullness of cotton or woolen cloth
Ind the varying glows, lusters, or
'parkles on silks, leather, fur. metal.
enamel and gems show at their full
orce to an eye undistracted by differ
'nces of color; and again, tex
ures reinforce those differences
# tone which might otherwise be
70 small as to prove inef-
ective. It is obvious that participa-
ion in such a monochromatic scheme
eQuires that metals and gems be Sc
ected for their color alone, to the ex-
fusion OF. other rareness. This
cheme would therefore displace gold
q favor Of silver for all costumes in
ones Of gray, which includes tints up
0 white and shades down to black. It |
avors the use Of bronze in the various
olOrs-red, orange, yellow and green
7hich are produced in that convenient |
10y; and it assigns their rightful
rtistic value to such cheap gems as
be garnet, while restricting the costly
iamond to the same range as silver.
hese changes would make great gain
or art, while curing the diamond and
old craze from which plutocratic
merica now suffers. Everywhere
nat precious stones and metals are
'orn out of decorative scheming, they
srve simply as signs of a wealth which
as not yet attained to culture in art.
he metals should take shape not in
lagree, but in broadish forms that can
low as patches of color.
The shirt-waist problem demands q
arment which shall be at once cool,
and tasteful. The cool
ess calls for cotton goods; the econo-
y is supposed to call for white color,
ecause all others fade; and in conse-
lence art considerations go by the
,ard, and the white shirt waist haunts
self everywhere.
The quarrel that white has with col
9 arises from its Overwhelming in-
nsity or brilliance; which nearly mo-
opolizes vision to the corresponding
IS OF every neighbor, very much as
e white lightning blinds the eye to
! else. And as nature gives us light
ng only on background OF gray