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WOMAN AS DECORATION
by
EMILY BURBANK
Illustrated
[Illustration]
New York Dodd, Mead and Company 1917
Copyright, 1917
By Dodd, Mead and Company, Inc.
DEDICATED
TO
V. B. G.
PLATE I
Madame Geraldine Farrar as Thaïs in the opera of that name.
It is a sketch made from life for this book. Observe the
gilded wig and richly embroidered gown. They are after
descriptions of a costume worn by the real Thaïs. It is a
Greek type of costume but not the familiar classic Greek of
sculptured story. Thaïs was a reigning beauty and acted in
the theatre of Alexandria in the early Christian era.
[Illustration: _Sketched for "Woman as Decoration" by Thelma Cudlipp
Mme. Geraldine Farrar in Greek Costume as Thaïs_]
FOREWORD
WOMAN AS DECORATION is intended as a sequel to _The Art of
Interior Decoration_ (Grace Wood and Emily Burbank).
Having assisted in setting the stage for woman, the next logical step is
the consideration of woman, herself, as an important factor in the
decorative scheme of any setting,--the vital spark to animate all
interior decoration, private or public. The book in hand is intended as
a brief guide for the woman who would understand her own type,--make the
most of it, and know how simple a matter it is to be decorative if she
will but master the few rules underlying all successful dressing. As the
costuming of woman is an art, the history of that art must be known--to
a certain extent--by one who would be an intelligent student of our
subject. With the assistance of thirty-three illustrations to throw
light upon the text, we have tried to tell the beguiling story of
decorative woman, as she appears in frescoes and bas reliefs of Ancient
Egypt, on Greek vases, the Gothic woman in tapestry and stained glass,
woman in painting, stucco and tapestry of the Renaissance, seventeenth,
eighteenth and nineteenth century woman in portraits.
Contemporary woman's costume is considered, not as fashion, but as
decorative line and colour, a distinct contribution to the interior
decoration of her own home or other setting. In this department, woman
is given suggestions as to the costuming of herself, beautifully and
appropriately, in the ball-room, at the opera, in her boudoir, sun-room
or on her shaded porch; in her garden; when driving her own car; by the
sea, or on the ice.
Woman as Decoration has been planned, in part, also to fill a need very
generally expressed for a handbook to serve as guide for beginners in
getting up costumes for fancy-dress balls, amateur theatricals, or the
professional stage.
We have tried to shed light upon period costumes and point out ways of
making any costume effective.
Costume books abound, but so far as we know, this is the first attempt
to confine the vast and perplexing subject within the dimensions of a
small, accessible volume devoted to the principles underlying the
planning of all costumes, regardless of period.
The author does not advocate the preening of her feathers as woman's
sole occupation, in any age, much less at this crisis in the making of
world history; but she does lay great emphasis on the fact that a woman
owes it to herself, her family and the public in general, to be as
decorative in any setting, as her knowledge of the art of dressing
admits. This knowledge implies an understanding of line, colour,
fitness, background, and above all, one's own type. To know one's type,
and to have some knowledge of the principles underlying all good
dressing, is of serious economic value; it means a saving of time,
vitality and money.
The watchword of to-day is efficiency, and the keynote to modern
costuming, appropriateness. And so the spirit of the time records itself
in the interesting and charming subdivision of woman's attire.
One may follow Woman Decorative in the Orient on vase, fan, screen and
kakemono; as she struts in the stiff manner of Egyptian bas reliefs,
across walls of ancient ruins, or sits in angular serenity, gazing into
the future through the narrow slits of Egyptian eyes, oblivious of time;
woman, beautiful in the European sense, and decorative to the
superlative degree, on Greek vase and sculptured wall. Here in rhythmic
curves, she dandles lovely Cupid on her toe; serves as vestal virgin at
a woodland shrine; wears the bronze helmet of Minerva; makes laws, or as
Penelope, the wife, wearily awaits her roving lord. She moves in august
majesty, a sore-tried queen, and leaps in merry laughter as a care-free
slave; pipes, sings and plies the distaff. Sauntering on, down through
Gothic Europe, Tudor England, the adolescent Renaissance, Bourbon
France, into the picturesque changes of the eighteenth century, we ask,
can one possibly escape our theme--Woman as Decoration? No, for she is
carved in wood and stone; as Mother of God and Queen of Heaven gleams in
the jeweled windows of the church, looks down in placid serenity on
lighted altar; is woven in tapestry, in fact dominates all art,
painting, stucco or marble, throughout the ages.
