Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-24
IDEAS ON HOW TO
DRESS BECOMINGLY
by NINE. sIMONE,

The Best Dressed French Actress.
When a woman starts out to buy
hat you may be positive of two things
she Is going to lose her dollars and her
sense at the same time. For millinery is
the malediction of almost every woman;
1t is the stumbling block which stands
in her way of being really well dressed.
Whether she be young or old, rich or
poor, practical or merely pretty, she sue
cumbs first or last to the temptation of
this task. Perhaps You think 1t Is an
easy thing, this buying of a bonnet. Then
come with me to hat shop and 1 shall
show you the dangers that lie In wait
there.
Madame enters the salon determined
that tn time she shall buy only as COM
mon sense directs She will not succumb
to the honeyed words of the siren who IS
disguised as a saleslady. nor will she bear
home a millinery nightmare which has
been described to her as dream" She
will purchase q small, sensible shape
which will arouse the respect, not the
ridicule. Of her family and friends.
No sooner is she inside of the shop than
a modern Circe glides up and takes ma
dame in charge. She enters private
salon lined with glazing mirrors. which
point out to her the shabby defects OF
the hat which she is now wearing. No
need of the mirrors! The saleslady's ac-
speak ng eloquently the things she dares
not as yet put into words.
Madame signs with relief as her &C
cuser disappears. When she returns she
bears in her hand a skyscraper bonnet
and an aeroplane hat.
mo, those are too extreme" the shop
per expostulates finally, holding on to
her original purpose with commendable
determination.
'Ah. but madame. this is chic gushes
the magnificent one. as she balances the
mill merry monoplane on madame's Psyche
knot. But madame demurs-if she is
strong-minded woman. The saleslady
shrugs her shoulders and adjusts the
second creation.
"Ah, madame" she shrieks, in an &C.
stasy of emotion. ut is beautiful! So
smart, so becoming, SO French. 1t makes
madame look SO young"
The shopper succumbs. 1t is bait she
invariably swallows; one she cannot re-
sist, though she may have fallen victim
to this flattery dozen times before.
Here. is a case where experience Is no
teacher. Madame salliess forth supremely
unconscious that she came. she saw and
was conquered.
Every woman has had an experience Of
this kind. No matter how exquisite her
taste may be in the selection of gowns,
no matter how practical her ideas on the
eternal question of clothes, no matter IL
she understands the art Of correct COS
| tuning from to q, she will make
mistake sooner or later in the selection
of her hats. And the reason why most
| women cannot buy hat without COM
hitting either crime or folly Is that
nine out Of ten buy without any definite
| idea beforehand of what they want.
Before contemplating the purchase of
even the simplest hat a woman should
study every feature Of her face as care
fully as she does the lines Of her figure
| when purchasing new gown. If she is
tall she will find that the very narrow
tall hat only accetunates her height when
a fat broad shape would have detracted
several inches from her stature. She also
learns that outstanding trimming is to be
avoided, and that fiat bands Of feathers.
| fiat bows of ribbon or any fiat adOrnment
will add considerably to her best appear
ance.
Her short sister. on the other hand.
must look upon the pancake hat as her
''sawed-OH' look. no matter II she be as
| thin as a sylph or as graceful as fawn.
The medium-shaped hat or tiny toque Is
her best selection. and the trimming must
always be of an upright nature. II, how
| ever, the short woman be overwhelmed
with avoirdupois she cannot crown her
tresses with one Of the diminutive bon
nets which have met with such tremen-
dous success during this season. This
| style of headgear makes her appear al
most ridiculous, for it throws into strong
relief her bulky proportions She should
choose a small shape, to be sure. but one
Of moderate proportions, not too large
nor too small-one which conforms to the
happy medium.
There is still another type to consider
the girl who has retrousSe nose and other
piquant features. She must be especially
careful Of the angle at which she wears
i her hat for she Is apt to ruin her entire
4 appearance by misplaced headgear. The
i turban which comes down well over the
eyes, almost to the nose, Is not for her.
She must choose a model with rolling
brim. which allows her locks to peep
forth as frame for her face. The hair.
by the way, no matter II 1t be of a very
drab shade. Is the best frame any face
can have for 1t takes an extremely beau
i tiful woman to wear a hat successfully
which hides her silken tresses completely.
The wise woman will steer an intermedi-
alto course and beware Of the shoals and
rocks of unsuitable and extravagant mil
linery, and In the wide range OF assorted
shapes and sizes she must inevitably find
something which will suit her taste and
requirements.
l Wells. without which many women
dressed, are In themselves an attraction.
dressed, are In themselves an attraction.
But to some women they are a pitfall.
For to wear veil successfully is some
thing OF an art. The fashion of wearing
|colored face wells continues to be popular
but unless the color Of the veil selected
suits the complexion OF the wearer II
.bo,,ld ~ discarded for then IL iS mt a