WHAT DRESS MAKES OF US
By
DOROTHY QUIGLEY
Illustrations by
ANNIE BLAKESLEE
1897
I am indebted to the editors of the New York _Sun_ and
New York _Journal_ for kindly allowing me to include in
this book articles which I contributed to their
respective papers.
PREFACE.
Did you ever observe, dear comrade, what an element of caricature lurks
in clothes? A short, round coat on a stout man seems to exaggerate his
proportions to such a ridiculous degree that the profile of his manly
form suggests "the robust bulge of an old jug."
A bonnet decorated with loops of ribbon and sprays of grass, or flowers
that fall aslant, may give a laughably tipsy air to the long face of a
saintly matron of pious and conservative habits.
A peaked hat and tight-fitting, long-skirted coat may so magnify the
meagre physical endowments of a tall, slender girl that she attains the
lank and longish look of a bottle of hock.
Oh! the mocking diablery in strings, wisps of untidy hair, queer
trimmings, and limp hats. Alas! that they should have such impish power
to detract from the dignity of woman and render man absurd.
Because of his comical attire, an eminent Oxford divine, whose life and
works commanded reverence, was once mistaken for an ancient New England
spinster in emancipated garments. His smoothly shaven face, framed in
crinkly, gray locks, was surmounted by a soft, little, round hat, from
the up-turned brim of which dangled a broken string. His long frock-coat
reached to just above his loosely fitting gaiters.
The fluttering string, whose only reason for being at all was to keep
the queer head-gear from sailing away on the wind, gave a touch of the
ludicrous to the boyish hat which, in its turn, lent more drollery than
dignity to the sanctified face of the old theologian. Who has not seen
just such, or a similar sight, and laughed? Who has not, with the
generosity common to us all, concluded these were the mistakes and
self-delusions of neighbors, relatives, and friends, in which we had no
share?
I understand how it is with you. I am one of you. Before I studied our
common errors I smiled at my neighbor's lack of taste, reconstructed my
friends, and cast contemptuous criticism upon my enemies. One day I took
a look at myself, and realized that "I, too, am laughable on unsuspected
occasions."
The humbling knowledge of seeing myself objectively, gave me courage to
speak to the heart of you certain home truths which concern us all, in
homely language which we can all understand.
That you may discern the comicality and waggery in ill-chosen clothes, I
have endeavored to hint to you in these talks some of the ways gew-gaws
and garments make game of us.
May you discover that your dress is not making you a laughable object;
but if, by any chance, you should note that your clothes are
caricaturing you, take heart. Enjoy the joke with the mirth that heals
and heartens, and speedily correct your mistakes.
The lines of your form, the modelling of your face, are they not worthy
of your discerning thought? Truly! Whatever detracts from them detracts
from sculpture, painting, and poetry, and the world is the loser.
A word to the thinking is sufficient.
D.Q.
CONTENTS.
PREFACE
CHAPTER I.
HOW WOMEN OF CERTAIN TYPES SHOULD DRESS THEIR HAIR
Style for Wedge-Shaped Faces
Style for Heavy Jaws
Style for Eyes Set Too High
Style for Eyes Set Too Low
Style for Long Faces with Long Noses
For Faces with Protruding Noses
CHAPTER II.
HINTS FOR THE SELECTION OF BECOMING AND APPROPRIATE STYLES IN HEAD-GEAR
The Magic of the Bonnet
Style for Women with Broad Face and Heavy Chin
Style for Women with Tapering Chin
Hat for the Chubby Woman
For Women Who Have Sharp and Prominent Profiles
For the Woman with an Angular Face
Women Who should Not Wear Horns
CHAPTER III.
LINES THAT SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED AND CONSIDERED IN MAKING COSTUMES
Style for Tall Slender Women
The Coat the Short Stout Women should Wear
The Cloak or Cape for a Tall Women
CHAPTER IV.
HOW PLUMP AND THIN BACKS SHOULD BE CLOTHED
CHAPTER V.
CORSAGES APPROPRIATE FOR WOMEN WITH UNBEAUTIFULLY MODELLED THROATS AND
SHOULDERS
CHAPTER VI.
HINTS ON DRESS FOR ELDERLY WOMEN
CHAPTER VII.
HOW MEN CARICATURE THEMSELVES WITH THEIR CLOTHES
WHAT DRESS MAKES OF US.
* * * * *
CHAPTER I.
HOW WOMEN OF CERTAIN TYPES SHOULD DRESS THEIR HAIR.