If one would know the story of Woman's evolution and retrogression--that
rising and falling tide in civilisation--we commend a study of her as
she is presented in Art. A knowledge of her costume frequently throws
light upon her age; a thorough knowledge of her age will throw light
upon her costume.
A study of the essentials of any costume, of any period, trains the eye
and mind to be expert in planning costumes for every-day use. One learns
quickly to discriminate between details which are ornaments, because
they have meaning, and those which are only illiterate superfluities;
and one learns to master many other points.
It is not within the province of this book to dwell at length upon
national costume, but rather to follow costume as it developed with and
reflected caste, after human society ceased to be all alike as to
occupation, diversion and interest.
In the world of caste, costume has gradually evolved until it aims
through appropriateness, at assisting woman to fulfil her rôle. With
peasants who know only the traditional costume of their province, the
task must often be done in spite of the costume, which is picturesque or
grotesque, inconvenient, even impossible; but long may it linger to
divert the eye! Russia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland,
Scandinavia,--all have an endless variety of costumes, rich in souvenirs
of folk history, rainbows of colour and bizarre in line, but it is
costuming the woman of fashion which claims our attention.
The succeeding chapters will treat of woman, the vital spark which gives
meaning to any setting--indoors, out of doors, at the opera, in the
ball-room, on the ice--where you will. Each chapter has to do with
modern woman and the historical paragraphs are given primarily to shed
light upon her costume.
It is shown that woman's decorative appearance affects her psychology,
and that woman's psychology affects her decorative appearance.
Some chapters may, at first glance, seem irrelevant, but those who have
seriously studied any art, and then undertaken to tell its story
briefly in simple, direct language, with the hope of quickly putting
audience or reader in touch with the vital links in the chain of
evidence, will understand the author's claim that no detour which
illustrates the subject can in justice be termed irrelevant. In the
detours often lie invaluable data, for one with a mind for
research--whether author or reader. This is especially true in
connection with our present task, which involves unravelling some of the
threads from the tangled skein of religion, dancing, music, sculpture
and painting--that mass of bright and sombre colour, of gold and silver
threads, strung with pearls and glittering gems strangely broken by
age--which tells the epic-lyric tale of civilisation.
While we state that it is not our aim to make a point of fashion as
such, some of our illustrations show contemporary woman as she appears
in our homes, on our streets, at the play, in her garden, etc. We have
taken examples of women's costumes which are pre-eminently
characteristic of the moment in which we write, and as we believe,
illustrate those laws upon which we base our deductions concerning
woman as decoration. These laws are: appropriateness of her costume to
the occasion; consideration of the type of wearer; background against
which costume is to be worn; and all decoration (which includes jewels),
as detail with _raison d'être_. The body should be carried with form (in
the sporting sense), to assist in giving line to the costume.
The _chic_ woman is the one who understands the art of elimination in
costumes. Wear your costumes with conviction--by which we mean decide
what picture you will make of yourself, make it and then enjoy it! It is
only by letting your personality animate your costume that you make
yourself superior to the lay figure or the sawdust doll.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
FOREWORD xi
I A FEW HINTS FOR THE NOVICE WHO WOULD PLAN HER COSTUMES 1
Rules having economic value while aiming at
decorativeness.--Lines and colouring emphasised
or modified by costuming.--Temperaments affect
carriage of the body.--Line of body affects
costume.--Technique of controlling the physique.--The
highly sensitised woman.--Costuming an
art.--Studying types.--Starring one's own good
points.--Beauty not so fleeting as is supposed
if costume is adapted to its changing aspects.--Masters
in art of costuming often discover and
star previously unrecognised beauty.--Establishing
the habit of those lines and colours in
gowns, hats, gloves, parasols, sticks, fans and
jewels which are your own.--The intelligent
purchaser.--The best dressed women.--Value of
understanding one's background.--Learning the
art of understanding one's background.--Learning
the art of costuming from masters of the
art.--How to proceed with this study.--Successful
costuming not dependent upon amount of
money spent upon it.--An example
II THE LAWS UNDERLYING ALL COSTUMING OF WOMAN 23
Appropriateness keynote of costuming to-day.--Five
salient points to be borne in mind when
planning a costume.--Where English, French,
and American women excel in art of costuming.--Feeling
