"A foolish little maiden had a foolish little bonnet
With a feather and a ribbon and a bit of lace upon it;
And that the other maidens of the little town might know it,
She thought she'd go to meeting of a Sunday just to show it.
'Hallelujah! hallelujah!' sang the choir above her head.
'Hardly knew you! hardly knew you!' were the words she
thought they said."
In considering the dress of the person as related to home decoration
one is not so far afield as one may seem to be at first thought. It
is true that dress has a variety of functions to perform that have no
connection with the subject of decoration; and yet there is much that
is common to both. Well-dressed people of whatever age or sex, in the
design and general make-up of their costumes, must observe the same
laws that govern design wherever it is applied, as an expression of
the artistic sense in the affairs of every-day life. Beauty of line
and proportion, harmony of colour, adaptation to use and to a great
variety of special conditions, simplicity, symmetry, restraint, are all
involved in personal attire, as they are in the decoration of a room;
and in most cases success or failure in one field has its counterpart
in the other. Have we not often remarked of a house or of a room
that it looks "just like her" or perhaps "just like him"; and do not
attractive costumes give pleasure to others than those who wear them
for the same reasons that properly decorated and well-arranged rooms
afford similar enjoyment to those who live in them?
_Art and the Fashions._--In discussing the parallel between art
in clothing and the more stable art of home decoration it must be
admitted, of course, that style in dress introduces some embarrassing
questions; for the styles, especially for women, suffer wonderful
changes with every season. And yet people of artistic feeling and good
taste, succeed in maintaining a fair degree of harmony between the
changing demands of fashion and the established principles of art as
applied in dress.
_How to Be Well Dressed._--The well-dressed woman knows how to select
her clothes and how to wear them. She must study her own figure and
know her defects as well as her good points. With this knowledge she
can learn to subdue the one and bring out the other. She should have a
clear conception of the ideal figure and strive to adapt herself to
it. To acquire this training the principles of the art of decoration
must be understood and applied. She should never wear a garment of a
certain style simply because it is the fashion, but strive to make it
conform to her individual type.
_Good Lines._--Decorative design in dress must follow the construction
lines of the figure and not destroy them. These are the much discussed
good lines of which we hear and read so much. Horizontal lines break
the figure and increase the breadth, while vertical lines give the
appearance of height. It is the simple lines, conforming to and
following the lines of the ideal figure, which are the best. The
taste of most women leads them to desire simple clothes; but through
ignorance or inexperience many of these women fail to achieve that aim.
A stout woman with a round back is sometimes seen wearing a dress with
lapels or ruffles over the shoulders. This only serves to accentuate
her defect.
_Unity and Harmony._--In all forms of decoration harmony is
essential--_i. e._, all the parts that are to be combined must agree
with one another and with their surroundings. To secure this in dress
is to give unity to the entire costume. A dress hat with plumes should
not be worn with a tailored suit in the morning; and yet we often see
such a combination. Here the lack of harmony is between the parts of
the costume; but the entire costume must be suited to the peculiarities
of figure. There are women who never look well in the straight lines
of a tailored suit: the severity is not becoming to them. They must
tone down the effects of the lines by ruchings, ruffles, a soft stock,
or some such softening elements of dress. Others do not look well in
fluffy things. Each must know what is becoming and dress accordingly.
_Importance of Colours._--Every season we hear that certain colours
are to be worn. Many women will choose a colour because they like it
without considering whether it is suitable for them to wear. A little
attention to a few well-known facts will help them to avoid failures
of this kind. It is generally recognized that light colours seem to
increase the size. Striped materials should not be worn by the stout
women unless the stripes are very indistinct. Dots are also very
dangerous for her; but she may choose a pattern with pin-point dots
scattered over the surface at some distance from each other. She is
always safe in a plain, dark colour.
_Colour and Complexion._--In deciding on a becoming colour one must
take into account the colour of the hair and eyes and the tone of
the complexion. It has been thought that young girls can wear clear,
light shades and that older women should keep to dark, quiet colours;
yet there are older women who wear pale gray, mauve, and lavender
charmingly and many young girls who cannot wear blue or pink. It is
quite impossible to make accurate colour rules, because it would be
hard to find two complexions that require exactly the same colour
setting. It is well, however, to study combinations of different
colours with the idea of finding the right colour, to use in any
costume, the amount of each, and the best arrangement to give a proper
balance.
_Proportion._--The importance of the principle of proportion is often
overlooked, but beauty of dress is never possible if it be neglected. A
well-dressed woman, in selecting her hat, must have given consideration
to the relation of the size and shape of the head to the lines of the
entire figure. Strictly speaking, a hat is a covering for the head,
and it should seem to belong to the head, to protect it, and, through
harmony of colour and proportion of line and mass, to improve the
appearance of the whole costume. The artist, when drawing a figure,
uses the head as the unit of measure. Therefore in choosing a hat
one should select a style that is in good proportion to the size of
the head and to the height of the figure. If the mass of the head is
increased disproportionately by too large a hat, the entire figure is
apparently shortened and the natural proportions destroyed. One often
wonders why photographs of people with hats on look so old-fashioned
and sometimes so ridiculous. It is because the hat is not in good
proportion. The Gainsborough and Reynolds ladies with hats never look
queer. Their hats bear the right relation to the head and the figure.
_Appropriateness._--The general proportions of a hat or a gown may
be good, but the addition of the decoration may destroy all the good
effect obtained by securing the right relation of line and mass. The
aim of all decoration should be to harmonize and strengthen the whole.
Beauty of dress, therefore, depends upon simplicity and appropriateness
of the material used as well as upon the form and arrangement of the
material. Wherever ornament is used it must fulfil the condition of
fitness to place; otherwise it is not really decorative. In trimming a
hat, the one who is to wear it should take her seat before a mirror,
and place the hat comfortably upon her head; then with the aid of a
hand glass she should try the trimming in different positions until
the best effect is obtained.
The designs in trimming should be appropriate to the garment. The size
of the design and the kind of form used should be considered. Simple
forms are the best for all decorative art work. In fact, there is great
advantage in plain materials. They always work to greater economy than
stripes or plaids.
_Influence of Occupation._--The well-dressed woman should realize how
great is the influence of occasion and occupation. Some gowns were
intended only for afternoon wear in the house; but we often see them
worn on the street cars or for shopping. I have always approved of the
rule in many shops which requires the clerks to wear plain black gowns.
Formerly it was the old finery which was used for every-day wear. Now
the business woman to be successful has to exercise more thought upon
her clothes than the woman at home. Her clothes have harder wear and
must be appropriate for her work.
The dress of school-girls and children must not be overlooked. It
should be as simple as possible and above all else it should be
comfortable. It should never bind or pinch; indeed, the clothing should
not interfere with any function of the body. But we often see children
dressed with much lace, with many ruffles, and even with jewellery;
and we have seen school girls wearing net waists, plumed hats, and
high-heeled shoes. What an infraction is this of the principle of
appropriateness in dress!