The Breckenridge news., 1909-10-20

of lady PAINTED by an linpressionist
artist And deep down in my heart
voted them deserved, but didn't ex-
pose my views, for | was making the
rounds with one of the chung" men.
a well known exhibitor Another OBJ
lection raised by the couturier critic
and one with which all people possess
ed OF sense OF humor will be in full
accord is the absurd practice of wind
ing wisps of chiffon or tags of tulle
around the arm of fair subjects. Was
it not Michelangelo who said that
beauty consisted in the purgation of
superflulties? And this is true no less
of dress than of face and form. A
piece of crushed looking chiffon or a
ragged feat her boa thrown carelessly
over the arm is superhuity in every
sense of the word. The same critic
took exception to the scarcity of trim
ming on the painted frocks. The very
name trimming" is suggestive of su-
perfluities. of publicans. of sinners
1t dlstracts the eye, it detracts from
the individuality of the wearer, and Il
hovers periously near vulgarity.
However. this carping critic set my
"think tank" us some one expressive.
ly termed his brain. working. Why
should not artists design gowns for
their beautiful sitters to wear-noth-
ing archaic or crushed, nothing sad
looking or mad looking, nothing of 6
blankety or nightgown description? In
other words. why shouldn't the fash
ions of the season emanate from the
Academy OF Design? 1t may be that
artists are too much engrossed in cap
turing the personalities of their sitters
to bother about their frocks. They
may think that the portrayal of
grandeur aud moral quality" is of In
finitely more Importance. So it Is in
sense, but there Is no getting away
from the fact that clothes have GER
tain relation TO character. |, for in
stance. revel in tailor mades, which
probably accounts for my business
acumen (D. A celebrated French nov
elist once wrote: II have theories about
little things-about gloves, about boots.
about curls. and so forth-and | attach
a great deal of Importance to all this
l have discovered that there is a rela-
tion between the temperament of a
woman and the whim or logic which
makes her select such and such a
stuff" To come back to my original
proposition, artists as fashion design
ers, if sthey would do this we should
,IaI I,1 IL, ftt,, .,I,n
ugliness of modern styles. The term
"artistic" has been too long applied to
attire that is limp and languishing, to
grewsome greens and jaundiced vel
lows. There is really no reason why
chic frock should not be artistic as
well, and, If our best artists would give
some thought to the matter and re-
produce their ideas on canvas. fashion
instead of being. as it often is, dis
torted and ugly thing, might become a
synonym for grace, distinction and
beauty. After this TRADE | feel like
full fledged art lecturer. But, serious
ly, has not Charles Dana Gibson's in
fuence been for good in the sartorial
world? And what would we do in
summer without Gibson waist to
play tennis in?
must tell you about my very sporty
new watch fob that am going to use
when travelling. am so tired Of time
piece bracelets and belt fobs. The
new trinket is n mannish looking affair
of leather-a strap, in fact-eXactly like
that worn by the men suspended from
the coat lapel that gives the watch
enough leeway to drop comfortably
into an upper coat pocket. When this
fob adorns my blue serge travelling
coat it will give an air of smartness 10
the costume. | hesitated between pur-
chasing this style rather than a leath-
er fob which hangs from the belt in
the usual fashion, but at the end has
a round opening in which is incased
the tiny watch, so that, while the face
shows, the watch cannot drop out
The clerk explained that this fob had
been especially designed for the bust
ness woman and as a real comfort sit
couldn't be beaten"
l presume you will be Mortified to
know that am having the living room
papered in black. Funeral? Not
bit. Listen to the scheme, and you
will gain some faint idea of the dainty
and cameo-like finished effect. The
woodwork | have had painted white,
and the dull black cartridge paper on.l