The garment worn directly under the graduation dress has much to do with
the effect of the dress itself. This garment should not be picked up at
random but the fullness of its skirt and the design around the neck
should be planned to suit the particular dress pattern selected.
Underwear is to the dress what the foundation is to a house, and it
should be built just as skillfully. It is impossible to secure a dainty
graceful effect in a dress when it is worn with a clumsy petticoat.
Styles change in underwear just as they do in dresses and the silhouette
of the outer garment must decide what the lines of the under one shall
be. For the present styles soft yielding materials are absolutely
necessary for underwear and few flounces should be used about the bottom
of the skirt if the clinging effect around the ankles and knees is
desired in the dress.
Elaborate lace trimmings are neither in good taste nor stylish, and
handwork constitutes the decoration on many of the most attractive of
these garments. Colored lingerie and bright-colored ribbons should be
worn only when the dress is not transparent. Bright pink and blue
ribbons in a camisole or chemise will always look a bit garish when
viewed through a thin blouse.
Color has a magnetic attraction for the eye and wherever placed
immediately attracts attention to that spot. I am sure refined girls do
not wish to invite public interest in their lingerie through the use of
bright colors in their ribbons. The most delicate tints are permissible,
but should be used only in small quantities. White only should be used
with the graduation dress.
Since several petticoats are apt to prove clumsy, great care must be
exerted in selecting the material for this undergarment, to avoid too
much transparency when worn under the very sheer organdy dress.
[Illustration: LINGERIE FOR THE GRADUATION DRESS]