for line.--To make our points clear
constant reference to the stage is necessary.--Bakst
and Poiret.--Turning to the Orient for
line and colour.--Keeping costume in same key
as its settings.--How to know your period; its
line, colours and characteristic details.--Studying
costumes in Gothic illuminations
III HOW TO DRESS YOUR TYPE 46
A FEW POINTS APPLYING TO ALL COSTUMES.--Background.--Line
and colour of costumes to
bring out the individuality of wearer.--The chic
woman defined.--Intelligent expressing of self
in _mise-en-scène_.--Selecting one's colour scheme
IV THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CLOTHES 54
Effect of clothes upon manners.--The natural
instinct for costuming, "clothes sense."--Costuming
affecting psychology of wearer.--Clothes
may liberate or shackle the spirit of women, be
a tyrant or magician's wand.--Follow colour
instinct in clothes as well as housefurnishings
V ESTABLISH HABITS OF CARRIAGE WHICH CREATE GOOD LINE 66
Woman's line result of habits of a mind controlled
by observations, conventions, experiences
and attitudes which make her personality.--Training
lines of physique from childhood; an
example.--A knowledge of how to dress appropriately
leads to efficiency
VI COLOUR IN WOMAN'S COSTUME 74
Colour hall-mark of to-day.--Bakst, Rheinhardt
and Granville Barker, teachers of the new
colour vocabulary.--PORTABLE BACKGROUNDS
VII FOOTWEAR 85
Importance of carefully considering extremities.--What
constitutes a costume.--Importance
of learning how to buy, put on and wear each
detail of costume if one would be a decorative
picture.--Spats.--Stockings.--Slippers.--Buckles
VIII JEWELRY AS DECORATION 94
Considered as colour and line not with regard
to intrinsic worth.--To complete a costume or
furnish keynote upon which to build a costume.--Distinguished
jewels with historic associations
worn artistically; examples.--Know what
jewels are your affair as to colour, size, and
shape.--To know what one can and cannot
wear in all departments of costuming prepares
one to grasp and make use of expert suggestions.
How fashions come into being.--One of the rules
as to how jewels should be worn.--Gems and
paste
IX WOMAN DECORATIVE IN HER BOUDOIR 111
Negligée or tea-gown belongs to this intimate
setting.--Fortuny the artist designer of tea-gowns.--Sibyl
Sanderson.--The decorative value
of a long string of beads.--Beauty which is the
result of conscious effort.--_Bien soiné_ a hall-mark
of our period
X WOMAN DECORATIVE IN HER SUN-ROOM 116
Since a winter sun-room is planned to give
the illusion of summer, one's costuming for it
should carry out the same idea.--The sun-room
provides a means for using up last summer's
costumes.--The hat, if worn, should suggest
repose, not action.--The age and habits of those
occupying a sun-room dictate the exact type
of costume to be worn.--Colour scheme
XI I. WOMAN DECORATIVE IN HER GARDEN 124
In the garden the costume should have a
decorative outline but simple colour scheme
which harmonises with background of flowers.--White,
grey, or one note of colour preferable.--The
flowers furnish variety and colour.--Lady
de Bathe (Mrs. Langtry) in her garden
at Newmarket, England
II. WOMAN DECORATIVE ON THE LAWN
One may be a flower or a bunch of flowers
for colour against the unbroken sweep of green
underfoot and background of shrubs and trees.--Chic
outline and interesting detail, as well as
colour, of distinct value in a costume for lawn.--How
to cultivate an unerring instinct for
what is a successful costume for any given occasion
III. WOMAN DECORATIVE ON THE BEACH
If one would be a contribution to the picture,
figure as white or vivid colour on beach,
deck of steamer or yacht
XII WOMAN AS DECORATION WHEN SKATING 134
Line of the body all important.--The necessity
of mastering _form_ to gain efficiency in any
line; examples.--The traditional skating costume
has the lead
XIII WOMAN DECORATIVE IN HER MOTOR CAR 145
The colour of one's car inside and out important
factor in effect produced by one's carefully
chosen costume
XIV HOW TO GO ABOUT PLANNING A PERIOD COSTUME 154
Period.--Background.--Outline.--Materials.--Colour
scheme.--Detail with meaning.--Authorities.--Consulting
portraits by great masters.--Geraldine
Farrar.--Distinguished collection of
costume plates.--One result of planning period
costumes is the opening up of vistas in history.--Every
detail of a period costume has its fascinating
story worth the knowing.--Brief historic
outline to serve as key to the rich storehouse
of important volumes on costumes and
the distinguished textless books of costume
plates.--Period of fashions in costumes developing
without nationality.--Nationality declared
in artistry of workmanship and the modification
or exaggeration of an essential detail according
to national or individual temperament.--Evolution
of woman's costume.--Assyria.--Egypt.--Byzantium.--
Greece.--Rome.--Gothic Europe.--Europe of the
Renaissance,--seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth
century through Mid-Victorian period.--Cord tied about
waist origin of costumes for women and men
XV THE STORY OF PERIOD COSTUMES 172
A RÉSUMÉ.
