The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-12-14
QUEEN MARY HAS HER
OWN IDEAS ABOUT STYLE

style all Its own, and in this respect
Queen Mary OF England is a notable ex-
ample. Brought up in a simple. unosten-
tatious manner. she never has cared for
the extremes Of fashion Her taste in
| clines to graceful, dignifed modes. and
the example she sets proves an excellent
influence in checking bizarre styles.
The Queen has never worn q hobble
skirt, stin less a harem costume, and in
the face OF persistent fashion arbiters
and society leaders attempts to induce
women to array themselves in frocks Of
tscanty material, Queen Mary has held
to her own modes OF reasonably ample
skirts, which incidentally has earned for
her the gratitude of the manufacturers OF
ladies' dress goods. When the Queens
dislike of scanty skirts was made known
last spring. court dressmakers received
back from their clients any number of
costumes with peremptory orders to put
an extra breadth into the skirts. OF
course, there was a lot OF grumbling at
the trouble which was caused in the
shops, but It quickly became evident that
the wise influence Of the Queen not only
was directed toward the discountenancing
OF an awkward and absolutely ugly mode.
but to promoting increased traffic and
home trade In dress stuffs.
The new fashion consisted mainly in
reducing costumes to a minimum of ma
terial. Manufacturers and diapers soon
were beginning to find out that the guam
tity Of goods ordered was falling of, and
that, too, in the coronation season, when
most people were having more new
clothes made than usual and record
sales had been anticipated. II the Queens
influence did not outright kill the scanty
skirt, II certainly stemmed the tide of
fashion toward greater extremes, and
put many thousands OF dollars into the
tailers OF ladies' dress materials.
The sagacity OF the Queen was de-
monstrated more fully by the aftermath
of unemployed among the makers OF
ladies underskirts that followed the
adoption of the hobble skirt. Because
not only does that narrow garment take
very small amount of stun to make,
but II precludes the wearing OF skirts
underneath, and in consequence the
girls In the mills lost their occupation
In the making of underskirts. and were
put to less profitable work. Result: The
strike and lockout OF some 800 girls at
Northampton.
Turning to headgear the Queens in
fiuence also has been entirely on the
side OF moderation in size Neither she
nor her daughter. Princess Mary, ever
wear large hats. Many years ago
Queen Alexandra introduced that most
bewitchingly becoming and compact
form Of headgear known as the Prin-
cess bonnet, which OF late the ladies
have been content to leave to the al
most exclusive possession OF nurses The
light. small toque followed in the train
OF the Princess bonnet and still holds
its own. For many years Queen Mary
favored the small toque above all other
kinds OF headgear. but she has recent
ly adopted a style OF her own in a hat
Of moderate size with n neat. small
brim shading the eyes. Trimmed high
on the left side with flowers or ostrich
plumes, the Queens hat achieves a
happy medium between the closely fit
ting toque and the modern broad-brim-
med hat.
The fashion thus set by the Queen
has been useful in keeping small hats
in use, and has made it possible to wear /!
headgear which will not Inconvenience
your neighbors in church and other !
places Of public resort. without being
entirely out of the mode. The Queens !
shape, too, is equally good for summer
or winter, the brim being made little
broader for sunny weather. A hat which |
throws a little shade over the eyes is |
becoming
The Queens taste in wells NAV fur |
Their be instanced as an example of her !
influence In preserving simple and be- |
coming fashions. Her example has
kept the spotted net in use in spite of |
the recurrent crazes for large spotted /
and curiously patterned wells which |
In extreme case distorted the features |
OF the wearer and gave the effect of |
a black crocodile running across the
face or an alligator attempting to climb
ones cheek bones.
The return OF brocaded silks to some
FAVOR this season also may be traced |
TO the Queens influence. They are ad-
suited to her tall, handsome
figure and have, a stately. regal effect
most appropriate to royal garments,
when prepared for corona
lion and durbar ceremoniafs. The bro
cades are reminiscent of the courts of
the later Georges. and the Queens lIk-
ing for them may be traced to her
admiration for the beautifully
designed rich brocades worn by her
mother and those stately ladies, her
grandmother and great aunts.
Lace naturally follows in the train
of brocade. and here, again, Queen
Mary has given an incentive to the |,
acemaklng industries of England and
he lace schools OF ireland, by her many
orders of this artistic and graceful
'orm OF trimming. Lace, 1t may be
laid truly enough. is never out of fash
on, but British home industries have
'eceived a distinct stimulus through
he fondness for lace shown by the
aides of the royal family. Especially,
he lace fan and lace sunshade have
'een greatly popuIarized by Queen
Mary
81 The manner in which the Queen has
lsed her influence to promote British
Industries need not be emphasized. The
ilk weavers of England, the linen and
ace makers of Ireland. the tweed
makers of Scotland, and the flannel
OF Wales have occasion
o be grateful to their Queen for her
recollection respecting homemade
FOODS. The aIl-BritIsh idea, has reached
he climax anyway this coronation
ear, and sometimes it took an amusing &
urn. II
1t may be admitted confidently that Y
lot stitch or a thread in any garment '
worm by the Queen or her childreu ]
las passed through the hands of a !
weated worker. She has always made Z
point OF dealing with firms who :.
and who do not give out !
,-Ir &c. r-t-