The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-29
CATHOLIC WOMAN'S DRESS

much of worth, so | shall repeat it
just as he said it: I'VE employ over
three hundred girls in our various Of
| fees, and really feel ashamed to take
business men through our plant on ac-
count of the way our girls dress. They
seem to vie with each other in loud
or indiscreet dressing, and more often
the office presents the appearance of a
| ballroom than an abode OF business.
Really / feel sometimes that / should
| make a rule that all our girls must
wear uniform dress. 1t is distract
ing, to say the least, to the young men
employed by us and it tends to keep
them from attending strictly to their
duties. If these girls only knew how
pleasant to the eye of the sensible
man they would appear if dressed ac-
cording to good sense, they would re-
form their ways. A white waist and a
dark skirt, or a plain, businesslike,
One-piece dress with white collars and
cuffs, plain dark shoes and a neatly
trimmed hat is what business girl
should wear, and this attire would win
for them the admiration of the oppo-
site sex. Moreover, the extravaganza
of the dressy girl is a encouragement
to matrimony Young men are afraid
to ask the hand of the average bust
ness girl in marriage, When these
men look in the shop windows and
see high white shoes priced at ten dol
lars to eighteen pair, they resolve on
single blessedness, for they know that
even though they might earn a fairly
good salary it would take an enor-
nous income to dress the average
business girl to her taste"
What to Wear.
AS l said before, such views are il
Illuminating and l. find after speaking
with many Of our business men that
the consensus of opinion is that the
dress of the business woman to be ac-
ceptable should be somewhat on this
order: A simple white waist and, a
neatly made dark skirt, nothing fancy
The skirt to be preferably black or
dark blue. The neck of the waist not
| cut low and the sleeves made long. If
high shoes are worn they should be
of dark shade, either brown or black,
and the dress must cover the top of
| the shoes. If low shoes are worn, then
the dress should come to the top of the
| low shoe. The business girl should
| neither paint nor powder.
If the business girl is thus neatly
attired she will attract the respectful
| attention of sensible young men as
well as the approval of the older men.
So many foolish girls undervalue plain
water and soap as cleansers and
beautifiers and use cosmetics and
| creams instead; the finest. complex
ions are those that pay tribute to
water and soap as congenial necessi-
ties. The muddy skins of the habitual
users of cosmetics and cheap creams
are the best signposts to the young
to beware of their use and the results.
| The business woman, especially the
Catholic business woman, should avoid
| following the fads and fancies of to-
day; she" should never be extreme in
style nor should she be, dressed ex-
actly like an old-time picture. She
should strive for a happy medium and
never sacrifice becomingness for style.
She should endeavor to have two good
dresses for business, rather than half
a dozen cheap ones. She should not
go into a business Office with fancy
colored shoes nor low neck nor short
sleeve dresses.
/ The Sodality Unions, which are be.
ing formed in all large cities in the
country, will no doubt take up the
question of How the Catholic woman
should Dress" and the Socialists them
selves should set good example in
their dress if they wish to pattern
their lives after the "Model of Purity,
the Queen of Heaven.