Woman as seen in Egyptian sculpture-relief;
on Greek vase; in Gothic stained glass; carved
stone; tapestry; stucco; and painting of the
Renaissance; eighteenth and nineteenth century
portraits.--Art throughout the ages reflects
woman in every rôle; as companion, ruler,
slave, saint, plaything, teacher, and voluntary
worker.--Evolution of outline of woman's costume,
including change in neck; shoulder;
evolution of sleeve; girdle; hair; head-dress;
waist line; petticoat.--Gradual disappearance
of long, flowing lines characteristic of Greek
and Gothic periods.--Demoralisation of Nature's
shoulder and hip-line culminates in the Velasquez
edition of Spanish fashion and the Marie
Antoinette extravaganzas
XVI DEVELOPMENT OF GOTHIC COSTUME 192
Gothic outline first seen as early as fourth
century.--Costume of Roman-Christian women.--Ninth
century.--The Gothic cape of twelfth,
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries made
familiar on the Virgin and saints in sacred
art.--The tunic.--Restraint in line, colour, and
detail gradually disappear with increased circulation
of wealth until in fifteenth century we
see humanity over-weighted with rich brocades,
laces, massive jewels, etc.
THE VIRGIN IN ART
Late Middle Ages.--Sovereignty of the Virgin
as explained in "The Cathedrals of Mont St.
Michel and Chartres," by Henry Adams.--Woman
as the Virgin dominates art of twelfth,
thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries.--The girdle.--The
round neck.--The necklace, etc.
XVII THE RENAISSANCE 214
SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES
Pointed and other head-dresses with floating
veils.--Neck low off shoulders.--Skirts part as
waist-line over petticoat.--Wealth of Roman
Empire through new trade channels had led to
importation of richly coloured Oriental stuffs.--Same
wealth led to establishing looms in
Europe.--Clothes of man like his over-ornate
furniture show debauched and vulgar taste.--The
good Gothic lines live on in costumes of
nuns and priests.--The Davanzati Palace collection,
Florence, Italy.--Long pointed shoes
of the Middle Ages give way to broad square
ones.--Gorgeous materials.--Hats.--Hair.--Sleeves.--
Skirts.--Crinolines.--Coats.--Overskirts
draped to develop into panniers of Marie
Antoinette's time.--Directoire reaction to simple
lines and materials
XVII EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 233
Political upheavals.--Scientific discoveries.--Mechanical
inventions.--Chemical achievements.--Chintz
or stamped linens of Jouy near Versailles.--Painted
wall-papers after the Chinese.--Simplicity
in costuming of woman and man
XIX WOMAN IN THE VICTORIAN PERIOD 241
First seventy years of nineteenth century.--"Historic
Dress in America" by Elizabeth McClellan.--Hoops,
wigs, absurdly furbished head-dresses,
paper-soled shoes, bonnets enormous,
laces of cobweb, shawls from India, rouge and
hair-grease, patches and powder, laced waists,
and "vapours."--Man still decorative
XX SEX IN COSTUMING 244
"European dress."--Progenitor of costume
worn by modern men.--The time when no distinction
was made between materials used for
man and woman.--Velvets, silks, satins, laces,
elaborate cuffs and collars, embroidery, jewels
and plumes as much his as hers
XXI LINE AND COLOUR OF COSTUMES IN HUNGARY 252
In a sense colour a sign of virility.--Examples.--Studying
line and colour in Magyar
Land.--In Krakau, Poland,--A highly decorative
Polish peasant and her setting
XXII STUDYING LINE AND COLOUR IN RUSSIA 265
Kiev our headquarters.--Slav temperament
an integral part of Russian nature expressed
in costuming as well as folk songs and dances
of the people.--Russian woman of the fashionable
world.--The Russian pilgrims as we saw
them tramping over the frozen roads to the
shrines of Kiev, the Holy City and ancient
capital of Russia at the close of the Lenten
season.--Their costumes and their psychology
XXIII MARK TWAIN'S LOVE OF COLOUR IN ALL COSTUMING 276
Wrapped in a crimson silk dressing-gown
on a balcony of his Italian villa in Connecticut,
Mark Twain dilated on the value of brilliant
colour in man's costuming.--His creative,
picturing-making mind in action.--Other themes
followed
XXIV THE ARTIST AND HIS COSTUME 283
A God-given sense of the beautiful.--The
artist nature has always assumed poetic license
in the matter of dress.--Many so-called affectations
have _raison d'être_.--Responding to texture,
colour and line as some do to music and
scenery.--How Japanese actors train themselves
to act women's parts by wearing woman's
costumes off the stage.--This cultivates the required
_feeling_ for the costumes.--The woman
