The Washington times., 1907-05-26
Do Women Really Know
How 10 Dress in Taste?

costume originally meant for the
charms Of French attaches.
Take for example. = decoIlete dress.
T. Is destined Tor shoulders that do not
drop straight from the neck. but show
a dimpIing smile Of light indentation
I'm the middle
lines. setting of the neck. the ears.
the hair and the face IN clear con-
trast and harmony. wants A hat totally
different from that needed for a head
whose chief attraction is only a fine
pair Of eyes or beautiful hair
u is precisely in hats where the
AUglo-SaXon women come 20 grief.
The hats. too. are dictated by Paris.
But many a French woman with no
eyes or hair % speak ef has that very
quality OF lpes all about her head.
and would look quite chsrmsnte n
she puJ newspaper on her hair. tying
q beneath her provoking chin.
or consider another point English
women walk very much more rapidly
than do FrenchwOmen- In fact, while
the most exquisite Parisienne Is some
what ridiculous when she is running
the EnElishw0man is very often AZ
her best in the action OF running All
tSs indicates a thoroughSoinE differ
ence in the hard and soft parts Of the
body
AMI n nov We consider that the
French woman never utters the small
est sentence without emphasizing
every Wor,i with a gesture. while in
England TAX is Ike = piano without
dress in France is meant 20 accom-
PAM, shade and color French CONVEX
sltion- Lsce is used by a Frenchwo-
man ~ curl "a remark Of hers; velvet
IS applied to soften a malicious adjec-
tive. ami silk and its frou-frou are used
IN send iUar,jculate shivers into COM
m"UulaCe phrases.
The secret o. al female dress is IN
the wearing thereof u has. or ought
20 nave. lfe Of its own. It has
grammar and music Of its own To
lay oo ones self TN latest expensive
stuff IS like laying upon ones head
f1iio volumes OF Plato and Aristotle
one does not get the wiser for IT,
The conclusion then is this: Women
I'm England go not excel IN devising
their proper costume. because they
viii sIlyiSlIy initiate the style OF
women essentially different from them.
But why do 500 Why insist some
times with excessive individualism. on
F,ugiisi. houses. English TODD. English
drinks or no drinks, English table
manners. English mutisme or CONVEX
satiou. and why not apply some Of
THIS individualism 70 the deviSing Of
costume better adapted TO the build.
nature and habits Of EnElishwornen?
Would Il not be infinitely wiser. and
infinitely more beautiful. 10 introduce
costumes that shade and color and
frou-frou. that dignity and reserve Of
EXPRESSION which. together with the
beauty of the hard parts Of the face.
the hair and the complexion. are the
distinctive attractions or the Anglo
) Xon woman?
81 far. neither man nor woman has
devised such a dress. I am afraid 70
one viii do so IN the future either
There IS deep and power M cause at
work, preventing all the members Of
all European society proper from in
dulEtng in national dresses Women
will continue 20 take their dress from
Paris. as men will order or initiate It
from London There is no lighting
such a cause Louis XIV the all
pow crful monarch. had very beautiful
hair; but even he had 20 put on the
heavy state wig OF his time He Wa
furious, bur ne wore IT,