FABRICS THAT SLENDERIZE
First of all, buy your clothes with deliberation so that they will look
as though they belonged to you, not as though they were bought in a
hurry. Deliberate buying is the economical way. Emergency buying in
clothes is like food from the delicatessen—it’s a “make shift” and an
expensive one.
Buy for suitability, for smartness, and think of all the uses you can
make of a garment before you buy. If it’s a dress, what wrap or hat will
you wear with it? Does it mean new shoes, new hat, and gloves? If so,
then consider the advisability of purchasing another style which would
look well with the accessories you have and are wearing with another
costume. Buy few clothes if you must, but buy the best quality fabrics
your purse will allow. And buy carefully. Being well-dressed is not so
much a matter of money as it is information, for the well-dressed woman
gives evidence of discriminate deliberation, of knowledge applied to
selection, and of a wise choice of accessories as well as essentials. So
take heed and take your time about every purchase so that everything
harmonizes perfectly with what you have and so that every article, from
shoes to hat, has its part in aiding slenderness rather than in
emphasizing stoutness.
FACTS TO KNOW ABOUT MATERIALS
Acquaint yourself with materials, their wearing qualities, their
clinging proclivities, and their color quality. By this latter, I mean
their ability to “take the dye” and be soft and rich in their shades,
because certain shades we must wear, and we don’t want to have them dull
and lifeless, like brownish black or grayish drab. We want them to be
deep and soft like those of beautiful old fabrics that have been ripened
to an inimitable softness by age.
The most becoming colors for us come in good fabrics, so for the average
woman there must be economy in the number of dresses rather than in
their quality. A garment made in good style and of good material is more
of a credit to you when half worn out than a cheap new garment could
possibly be.
It is necessary to remember, too, that materials with a glossy,
brilliant surface or finish, no matter what the color of the fabric may
be, are difficult to wear and are not generally becoming, because the
sheen and, in some instances, the stiffness tend to make the figure
appear larger. Materials of soft finish or dull colors, on the other
hand, will make the figure appear smaller and will attract less
attention.
Every fat woman loves pastry and taffeta. We know that before we start.
Pastry you can eat if you study hard to dress correctly, but taffeta you
cannot wear because it sticks out where it shouldn’t and does not cling
as it should. The surest way to have you avoid it is for me to tell you
that it adds 20 pounds, and it truly does. The luster of satin
eliminates it from our list while the conspicuousness of large-figured
fabrics makes them equally inappropriate. When you see lengths of large
figured fabrics in the shops, you may be tempted, but do not buy. They
will thwart your whole purpose of putting into the clothes you wear the
lines that make for slenderness and grace.
[Illustration:
These two pictures illustrate improper and proper choice of fabrics
for a stout figure. Above, the large-figured material adds size, the
fur trim shortens, the round beads shorten the neck. All conspire to
emphasize weight.
]
[Illustration:
Here a small all-over pattern minimizes size, the plaits and tassels
lengthen, the necklace adds a slenderizing touch. The appearance as
a whole is graceful and youthful.
]
WHY AVERAGE “BARGAINS” ARE NOT AN ECONOMY FOR YOU
Shun bargains of miscellaneous materials. Unless you are offered a type
of material that will slenderize, don’t buy it. And never stint your
dresses by using remnants. Your dresses should never have an extra inch
visible but likewise they should never in the least appear as though
they were stinted in cutting. And that means that you must always have
plenty of hems and facings and bias sleeves or bands if you want them.
Stingy, scrimpy hems on big folks’ skirts are a “give away.” Always buy
enough material for at least a 3½–inch hem, and more if fashion allows.
It is pitiable to see a big man humiliated and equally so to see a large
woman in cheap flimsy fabric. Save up your pennies and look out for
remnants if you must, but don’t buy cheap materials. The better
materials, too, are an incentive for more careful planning, and as a
result you have a more likeable, wearable dress.
CHOOSE THESE SLENDERIZING FABRICS
What _can_ you wear to create the illusion of slenderness? In woolens,
everything except firm hard finished weaves, or those in big or definite
designs or colors. If silk is to be purchased, consider the closely
woven heavy ones. They may cost a little more, yes, but they wear
longer, and when you give thought and time to making a perfect dress you
are happy to have it last as long as it will. Some big women delight in
chiffon and Georgette and lace dresses, but these fabrics must not be
used unless a substantial foundation dress is worn under them.
No one needs to use so much care about the foundation of her dress as a
stout woman. It must be wholly non-transparent. It must fit perfectly,
and any dress of lace or sheer material fitted over it must follow the
slip silhouette easily but perfectly. Some designers use two and three
thicknesses as though they were one. They say this softens the line,
weights the fabric, and proves altogether advantageous where grace and
line are desired.
Materials like faille or bengaline, with a definite crosswise grain, are
smart and becoming and are best when cut and made crosswise. They hang
more limply and, therefore, are more graceful and entirely desirable for
slenderizing.
Often the mistake is made of choosing a material with wide stripes, due
to the prevalent belief that stripes tend to make a person look slender.
