The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-11-01
Dress to Reflect
Personality Is
PetrOUa,s Idea


Nine. Olga Petrova will be the head
liner on the Orpheum bill during the
week of November 10. She is at
| least one woman in the world who Is
not a slave to fashion. In her opinion,
fashion is the autocrat of autocrats,
and if the world is to be made safe for
democracy, a tyrant to be done away
with is the one that relgns supremely
over the international kingdom OF
vogue.
Nine. Petrova is an unusual person.
The idea of wearing a thing simply be-
cause some decree says it should be
worn, TO her it is the height of ridicu-
l%ousness. Livery of any form is dis
tasteful, and fashions in any form are
a mild effort TO put the world in livery,
Why should many women of different
builds, different heights, different
compilations, different colored hair, diff
ferent weights, different shapes, even
think of wearing the same style? What
Is to become of personality, individual
ty, if you disguise 1t with some article
Of apparel that makes you dress the
same as a million-odd other women
throughout the country?
Clothing Is an art, is tho belief OF Pc
trova, and ii should be designed by an
artist. No artist ever paints the same
picture twice, and neither should any
two gowns or n two pair Of boots, or
hats, be the same. The Well-dressed
woman is the woman who understands
herself. The fault in so many cases Ia
the woman. They want to look like
someone else. If a woman would just
try to look like herself at her best in
stead of Lillian Russell and Mary Pick
ford at their worst, the result would
be much better. ,
Because Maxine Elliott looks well in
an Elizabethan ruff is no sign that the
woman whose head squarely rests ON
her shoulders, with no neck at all,
would look well in n But this lady
wants to wear one because she saw a
beautiful picture In one OF the maya
zines. Cinderella had a small foot. but
II some woman who weighs 200 and
some odd pounds tries to wear a slip
per the size of Cinderella's, the appear
ance is that she is deformed. Yet this
woman believes it. She, IN the other
! hand, believes hat everyone admlres
! her for her small feet. According
to Nine. Petrova, then, although II
| doesn't express Nine. Petrova's Ian
guage, Don't kid yourself"
The next thing for the woman who
| would be well dressed to learn Is har-
| mony-the harmony of color-just what
! colors her own personality viii stand
One woman can wear a gown of the
| most pronounced color without its APP
| pearing loud. Another woman with the
same color combination would look like
a circus poster. No artist would at
| tempt to make a lily more beautiful by
| putting patches of green and red ano
yellow on it. Neither should any
| woman try to make herself more beau
| tiful by dressing in a crazy quit. II
| YOU happen to be tall, you may lool
| we'll in a circular creation, but HEAVIER
help the short woman who attempts tt
| wear q dress the colors OF which rur
| horizontally and change alternately
| Nine. Petrova is one Of the best-dresset
women in America. Her dress is abso'
| utely distinctive. Her appearance
makes It possible for her to be a BIZ
bizarre. She can wear the most start
ling creations without looking loud
Her advice to other women she follows
| absolutely and this is, Woman, know
thyself.' This. of course, Is applieC
! solely and entirely to her attire.