devotee to sports when costumed.--Richard
Wagner's responsiveness to colour and texture.--Clyde
Fitch's sensitiveness to the same.--The
wearing of jewels by men.--King Edward
VII.--A remarkable topaz worn by a Spaniard.--Its
undoing as a decorative object through
its resetting
XXV IDIOSYNCRASIES IN COSTUME 292
Fashions in dress all powerful because they
seize upon the public mind.--They become the
symbol of manners and affect human psychology.--Affectations
of the youth of Athens.--Les
Merveilleux, Les Encroyables, the Illuminati.--Schiller
during the Storm and Stress
Period.--Venetian belles of the sixteenth century.--The
_Cavalier Servente_ of the seventeenth
century.--Mme. Récamier scandalised London
in eighteenth century by appearing costumed
à la Greque.--Mme. Jerome Bonaparte, a Baltimore
belle, followed suit in Philadelphia.--Hour-glass
waist-line and attendant "vapours"
were thought to be in the rôle of a high-born
Victorian miss.--Appropriateness the contribution
of our day to the story of woman's costuming
XXVI NATIONALITY IN COSTUME 296
When seen with perspective the costumes of
various periods appear as distinct types though
to the man or woman of any particular period
the variations of the type are bewildering and
misleading.--Having followed the evolution of
the costume of woman of fashion which comes
under the general head of European dress, before
closing we turn to quite another field, that
of national costumes.--Progress levels national
differences, therefore the student must make the
most of opportunities to observe.--Experiences
in Hungary
XXVII MODELS 306
Historical interest attaches to fashions in
woman's costuming.--One of the missions of
art is to make subtle the obvious.--Examples as
seen in 1917
XXVIII WOMAN COSTUMED FOR HER WAR JOB 313
The Pageant of Life shows that woman has
played opposite man with consistency and success
throughout the ages.--Apropos of this, we
quote from Philadelphia _Public Ledger_, for
March 25, 1917, an impression of a woman of
to-day costumed appropriately to get efficiency
in her war work
IN CONCLUSION 324
A brief review of the chief points to be kept
in mind by those interested in the costuming
of woman so that she figures as a decorative
contribution to any setting
ILLUSTRATIONS
I MME. GERALDINE FARRAR IN GREEK COSTUME AS THAÏS (_FRONTISPIECE_) vi
Sketched by Thelma Cudlipp
II WOMAN IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN SCULPTURE-RELIEF 9
III WOMAN IN GREEK ART 19
IV WOMAN ON GREEK VASE 29
V WOMAN IN GOTHIC ART 39
Portrait Showing Pointed Head-dress
VI WOMAN IN ART OF THE RENAISSANCE 49
Sculpture-relief in Terra-cotta: The Virgin
VII WOMAN IN ART OF THE RENAISSANCE 59
Sculpture-relief in Terra-cotta: Holy Women
VIII TUDOR ENGLAND 69
Portrait of Queen Elizabeth
IX SPAIN--VELASQUEZ PORTRAIT 79
X EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ENGLAND 89
Portrait by Thomas Gainsborough
XI BOURBON FRANCE 99
Portrait of Marie Antoinette by Madame Vigée Le Brun
XII COSTUME OF EMPIRE PERIOD 109
An English Portrait
XIII EIGHTEENTH CENTURY COSTUME 119
Portrait by Gilbert Stuart
XIV VICTORIAN PERIOD (ABOUT 1840) 129
Mme. Adeline Genée in Costume
XV LATE NINETEENTH CENTURY (ABOUT 1890) 139
A Portrait by John S. Sargent
XVI A MODERN PORTRAIT 149
By John W. Alexander
XVII A PORTRAIT OF MRS. PHILIP M. LYDIG 159
By I. Zuloaga
XVIII MRS. LANGTRY (LADY DE BATHE) IN EVENING WRAP 169
XIX MRS. CONDÉ NAST IN STREET DRESS 179
Photograph by Baron de Meyer
XX MRS. CONDÉ NAST IN EVENING DRESS 189
XXI MRS. CONDÉ NAST IN GARDEN COSTUME 199
XXII MRS. CONDÉ NAST IN FORTUNY TEA GOWN 209
XXIII MRS. VERNON CASTLE IN BALL COSTUME 219
XXIV MRS. VERNON CASTLE IN AFTERNOON COSTUME--WINTER 229
XXV MRS. VERNON CASTLE IN AFTERNOON COSTUME--SUMMER 239
XXVI MRS. VERNON CASTLE COSTUMED À LA GUERRE FOR A WALK 249
XXVII MRS. VERNON CASTLE--A FANTASY 259
XXVIII MODERN SKATING COSTUME--1917 269
Winner of Amateur Championship of Fancy Skating
XXIX A MODERN SILHOUETTE--1917 279
TAILOR-MADE
Drawn from Life by Elisabeth Searcy
XXX TAPPÉ'S CREATIONS 289
Sketched for _Woman as Decoration_ by Thelma Cudlipp
XXXI MISS ELSIE DE WOLFE IN COSTUME OF RED CROSS NURSE 299
XXXII MME. GERALDINE FARRAR IN SPANISH COSTUME AS CARMEN 309
From Photograph by Courtesy of _Vanity Fair_
XXXIII MME. GERALDINE FARRAR IN JAPANESE COSTUME AS
MADAME BUTTERFLY 319
Sketched by Thelma Cudlipp
"The Communion of men upon earth abhors identity more than
nature does a vacuum. Nothing so shocks and repels the
living soul as a row of exactly similar things, whether it
consists of modern houses or of modern people, and nothing
so delights and edifies as distinction."
