Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

~ has been aaid that women are
III divided into two classes; those who
think or the hat flYst and the gown
afterward, And th6ss who think Of
be gown Snd pay little Attention to
he hat
The difference IN these attitudes 81
mind toward essential parts OF cos
umery is topic that artistic Dress
makers never fail to find interesting.
Interview . milliner and he will tell
you that woman may wear an unims
portant gown and rise to heights OF
bartoriai success IL she wears an I'M
bortant hat. Interview dressmaker
and she viii insist that the gown should
be- purchased before any other part OF
he costume. and that all other things
bhould be added 'tnereunto. with or
without care.
So. after an. you see. It Is the com.
merciaiist most interested In the wares
be or she has to sell who adapts the
argument to suit the case. 1t Is no
wonder that women fall between two
tools when they SO rarely find an ad-
wiser who IL able to visualize the whole
costume and either sell all OF It TO the
eustomer or part of II with 2 plan lor
the rest thrown in as good will
=
I There are shops in this country where
(bne can be fitted out in everything but
yshoes and stockings. and even these
Twill be bought for the customer II so
kes!red. These shops have modelled
themselves on the exclusive French
Splaces where lingerie. hats. wells. furs,
HANDBAGS and parasols are offered as
accessories to the purchased gown. II
&he person at the head of such a shop is
= competent and artistic adviser, then .
woman cuts her troubles In naif ~
having the entire costume mapped out
In one place and sent home IN one oox.
{ 1t takes q supreme artist to 60 about
from shop to shop, buying gown at
Pne place. a hat At another. wrap
here and shoes there, and then 60 nome
and assemble the various parts into q
Successful whole.
This kind of shopping is the chief
recreation and delight of certain types
of women. and woe be to the adviser
who takes IL away from them, for their
occupation in life would be gone ana
they would always consider that they
were driven by machinery instead or
personal inclination; but the genuinely
artistic woman. the active woman, the
business woman would like to equip
herself from head to foot under one
roof, at one time, and dismiss from her
mind the problems Oh tnat costume
In looking at the whole scheme of
dressing from the point of view of
reporter Of clothes. the safe assertion
IL that the milliners are right No gown
can justify ITSELF, or Its wearer for
choosing 1t, if it is married by the wrong
hat. On the other hand. q good hat
which is admirably posed and which
brings out all the best there Is in .
face, can redeem a gown that would
otherwise be a deplorable failure. That
Is the way to judge the merits.
There was once a time when women
and the public gave more attention to
the face than to the figure. or to that
vague and elusive thing called style. A
woman had to be pretty, and her pref
tiness of the kind that women under
stood and men admired. Her figure might
be unshapely, her gowns chosen at ran
dom and often i'll fitting, but the lovely
face was featured and exploited above
everything else.
Surely, but imperceptibly. the view
point of the world toward good-looking
woman changed. People demanded more
than lovely face: they grew artistic
and wanted lovely silhouette. Then
they grew insurgent and announced
that they cared little for prettiness In ]
the face unless 1t was accompanied by.
ana often overshadowed by. style and
well fitting clothes. In short, women /
today have q greater task forced upon
them IL they would. commend their APP |
pearance to the public A woman WAS