This is generally untrue. The stout woman can wear striped material, but
the stripes, as a rule, must be fine and without definite color or line
when viewed from a short distance. In other words, stripes should be
felt, not seen, except at very close range. Stout women, and, in fact,
most women look better in materials of plain or indistinct design in
harmonizing colors than in those of bold design and of decided color
combinations.
The heavy silks, striped by means of the weave, and in self color, are
the best for tailored dresses. The heavy crêpe weaves are more
appropriate for draped dresses planned for occasional wear. And the best
quality means the best wear, appearance and general satisfaction. It is
better to have one very good, smart dress and take care of it than two
cheap dresses that you are never quite satisfied with.
In selecting material for skirts, stout women should choose either plain
fabric or fabric with a narrow or indistinct stripe or small figure and
of a texture that is as soft and pliable as Dame Fashion permits.
For summer wear, good quality voiles are better than linens, and the
crêpe de Chines are better than the tub silks, because they cling, and
that, after all is a vital consideration. Swiss, organdie, and ratiné,
like taffeta, are too stiff or bulgy to give slenderness, so these
fabrics must be admired always from a safe distance. Allover lace is
permissible if of small design and heavy enough to hang rather than
bulge.
For quick and easy reference I have made a complete list of fabrics that
are certain to create a line of slenderness—materials that you can
safely wear with the assurance that if properly used they will do much
toward giving you the slender, fashionable lines for which you are
striving. When all is said and done there is really quite a varied range
of fabrics for you after all.
MATERIALS YOU CAN WEAR
_Wool for Dresses_
Charmeen (if not too lustrous)
Challis
Covert Cloth
Flannel
Poiret Twill
Poplin
Serge
Wool crêpe
Wool velour (light weight)
_Wool for Coats_
Bolivia
Morvilla
Wool Velour (heavy)
Also fabrics listed for dresses which are suitable for light weight
wraps
_Silks_
Bengaline, Poplin or Faille
Canton crêpe
Canton satin (dull side)
Crêpe de Chine (heavy)
Crêpe Romaine
Crêpe Roshanara (plain and self-striped)
Faille
Georgette (heavy)
_Wash Goods_
Batiste
Crêpe
Gingham (soft quality)
Poplin
Voile
Handkerchief and plain non-crushable linen, provided the latter is not
stiff
HOW TO LOOK SMART AT ALL TIMES
Never hesitate about navy blue in fine wool or heavy silk. When
beautifully made, either of these may be irresistibly youthful, and if
care is used in selecting rightly balanced designs, such dresses can be
so interestingly varied as never to be monotonous. For instance, a
change of collars is allowable. One day smart turn cuffs may be worn,
and the next day omitted, all giving variety without deviating from the
path of good taste and slender emphasis. And navy blue is _always_
smart, no matter what the prevailing fashion may be.
Watch for values. Know the kind of wool you want; avoid stiff satins and
taffetas. Remember when buying or planning dresses that wools that fuzz
up and satins that have a stiffness back of their shininess, taffetas
that stick out, and voiles and Georgettes that are over-sheer are to be
avoided. Fortunately, the better grades of these fabrics eliminate these
tendencies by the very quality of the fabric, and to say that shiny
satin is not possible for the large woman is unnecessary, although there
are some qualities of satins soft enough to be wearable, provided the
sheen is not too decided. But the heavy crêpes are always more desirable
because of their weight and lack of luster.
IF YOU MUST PRACTICE ECONOMY
If I could have but one dress, I should choose soft, brown Canton crêpe
with a satin side to use as trimming. If I could have just two dresses,
one would be blue cloth and the other brown crêpe because both are
becoming. I say they are becoming despite the fact that a prominent
color specialist says that black, blue, and brown are heavy colors and
not the best for large figures. But the use of such a simple accessory
as a scarf of lace or chiffon can lift out of the ordinary a brown crêpe
dress and can in the quality of its beautiful, smart lines, prove doubly
effective. And fine white linen or piqué collars and cuffs can do
wonders to a simple, correct-fitting one-piece dress of blue cloth.
I know of a certain manufacturer of a very excellent line of dresses for
stouts. Expensive? Certainly, but worth the price, for following the
rules of optical illusion is practically a religion with him. He uses
only navy blue—the darkest navy—in heavy faille, crêpe silks, Poiret
twill, and charmeen. Some are trimmed in white linen or piqué, a few
with net, but the majority are untrimmed, tailored, and pressed “to a
turn,” even when made of silk. Dresses of this type are of a quality
which will permit of one remodeling at least, so that the maximum of
wear may be had from them. When this is possible the material can be
really “worn out” because it was conservative in the first place and did
not lose its style value too rapidly.
The feeling of satisfaction you get from such a costume, even when you
discard the outfit, is much to be preferred to an attempt to wring the
last drop of usefulness from your clothes by wearing them in the home.
Never do this. Rip up, renovate, and make over, but don’t be shabby at
home. There is too much to lose if you do. The stout woman just _must_
get into the habit of looking smart at _all_ times. Once acquired, it is
a habit that brings with it a sense of pride, pleasure, and
self-reliance very much worth cultivating.