Evening star., 1933-04-16

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are sometimes only a few. Both
i of them may be made of exactly
the same material and the same
colors. Yet they may be as far apart
as East is from West. because the dis
tinguished frock has something that the
poor one lacks. That something is line.
Couturiers have proved to the world
over and over again that the simplest
materials can be turned into clever and
interesting costumes. They ask only
one thing in regard to fabric-that it
be good of its kind. If cotton, for
instance, it must be well woven and
pleasingly designed; if a velvet, it must
be truly elegant piece OF velet, not
cheap one.
But having good material, even
though it might be the simplest OF SIM
pie cotton, each couturier sets about IN
his own way to create. And the thing
that is created is line. Buyers learn
that every house has its own special
line, and they are able to identify a
gown as belonging to this couturier or
that by the line, or as you might say,
the cut of the costume. That doesn
mean that each designer sets out con-
sciously to follow certain pattern. 1t
is more subtle than that. 1t really
means that each individual designer
has certain likes and dislikes; he likes
materials Mat fall in certain ways; he
is pleased when he Is able to achieve
certain effects. Inevitably, when sucn
a designer starts to work. he creates
costumes which have a certain similar
ity Even over a period of years, de-
signer's frocks will show this feeling
which he has for a certain kind of line.
You will readily understand what I
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the costumes of certain designer. One
house gains a reputation for trim,
youthful models, another for elegant
and sumptuous gowns. The reason is,
of course, that the designer finds pleas
ure in certain type of line.
X X X
RUT one doesn't need to be designer
- to have a preference for a definite
kind of line. Every woman who buys
a frock expresses, whether consciously
or not, her liking for line of one kind
or another. Perhaps you find yourself
invariably choosing costumes of tailored
simplicity. That is because you are
pleased with simple, rather severe
line. Or you may like costumes OF
words, you prefer softer line.
Each type of line may be good or
bad. The line Is good if it is pleas
ing, If it is simple, If it creates feel
ing of harmony, and not of fuzziness.
I am going to illustrate by two cos
tunes. I feel that each of them has
a real distinction of line. They are
pleasing They are chic and in har-
mony with the general mode of today.
Neither annoys one with lot of un-
related detail. But how entirely diff
ferent they are. One dark coat of
soft wool is of a graceful feminine
type. Its line is soft and fattering.
It Is the kind of coat that might be
worn for dressy afternoon wear-and
yet it is so simple that 1t might ap-
pear at much less formal occasions
The other costume of gray wool, with
tailored line. The young woman who
liked a masculine dash to her CO.'S
TUNES might choose it. Yet it is quite
as pleasing, feel, as the other cos
tune And it, too, might be chosen
for smart afternoon wear.
I feel that women do not give enough
time and study to the matter of line.
They are so likely to choose a cos
tune for its fabric or color. These
are important, Of course, but less i'm
portant than line. The fashion con-
scious woman learns her best colors,
and If she is wise she sticks to them
through thick and thin. Women are
less likely to learn their best lines
There are so many theories CT the kind
of line that should be chosen by the
short woman and the tall woman and
the large woman. And I find that,
after reading some of them. am my
self quite bewildered. I think there
is a much better way of discovering
successful line. 1t is simply this:
When you have a costume which is
especially becoming, try to make up
your mind why it is becoming.
X X X
DERHAPS you have narrow, rather
sloping shoulders. In a frock or
coat that fits the shoulders smoothly
your shoulders appear at their worst.