COVENTRY PATMORE.
"Whatever piece of dress conceals a woman's figure, is
bound, in justice, to do so in a picturesque way."
_From an Early Victorian Fashion Paper._
"When was that 'simple time of our fathers' when people were
too sensible to care for fashions? It certainly was before
the Pharaohs, and perhaps before the Glacial Epoch."
W. G. SUMNER, in _Folkways_.
CHAPTER I
A FEW HINTS FOR THE NOVICE WHO WOULD PLAN HER COSTUMES
There are a few rules with regard to the costuming of woman which if
understood put one a long way on the road toward that desirable
goal--decorativeness, and have economic value as well. They are simple
rules deduced by those who have made a study of woman's lines and
colouring, and how to emphasise or modify them by dress.
Temperaments are seriously considered by experts in this art, for the
carriage of a woman and her manner of wearing her clothes depends in
part upon her temperament. Some women instinctively _feel_ line and are
graceful in consequence, as we have said, but where one is not born
with this instinct, it is possible to become so thoroughly schooled in
the technique of controlling the physique--poise of the body, carriage
of the head, movement of the limbs, use of feet and hands, that a sense
of line is acquired. Study portraits by great masters, the movements of
those on the stage, the carriage and positions natural to graceful
women. A graceful woman is invariably a woman highly sensitised, but
remember that "alive to the finger tips"--or toe tips, may be true of
the woman with few gestures, a quiet voice and measured words, as well
as the intensely active type.
The highly sensitised woman is the one who will wear her clothes with
individuality, whether she be rounded or slender. To dress well is an
art, and requires concentration as any other art does. You know the old
story of the boy, who when asked why his necktie was always more neatly
tied than those of his companions, answered: "I put my whole mind on
it." There you have it! The woman who puts her whole mind on the
costuming of herself is naturally going to look better than the woman
who does not, and having carefully studied her type, she will know her
strong points and her weak ones, and by accentuating the former, draw
attention from the latter. There is a great difference, however, between
concentrating on dress until an effect is achieved, and then turning the
mind to other subjects, and that tiresome dawdling, indefinite,
fruitless way, to arrive at no convictions. This variety of woman never
gets dress off her chest.
The catechism of good dressing might be given in some such form as this:
Are you fat? If so, never try to look thin by compressing your figure or
confining your clothes in such a way as to clearly outline the figure.
Take a chance from your size. Aim at long lines, and what dressmakers
call an "easy fit," and the use of solid colours. Stripes, checks,
plaids, spots and figures of any kind draw attention to dimensions; a
very fat woman looks larger if her surface is marked off into many
spaces. Likewise a very thin woman looks thinner if her body on the
imagination of the public _subtracting_ is marked off into spaces
absurdly few in number. A beautifully proportioned and rounded figure
is the one to indulge in striped, checked, spotted or flowered materials
or any parti-coloured costumes.
* * * * *
Never try to make a thin woman look anything but thin. Often by
accentuating her thinness, a woman can make an effect as _type_, which
gives her distinction. If she were foolish enough to try to look fatter,
her lines would be lost without attaining the contour of the rounded
type. There are of course fashions in types; pale ash blonds, red-haired
types (auburn or golden red with shell pink complexions), dark haired
types with pale white skin, etc., and fashions in figures are as many
and as fleeting.
