The Cairo bulletin., 1908-11-22
Ry ANNA srnEsE RICHARDSON

RY ANNA STEESE RICHARDSON
The self-supporting woman in
America has won an enyiable repu-
tatlon for good taste In dress Not
even in Paris, where every woman is
supposed 10 be chic and to have an
air, do the self-supporting girls
bear the stamp of gentility in clothes
that you note In any large city or fac
tory town in the United States.
Said Frenchman to me not long
ago as we sauntered through a mod
eI department sore
Your working girls they are
wonderful See, they are ladies.
Such well-kept hands, such beauti-
fully coifed heads, such smart shoes,
They must spend much time to make
themselves ready for work. Nowhere
else In the world viii YOU see such
girls earning living.
Whereupon ! remarked that no.
where else in the world would he
find girls earning such good salaries
achieving such business success.
What's more / firmly believe that
much OF the American woman's bus
mess success Is due to her good
dressin&
First your office and store clothes
must be marked by the simplicity
which is truly elegant and which
gives your figure the best lines pos
sible
For business, above all things the
tailored suit with straight plain
lines. There must be neither folds
nor Hounces to harbOr dust There
must be no jeweled buttons nor
cheap gilt buckles to distract the eye
from Che slim, trim figure, to which
the suit is fitted. There should be
one fabric to the suit. with stitching,
fiat braid or plain buttons for trim
ming Cloth, not silk or velvet, for
winter, and III summer linen, not
siimsy batiste and lawns.
The correct business attire for the
modern woman suggests the best
tailoring worn by men aud with just
the touch Of femininity which viii
save the woman from a certain hard
ness and harshness which is assoc
ciated with the oldtime blue stock
ing.
Unless employed as a eloak-and-
suit model or as a salesgirl In a suit
or millinery department the business
woman does not wear trained skirt.
Her skirt clears the ground by at
least an inch, and two inches is bet
ter In a dusty Office or store
with this suit she wears what is
known as a tailored shirt waist, and
this does does not mean severe
waist without any sort of trimming.
Shoes and gloves are most i'm
portant items in the business Wom-
an = wardrobe. Her shoes must fit
perfectly or she viii pay t. pen-
atty Of exquisite suffering during and
after working hours. If she wants
TO gain the approval OF her employer
she viii never wear shoes run down
at the heel. shoes that need polishing
or shoes that need fresh laces.
A problem which always confronts
4 business girl is that OF wearing
jcwelry. | know THAT many women
contend that no properly dressed !
business girl ever wears jewelry, save |
perhaps q brooch at her collar
If you have an inconspicuous but |
good bracelet, slip it under the cuff |
Of yoar tailored waist. and refresh |
your eyes whenever you look az It /
II you have "A plain string Of good |
gold beads. wear them on your sim /
pie silk or lawn waist with les match /
ing collar. They will not look well .
II worn with stiff linen collar ana /
.ravai. however. i brooch vi stick |
pin is never out Of place where il
belongs at the throat
What mas brought jewelry into
lisreputc in the business world is
The girl who wears tight-fittng /
string Of imitation pearls and a cheap /
gold locket and chain around her |
5uled ribbon collar; cheap gaily /
watch on fancy pin on 4
he outside Of her shirt waist. three /
Dr. four tinkling bangles studded with I
he cheapest OF imitation gems. and /
lot OF SNOWY rings.