New-York tribune., 1920-05-09


that in deferring to the older wom-
ems Judgment they may lose the
knack for dressing according to
their own individualities.
No hard and fast rules can be
made on the way women in busi-
ness should dress, according to Miss
Gladys Carr, of the Wall Street
Women's Club. But an example can
be set by older and concededly sue
cessful women which the younger
women will want to follow.
Should Teach by Example
"When you ask the frivolously
dressed girls in business why they
dress the way they do the answer
usually is because they do" said
Miss Carr last week. "It's hard to
find out juAt who the girls mean by
they, but they WELD a great influ-
ence. 1t seems to me that the best
way Of eliminating undesirable dress
among business women would be for
some Of the older women with good
ideas upon suitability to try to be-
come the they from whom business
girls would want to copy.
"Setting an example is the best
way to accomplish reform, if that is
what it may be called. We don't
want to pose as dress reformers. We
want to give the best of the lessons
we have learned alone to the younger
women sympathetically. Reform
would set them against us"
ut is the duty OF older and more
successful women in business to
dress we'll and suitably" said Miss
Julia Doran. "Why is it that so
many successful women have to look
as though their clothes came out of
the ragbag? They do more harm in
the matter Of dress for business girls
than anything else. Successful
women ought to dress as we'll as they
can and make suitable business
clothes attractive. The sloppy ap-
pearance of some of them is really
an evil influence upon the younger
women.
"Girls entering the workaday
world look, about them and see the
women in big jobs frowzy looking,
unkempt and altogether unattrac-
, tive. 1 don't want to be like that
they say to themselves, unconscious
ly getting the impression that sue
cess in a business way and frumpish-
ness go together.
TASTE" Not ''Sense"
"The best thing business women
can do in the matter of dress is to
set an example which the younger
girls will want to follow> We want
them to develop good taste, not to
swath themselves in unbecoming
things that have common sense for
their only recommendation. In fact,
| don't consider ugly clothes sensi-
bic.
Each woman should have enough
leeway in the choosing of her clothes
to select dress that is becoming to
her and that expresses her person.
ality. If a certain number of de-
signs were launched each year,
not so different from those Of the
year before that they would put last
years suits out of the wearing,
every girl could be suitably and we'll
dressed. They would wear the
clothes and the criterion would be
established"
Miss Elizabeth Sibley, president
of the Wall Street Women's Club,
has found for herself that tailored
suits are the most satisfactory busi-
ness garb.
However," she says, 81 live at
home and do not have the burden of
laundry. My blouses are most of
them of washable material, and |
4 know what the expense of keeping
them fresh would mean if / could
not have them done at home. And
/ shouldn't advise any girl to wear
SUITS and blouses unless she could
keep the blouses fresh. Bedraggled
and mussv blouses are about as Of
fensive as anything I can think of
in women's clothes"
The georgette blouse is one of the
principal points Of complaint in
the business girls Office dressing.
"Some georgette blouses are, of
course, in good taste," said Miss