Evening star., 1933-03-26
BY LYOLINE.
Of ten Is the simplest. That doesn't

may DC lalu uoWh es RUE tnat
the smartest frock nine times out
OF ten Is the simplest. That doesn't
j necessarily mean froeks devoid Of
ornament, or plain to the point
of monoteny. The truly simple frock
is built around an idea, and every line
and detail serves to bring out and en-
phasize that idea. If there is trim
ming, it is related to the design in a
close, necessary way. There is har-
nlony in the lines, and an appreciation
of the part detail plays.
In every smartly designed frock there
Is a center of interest. 1t may be the
skirt or the blouse, the Heckline or the
shoulders. But if the dress is to be
really chic, and effective, 1t will stress
some one feature, and not three or
four. If, for instance, you are buying
an evening gown, you will be wise to
choose one that concentrates the in
terest on, say, the bodice, keeping the
in which interest is placed on the skirt,
you will want to make sure that the
bodice is not overturned.
This is a principle that ought to be
self-evident, but I often see it violated.
Yet think it is rather important that
women should realize the Importance
Of having just one real point of in
teFest in a costume. When an artist
paints a picture he does this very thing
He consciously or unconsciously selects
point of interest, and, by skillful use
Of color and design, Gala ones atten-
ton to this point. The woman who
wishes to be smartly dressed must also
abide by this rule.
TT IS not enough to choose q dress,
= however, that is we'll designed, The
entire costume must be built up skill
fully. And here too often, I find that
women make mistakes. They may begin
with a well cut dress or suit, but in
their choice of accessories, and Of col
or accents, they overlook the principle
OF simplicity, and of concentration OF
interest. AS result, their costume is
spetty and lacks distinction.
Let me explain further with an IL
lustration. You may have chosen a
simple street frock. You realize that
a frock Of this type demands smart,
simple accessories. But in your desire
to give interest to the costume you de-
eide to add q color note. That Is ex-
cellent, and, wisely employed, can give
distinction to the costume. You may
choose simple felt hat, matching the
dress in color, and then, for the sake
Of color interest, you add an ornament
of bright red. That spot Of color in-
stantly draws attention. 1t becomes a
point of interest. It may definitely
add something to your costume. &.
II, In your eagerness to accent the
costume, you edd not only red orna-
ment to your hat, but red belt, red
buttons, perhaps red-bordered hand
hove tod 1nf
of interest, but many, and as q result,
have lost the very effect you had hoped
to gain. One, or at NEST two color
accents, are far more effective than
four or five.
IN one dress have used for the dress
itself a light colored wool. To give
interest to the costume, which might
lack vividness, have added gtiet IN
brilliant coloring. That at once calls
attention to the frock above the waist
line. But have still further created
an interest In this part Of the costume,
by the design itself. The skirt Is very
simple, indeed-a straight line with
fullness introduced through the use OF
a few pleats. The whole interest
really is concentrated above the belt.
The wide-shoulder effect is emphasized
by the flaring lines in the front OF the
gilet = lines given still greater en-
phasis by rows of buttons. The slant
ing lines at the neck, and the sleeve
lets cut in one with the gilet, also
serve to call attention to the wide
shouldered design. Now, because ! did
not wish in any way to detFact from
this single point Of emphasis, ] chose,
to accompany this costume, the very
simplest kind Ct accessories. The