The San Mateo item. (San Mateo City, Putnam County, Fla) 189?-19??, 1909-07-10
"sHEATH1 FIGuRE.


be literally changed to suit the short
waIsted, long skirt Directoire lines.
These, strangely enough, consist in
straight up and down" appearance
that Is not TO be confounded with
straight fronts" The latter showed
as much curve in the waist line over
the hips as muscle or nature could
make, but in the newest models there
is no curve, for a board is no straight
er than the latest figure, and to at.
tain this the waist must be large
a reversal, truly, OF what has been
and, therefore, the more difficult to
adjust
1t is extremely unlikely that a
woman will wish to make her waist
line grow after years of trying to
keep It down, therefore, she may iind
herself encased in pads, while the
new stays she adopts come only to
the waist line, being really girdles.
The hips, unless they are extremely
large, are unconfned, and for grace
this last is desirable. Only when
they are unencased in stiff steel can
a woman move with any of the so
much to be desired undulation.
II there is danger OF her hip di-
mension being broader than that or
the waist It will be necessary 10 wear
a separate wide belt $50 called for
lack Of a better name) that Is fitted
and boned to the body. This article
must be entirely separate from the
stays for the upper portion of the
frame, and there Is no doubt that the
former will be uncomfortable. New
ertheless, these two-piece corsets are
a great deal more easy to wear than
the long kind formerly worn. for in
the new the waist is unrestricted In
this very fact, however, lies their
danger for women who sit carelessly,
for they must hold themselves with
martial erectness and without any
aid from steels, and unless they
straighten the spine they will slump"
so shockingly when sitting or stand
ing that the gown will be merely one
mass of wrinkles. This, in any EN-.
pire effect, is not to be permitted, for
the dress material must be fat and
smooth over the front Of the figure.
1t would be a wise plan for any
woman who means to adopt the modl- |
fled empire models to learn TO sit
and stand correctly, so that her |
frooks will look their best. To ac-
quire the habit is all that is neces-
sary, and one good way of helping |
is to sit properly in a chair for five |
minutes at time. Such a pose rs |
will keep the back straight consists !
in sitting back until the spine (about !
two inches from the tip rests firm |
ly against the chair back. This has i
the effect of throwing the shoulders
into position instead of allowing them !
TO sag. The abdomen should be held /
in, though not rigidly, and thought
must be given 10 having the chest
well expended.
Once a person learns TO hold this
position when sitting. large hips will
be prevented and the entire figure
will be improved.
One who is observing will note
that a woman, as a rule, when she
sits. collapses. letting the shoulders
come forward and the spine curve
almost like an IS" toward the lower
part. This inevitably brings big hips.
To insure correct poise Of the head
place a book on top while sitting. This
may seem a great deal of trouble, but
II is necessary to look graceful in
costumes that are extremes OF fash
lon. Failure In these details makes a
woman grotesQue.
An excellent exercise TO aid In ac-
CURING correct standing position is
10 stand without heels and place the
body fiat against wall. Holding
This position. a step forward should