The pleasing, but somewhat audacious statement of the clever writer who
asserted, "In the merciful scheme of nature, there are no plain women,"
is not as disputable as it may seem. Honest husbands, to be sure, greet
the information with dissenting guffaws; gay deceivers reflect upon its
truth by gallantly assenting to it, with a mocking little twinkle in
their eyes; and pretty women, upon hearing it, remark sententiously
"Blind men and fools may think so." Discerning students of womankind,
however, know that if every woman would make the best of her
possibilities, physically, mentally, and spiritually, it would be
delightfully probable that "in the merciful scheme of nature" there need
be no plain women.
Have we not Lord Chesterfield's word for it, that "No woman is ugly when
she is dressed"?
It is no unworthy study to learn to make the best of, and to do justice
to, one's self. Apropos of this, to begin--where all fascinating
subjects should begin--at the head, it behooves every woman who wishes
to appear at her best, to study the modelling of her face that she may
understand both its defective and perfect lines. By a proper arrangement
of her hair a woman can do much to obscure or soften her bad features,
and heighten the charm of her good ones.
Romancers have written, and poets have sung, of the bewitchment in
nut-brown locks, golden tresses, and jetty curls. Every woman, if so
inclined, may prove for herself the transfiguring effect in a becoming
coiffure. In fact, the beauty of a woman's face and her apparent age are
greatly affected by the way she wears her hair.
A most important detail that too few consider, is, the proper direction
in which to comb the hair. Women literally toss their tresses together
without any attention to the natural inclination of the individual
strands or fibres. They comb their hair "against the grain." Those who
do so never have beautifully and smoothly arranged coiffures. Each
little hirsute filament has a rebellious tendency to go in the direction
nature intended it should, and refuses to "stay where it is put," giving
the head in consequence, an unkempt and what is termed an "unladylike"
appearance. The criss-cross effect resulting from combing and arranging
the hair contrary to "the grain" is conspicuously apparent in the
coiffure of no less a personage than Eleanora Duse, who, as may be seen
from the picture, pays little attention to the natural tendency of the
dark tresses that cover her shapely head. The bang has the dishevelled
appearance of a pile of jack-straws. The side-locks instead of being
combed or brushed to follow the contour of the head, fall loosely and
fly in opposite directions.
[Illustration: NO. 2]
The difference in appearance between the women of the smart sets in
America and those of less fashionable circles is due, in a great
measure, to the beautifully dressed coiffures of the former. A
hair-dresser arranges, at least once a week, the hair of the modish
woman if her maid does not understand the art of hair-dressing. Many
women of the wealthy world have their maids taught by a French coiffeur.
A wise woman will adopt a prevailing mode with discretion, for, what may
be essentially appropriate for one, may be fatally inappropriate for
another. In adjusting her "crown of glory" a woman must consider the
proportions of her face. She should be able to discern whether her eyes
are too near the top of her head or, too far below; whether she has a
square or wedge-shaped chin; a lean, long face, or a round and
bountifully curved one. She should be alert to her defects and study
never to emphasize nor exaggerate them.
Why, through stupidity or carelessness, make a cartoon of yourself,
when with a proper appreciation of your possibilities you can be a
pleasing picture? It is just as glorious to be a fine picture or a poem
as it is to paint the one, or write the other. Indeed, a woman who
harmoniously develops the best within her has the charm of an exquisite
poem and inspires poets to sing; and if by the grace and beauty of her
dress she enhances her natural endowments and makes herself a pleasing
picture, the world becomes her debtor.
In the important matter of becomingly arranging the hair, the following
sketches and suggestions may hint to bright, thinking, women what
styles to choose or avoid.
For Wedge-Shaped Faces.
[Illustration: NO. 3]
[Illustration: NO. 4]
The least-discerning eye can see that the wedge-Shaped face No. 3 is
caricatured, and its triangular proportions made more evident, by
allowing the hair to extend in curls or a fluffy bang on either side of
the head. Women with delicately modelled faces with peaked chins should
avoid these broad effects above their brows.
It is obvious in the sketch No. 4, that the wedge-shaped face is
perceptibly improved by wearing the hair in soft waves, or curls closely
confined to the head and by arranging a coil or high puff just above and
in front of the crown. This arrangement gives a desirable oval effect to
the face, the sharp prominence of the chin being counteracted by the
surmounting puffs.
For Heavy Jaws.
It may readily be seen that a woman with the square, heavy-jawed face
pictured by No. 5, should not adopt a straight, or nearly straight,
bang, nor wear her hair low on her forehead, nor adjust the greater
portion of her hair so that the coil cannot be seen above the crown of
her head. The low bang brings into striking relief all the hard lines of
her face and gives the impression that she has pugilistic tendencies.
