The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-21

To be among the fashionable throng at the hair dressing parlors of Mrs. Louie B. Porter, at the Hllman, dur l ing the afternoon hours is like attend l ing tea or meeting ones friends at a reception. Here one is sure to find Birmingham's smartest and most repre- sentative set and with Mrs. Porter her. self who is possessed of not only an enviable share of good looks and a very pleasing and charming manner her sa- voir faire as hostess assures one that not only a very profitable afternoon will l be spent but a very pleasant one as well.
 1 In these days when modernity demands that the coifure of My Lady is ss im- l portant as that her name shall appear in the Social Register it is a great good fortune that has come to the modishes of Birmingham that one so artistic and aes- thetic as Mrs. Porter should come among 1 us with the latest and most approved methods in her line of work and to whom the name of artiste may be justly applied-for Mrs. Porter is all this and more too. She is distinctively smart.
 When I first went into hair dress ing I remember what a horror l had of the stiff set look that hair dressers usual 1y give. No matter how carefully the hair is arranged it must not look so.' said Mrs Porter as we chatted few afternoons ago. And l determined then and there that no should ever leave me 1 looking like that.'
 "Now I am glad to hear you say that 1 Mrs. Porter" said l, flor I recall the first time I went into a fashionable hair dressing establishment in New York. I looked at myself in the mirror and was the image of Danton, Robespierre, Murst or some of those other fghty old French revolutionists-with my hair piled up layer upon top of layer, of waves and looking for all the world like a layer cake or something else equally as ridic- ulous"
 '"rhe numbers of hours spent massag- ing, shampooing and waving rebellious locks must not be evidenced by a stiff hair dresser appearancep replied Mrs. Porter. "To the uninformed beholder the coiffure should appear though tossed up carelessly and caught with d ribbon-or ias if the plonteous masses were
 
 held by big artistically placed hair pins.
 But those plenteous masses-are there really many to be found nowadays? It seems to me the cry is for hair, hair, and still more hair" l laughingly said.
 Tt is indeed" responded Mrs. Porter, and the styles are extremely becom- ing.''
 And what is the very latest in coif- lure dressing?' I inquired
 'There is a return of the hair over the forehead" said Mrs. Porter That soft, pretty effect which is so becoming The pompadour of course Is still very flat acros the front while the sides are l quite bouffante and fluffy"
 And which branch of your work do you most care for?' I queried.
 ''I believe that dyeing the hair is per haps the most interesting replied Mrs Porter.
 And can it be done successfully" asked.
 Absolutely" was the quick response. ''I feel that I can do this work so sat isfactorily that 1t can never be detected, | and will never cause any trouble. In fact. I told MT. Scheffler when l was in New York the last time (you know, MT. scheffler is the man that makes the dye) that I could give hirr cards and spades and beat him at his own work.
 "Is there any process for dyeins the hair gray?',, I queried.
 "Absoluteiy none is known to science, replied Mrs. Porter Even with false hair that is dyed gray, it must stay in solutions of the strongest bleaches for AS hours-it is like the bird of paradise feather-the process is very complicated. And besides the dyeing of the hair, what else is your favorite occupation?" Inquired.
 T like to dress character heads-for instance, like that over there" said Mrs. Porter. pointing to a picture on the wall nearby of beautifully coiffured head. "You mean bal pupoudre effects-or watteau head or something of that kind ?' I asked.
 ''Yes, something to harmonize with laces and patches and powder" she re- piled. And then, I am very fond of manicuring.''
 (Which always suggests to my mind that attractive little chatterbox of Pi- nero's in the Gay Lord Quex-she was so clever and so bright, and did you ever hear the definition of the pretty manicurist which relates that she is the divinity that shapes our ends?'' We enjoyed laugh over this clever ism and I proceeded to say:
 Now. tell me, Mrs. Porter, what do
  | with just hair enough to make knot | the size of an electric button?' We can manage either with a small amount of hair, or a great deal, as the case may be. That is one of the se-. crets of the art of correct hair dressing, and besides there's no reason for the