Year: 1860

II need not cost much money to dress well,
and on the other hand person may be expen-
svely and yet not well dressed. Foreigners
say that American ladies spend more for clo-
thing and ornaments than those of any other
nation but they do not express the opinion
that the ladies of this country are more at
tractively arrayed than those of Europe. Some
one has made whimsical calculation after the
following manner. ssThere," says he, ssgoes
lady with fifty bushels of corn upon her back"
her silk dress equaled the market value of
the corn /; another had bale of cotton in her
bosom, represented by diam ond pin a third
carried two tuns of hay upon her head in the
shape of a bonnet and another cucumber
ed with quarter section Of land in the form
of a brocade skirt. Yet not one of these per-
sons was well dressed. The observer looked
upon them he would into the window of
dry goods store, or jewelers. shop; he saw
splendid display but it attracted attention
from the wearer, TO what she carried. The OBJ
ject to be gained by taste in dress is 20 adorn


to attract attention to the wearer, and to high
ten the pleasure OF looking upon her. Now,
if the bonnet the shawl, the jewelry, or the
dress, is the center point of attraction, they
detract from, rather than add to the wearer's
charms. A good writer on this subject has
said: "a lady is well dressed, when you cannot
remember a single article of her clothing
meaning that no one thing should be so con-
spicuous as to attract attention, but that all be
suited to the peculiar bodily habit of the wear
er. Now, whatever fashion may dictate, it
not make the same style suit tall and
short person. The present amplitude of crno-
line gives rather queenly air to tall dign-
fed lady, but upon short, and especially up
on a corpulent person, its effect is ludicrous.
When narrow striped stuffs are worn, they
make person appear taller, and very tall la
dy should shun them unless she wishes to
highten her apparent stature let her rather a
dopt wide stripes or large figures, or patterns
which have contrary effect. So, too, in the
matter Of colors. AT one time pink is the
prevailing style, and it suits a dark complex
ion quite well, but it gives a frightful greenish
hue to one of very fair pale cheeks; such
should choose green or blue tfntS if they would
appear well in preference to being fashionable,
while darker colors are safe to nearly all. A
gain, good taste is greatly violated by wrong
assortment OF colors in dress. Thus violet
bonnet may be entirely spoiled by blue flow
ers, or ayellow skirt by pink sash. Green
associates we'll with violet; gold with dark
crimson or lilac; pale blue with scarlet; pink
with black and white; gray with scarlet or
pink. The most Objectionable and perhaps
the most common fault to be avoided, is want
of harmony in the richness of the several arti-
cles composing the dress. Thus We often see
a costly mantilla thrown over a cheap delaine;
CANDY bonnet accompanied by cheap shawl;
splendid parasol shading slady' in calico.
Such contrast reminds one OF the school boy
who invested his first half dollar in pair OF
silk gloves, and was saluted by his comrades
with the cry, "patch On both knees, and gloves
on!'' The delaine, the calico, the mantilla,
the parasol, may all be well enough by them
selves, but they do not accord well together;
for harmony is the very first essential in cor
rect taste.-.4n,. .4gricslturfst.