Artists are sometimes responsible for these vogues. One hears of the
Rubens type, or the Sir Joshua Reynolds, Hauptner, Burne-Jones, Greuse,
Henner, Zuloaga, and others. The artist selects the type and paints it,
the attention of the public is attracted to it and thereafter singles it
out. We may prefer soft, round blonds with dimpled smiles, but that does
not mean that such indisputable loveliness can challenge the
attractions of a slender serpentine tragedy-queen, if the latter has
established the vogue of her type through the medium of the stage or
painter's brush.
A woman well known in the world of fashion both sides of the Atlantic,
slender and very tall, has at times deliberately increased that height
with a small high-crowned hat, surmounted by a still higher feather. She
attained distinction without becoming a caricature, by reason of her
obvious breeding and reserve. Here is an important point. A woman of
quiet and what we call conservative type, can afford to wear conspicuous
clothes if she wishes, whereas a conspicuous type _must_ be reserved in
her dress. By following this rule the overblown rose often makes herself
beautiful. Study all types of woman. Beauty is a wonderful and precious
thing, and not so fleeting either as one is told. The point is, to take
note, not of beauty's departure, but its gradually changing aspect, and
adapt costume, line and colour, to the demands of each year's
alterations in the individual. Make the most of grey hair; as you lose
your colour, soften your tones.
Always star your points. If you happen to have an unusual amount of
hair, make it count, even though the fashion be to wear but little. We
recall the beautiful and unique Madame X. of Paris, blessed by the gods
with hair like bronze, heavy, long, silken and straight. She wore it
wrapped about her head and finally coiled into a French twist on the
top, the effect closely resembling an old Roman helmet. This was design,
not chance, and her well-modeled features were the sort to stand the
severe coiffure, Madame's husband, always at her side that season on
Lake Lucerne, was curator of the Louvre. We often wondered whether the
idea was his or hers. She invariably wore white, not a note of colour,
save her hair; even her well-bred fox terrier was snowy white.
Worth has given distinction to more than one woman by recognising her
possibilities, if kept to white, black, greys and mauves. A beautiful
Englishwoman dressed by this establishment, always a marked figure at
whatever embassy her husband happens to be posted, has never been seen
wearing anything in the evening but black, or white, with very simple
lines, cut low and having a narrow train.
PLATE II
Woman in ancient Egyptian sculpture-relief about 1000
B.C.
We have here a husband and wife. (Metropolitan Museum.)
[Illustration: _Metropolitan Museum of Art_
_Woman in Ancient Egyptian Sculpture-Relief_]
It may take courage on the part of dressmaker, as well as the woman in
question, but granted you have a distinct style of your own, and
understand it, it is the part of wisdom to establish the habit of those
lines and colours which are yours, and then to avoid experiments with
_outré_ lines and shades. They are almost sure to prove failures. Taking
on a colour and its variants is an economic, as well as an artistic
measure. Some women have so systematised their costuming in order to be
decorative, at the least possible expenditure of vitality and time
(these are the women who dress to live, not live to dress), that they
know at a glance, if dress materials, hats, gloves, jewels, colour of
stones and style of setting, are for them. It is really a joy to shop
with this kind of woman. She has definitely fixed in her mind the
colours and lines of her rooms, all her habitual settings, and the
clothes and accessories best _for her_. And with the eye of an artist,
she passes swiftly by the most alluring bargains, calculated to
undermine firm resolution. In fact one should not say that this woman
shops; she buys. What is more, she never wastes money, though she may
spend it lavishly.
Some of the best dressed women (by which we always mean women dressed
fittingly for the occasion, and with reference to their own particular
types) are those with decidedly limited incomes.
There are women who suggest chiffon and others brocade; women who call
for satin, and others for silk; women for sheer muslins, and others for
heavy linen weaves; women for straight brims, and others for those that
droop; women for leghorns, and those they do not suit; women for white
furs, and others for tawny shades. A woman with red in her hair is the
one to wear red fox.
If you cannot see for yourself what line and colour do to you, surely
you have some friend who can tell you. In any case, there is always the
possibility of paying an expert for advice. Allow yourself to be guided
in the reaching of some decision about yourself and your limitations, as
well as possibilities. You will by this means increase your
decorativeness, and what is of more serious importance, your economic
value.
