New-York tribune., 1920-03-04
The Philosophy of Dress

We are indebted to an observant
reader for the discovery of an in
teresting document, now thirty-fve
years away, yet of real present in
terest. 1t is an article by Oscar
Wilde on "The Philosophy of Dress"
that appeared in The Sunday Trib-
une, of April 19, 1885. That was a
few years after Wllde's visit to
America and in the heyday of his
popularity before disgrace clouded
his name.
1t is for his affectations Of mascu-
line costume, his knee breeches and
his chrysanthemum, the Bunthorne
of "Patience," that one thinks of
Wilde in connection with dress. Yet,
as this article on dress for women
shows, there was the soundest ar
ftistic philosophy in Wilde's general
| theories Of dress. His principles
are those which every intelligent de-
signer of clothes for women to-day
is recognizing; and it is a cheering
process In this world of tediously
slow progress to review Wilde's pro-
nouncement and see how largely his
points have been accepted by fashion.
His first plea is against any dis
tortlon of the figure-by pinching in
waist or cramping foot. If a
child will study the human figure it
will learn much of value, he begins:
ut will learn, for instance, that
waist is very beautiful and delicate
curve-the more delicate the more
beautiful, and not, as the milliner
fondly imagines, an abrupt right
angle suddenly occurring in the mid
die OF the person. 1t will learn again
that size has nothing to do with
beauty. This, 1 dare say, seems
very obvious proposition. So 1t is.
All truths are perfectly obvious once
one sees them. Size is a mere acct
dent Of existence, 1t is not quality
Of beauty ever. A great cathedral is
beautiful, but SO Is the bird that
flies around it's pinnacle and the but
terf1y that settles ON its shaft, A
foot Is not necessarily beautiful be-
cause it is small. The smallest feet
in tho world are those of the Chi
nese ladies, and they are the ugliest
also"
It is line that Wilde stresses
next, and he argues especially for
vertical lines in dress, as long as pos
slble, as against horizontal lines.
Every one recognizes that in dec
Grating room the horizontal line of
a frieze or dado diminishes the ap-
parent height of a room, and that
vertical lines of pillar or panel in
crease it. The waist should be
placed high. Broad, puffed sleeves
are to be avoided, because of the
broad horizontal line across the
shoulders, dwarfing the figure. Wilde
also puts in word for the oblique
ilne IN dress, as OF a cloak falling
from the shoulder across the body
or a gown looped up at the side.
Oblique lines give at once a sense of
dignity and motion, he contends.
Returning to the question Of gen.
eral structure and the human figure.
Wilde lays down this principle:
"The first and last rule is this.
that each separate article of apparel
Is to be suspended from the shoul-
ders always, and never from the
waist Nature, it should be noted
sizes one no opportunity at all of
ssuspending anything from the waists
delicate curve. Consequently. bv
means of tight corset q regular
artificial ledge has to be produced
from which the lower garment NAV
be securely hung.
"Where there are petticoats there
must be corsets. Annihiate the for
mer and the latter disappears. And
have no hesitation In saying that
whenever in history we And that