A marked example of woman decorative was seen on the recent occasion
when Miss Isadora Duncan danced at the Metropolitan Opera House, for the
benefit of French artists and their families, victims of the present
war. Miss Duncan was herself so marvelous that afternoon, as she poured
her art, aglow and vibrant with genius, into the mould of one classic
pose after another, that most of her audience had little interest in any
other personality, or effect. Some of us, however, when scanning the
house between the acts, had our attention caught and held by a
charmingly decorative woman occupying one of the boxes, a quaint outline
in silver-grey taffeta, exactly matching the shade of the woman's hair,
which was cut in Florentine fashion forming an aureole about her small
head,--a becoming frame for her fine, highly sensitive face. The deep
red curtains and upholstery in the box threw her into relief, a lovely
miniature, as seen from a distance. There were no doubt other charming
costumes in the boxes and stalls that afternoon, but none so successful
in registering a distinct decorative effect. The one we refer to was
suitable, becoming, individual, and reflected personality in a way to
indicate an extraordinary sensitiveness to values, that subtle instinct
which makes the artist.
With very young women it is easy to be decorative under most conditions.
Almost all of them are decorative, as seen in our present fashions, but
to produce an effect in an opera box is to understand the _carrying
power_ of colour and line. The woman in the opera box has the same
problem to solve as the woman on the stage: her costume must be
effective at a distance. Such a costume may be white, black and any
colour; gold, silver, steel or jet; lace, chiffon--what you
will--provided the fact be kept in mind that your outline be striking
and the colour an agreeable contrast against the lining of the box.
Here, outline is of chief importance, the silhouette must be definite;
hair, ornaments, fan, cut of gown, calculated to register against the
background. In the stalls, colour and outline of any single costume
become a part of the mass of colour and black and white of the audience.
It is difficult to be a decorative factor under these conditions, yet
we can all recall women of every age, who so costume themselves as to
make an artistic, memorable impression, not only when entering opera,
theatre or concert hall, but when seated. These are the women who
understand the value of elimination, restraint, colour harmony and that
chic which results in part from faultless grooming. To-day it is not
enough to possess hair which curls ideally: it must, willy nilly, curl
conventionally!
If it is necessary, prudent or wise that your purchases for each season
include not more than six new gowns, take the advice of an actress of
international reputation, who is famous for her good dressing in private
life, and make a point of adding one new gown to each of the six
departments of your wardrobe. Then have the cleverness to appear in
these costumes whenever on view, making what you have fill in between
times.
To be clear, we would say, try always to begin a season with one
distinguished evening gown, one smart tailor suit, one charming house
gown, one tea gown, one negligée and one sport suit. If you are needing
many dancing frocks, which have hard wear, get a simple, becoming
model, which your little dressmaker, seamstress or maid can copy in
inexpensive but becoming colours. You can do this in Summer and Winter
alike, and with dancing frocks, tea gowns, negligées and even sport
suits. That is, if you have smart, up-to-date models to copy.
One woman we know bought the finest quality jersey cloth by the yard,
and had a little dressmaker copy exactly a very expensive skirt and
sweater. It seems incredible, but she saved on a ready made suit exactly
like it forty dollars, and on one made to measure by an exclusive house,
one hundred dollars! Remember, however, that there was an artist back of
it all and someone had to pay for that perfect model, to start with. In
the case we cite, the woman had herself bought the original sport suit
from an importer who is always in advance with Paris models.
If you cannot buy the designs and workmanship of artists, take advantage
of all opportunities to see them; hats and gowns shown at openings, or
when your richer friends are ordering. In this way you will get ideas to
make use of and you will avoid looking home-made, than which, no more
damning phrase can be applied to any costume. As a matter of fact it
implies a hat or gown lacking an artist's touch and describes many a one
turned out by long-established and largely patronised firms.
PLATE III
A Greek vase. Dionysiac scenes about 460 B.C.
Interesting costumes. (Metropolitan Museum.)
[Illustration: _Metropolitan Museum of Art_
_Woman on Greek Vase_]
The only satisfactory copy of a Fortuny tea gown we have ever seen
accomplished away from the supervision of Fortuny himself, was the
exquisite hand-work of a young American woman who lives in New York, and
makes her own gowns and hats, because her interest and talent happen to
be in that direction. She told a group of friends the other day, to whom
she was showing a dainty chiffon gown, posed on a form, that to her, the
planning and making of a lovely costume had the same thrilling
excitement that the painting of a picture had for the artist in the
field of paint and canvas. This same young woman has worked constantly
since the European war began, both in London and New York, on the
shapeless surgical shirts used by the wounded soldiers. In this, does
she outrank her less accomplished sisters? Yes, for the technique she
has achieved by making her own costumes makes her swift and economical,
both in the cutting of her material and in the actual sewing and she is
invaluable as a buyer of materials.