[Illustration: NO. 5]
To insure artistic balance to her countenance, and bring out the womanly
strength and vital power of her face, her hair should be arranged in
coils, puffs, or braids that will give breadth to the top of her head as
shown by No. 6. A fluffy, softly curled bang adds grace to the forehead
and gives it the necessary broadness it needs to lessen and lighten the
heaviness of the lower part of the face. A bow of ribbon, or an aigrette
of feathers, will add effectively the crown of braids or puffs which a
wise woman with a square jaw will surmount her brow if she wishes to
subdue the too aggressive, fighting qualities of her strong chin.
[Illustration: NO. 6]
For Short Faces.
The sisterhood who have short, chubby faces should, in a measure,
observe certain rules that apply in a small degree to those who have
heavy chins.
As may be observed even with a casual glance, the little short-faced
woman depicted by No. 7, causes her round facial disk to appear much
shorter than it really is by allowing her hair to come so far down on
her forehead. She further detracts from her facial charms by wearing
"water-waves." Water-waves are scarcely to be commended for any type of
face, and they are especially unbecoming to the woman who is
conspicuously "roly-poly." The round eyes, knobby nose, and round mouth
are brought into unattractive distinctness by being re-duplicated in the
circular effects of the hair. This mode of dressing the hair makes a
short face look common and insignificant.
[Illustration: NO. 7]
Do you not see that this type is immensely improved by the arrangement
of the coiffure in No. 8? By combing her hair off her forehead her face
acquires a look of alertness and intelligence, besides being apparently
lengthened. She can wear her bang in soft crimps brushed back from her
brow, if this plain arrangement is too severe.
[Illustration: NO. 8]
For Eyes Set Too High.
A low forehead is supposed to be a sign of beauty in woman. The brows of
the famous Venuses are low and broad. Perhaps for this reason many women
wear their hair arranged low upon their foreheads. Whether the hair
should be worn low on the brow depends chiefly on two things,--"the
setting of the eyes, and the quality of the face."
[Illustration: NO. 8-1/2]
A good rule to observe is the artistic one, to the effect that "the eyes
of a woman should be in the middle of her head." That is, if an
imaginary line were drawn across the top of the head and another below
the chin, exactly midway between the two the eyes should be set.
The Japanese type of woman should carefully observe the foregoing hint.
Observe No. 8-1/2. Nature has not been artistic. The eyes are too near
the top of the head. The defect is exaggerated and emphasized by the
wearing of the hair low on the forehead. In some faces of this type the
face is brutalized in appearance by this arrangement. The expression and
whole quality of the countenance can be greatly improved by arranging
the hair as shown by No. 9, which is the soft Pompadour style. The
Duchess of Marlborough, formerly Consuelo Vanderbilt, frames her naïve,
winsome face, which is of the Japanese type, in a style somewhat like
this. Her dark hair forms an aureole above her brow, and brings into
relief the dainty, oval form of her face. Even simply brushing the hair
off the forehead without crimp or roll will improve the appearance of
this type of face and give it a better artistic balance.
[Illustration: NO. 9]
[Illustration: NO. 10]
For Eyes Set Too Low.
Women whose eyes are set too far down in their faces should adopt a mode
of arranging their hair exactly the opposite of those whose eyes are set
too near the top of their heads.
It is apparent that No. 10 exaggerates the distance of her eyes from the
crown of her head, and makes them appear to be set lower than they
really are by building her hair high, and by brushing her bang back so
severely from her brow. A bald forehead is rarely becoming to any
woman. A few stray curls or soft waves lend grace to even the most
perfect of brows.
[Illustration: NO. 11]
By bringing the hair down over the forehead, as suggested in No. 11, a
woman with this type of face can easily improve her appearance. By this
graceful arrangement her face loses the childish and sometimes stupid
expression that is peculiar to the type, as may be discerned in No. 10.
When the hair is properly arranged this element of childlikeness lends a
certain appealing sweetness not unattractive even in the faces of
matured matrons. By dressing the hair low so the coil does not appear
above the crown, as in No. 11, the eyes are apparently properly placed.
For Long Faces with Long Noses.
The woman who wears her silken tresses arranged on either side of her
head, draped like curtains from a central parting, is to be envied if
she can do it and yet look young and pretty. She is the Madonna type and
seems to possess all the attributes of gentleness, modesty, and
meekness, and angelic sweetness that are supposed to characterize the
distinctively feminine woman. This is the ideal style of coiffure much
bepraised by man, because, according to a bright modern Amazon, "it
makes a woman look so meek."
[Illustration: NO. 12]
The only type to which it is really becoming is the Italian. The type
with _matte_ complexion, soft eyes, finely chiselled nose, and
delicately oval chin, look ideally sweet and feminine with the hair
arranged _à la_ Madonna.
[Illustration: NO. 13]
Long faces of the form pictured by No. 12 exaggerate the longness and
leanness of their faces by wearing their locks like looped curtains. A
long nose with two long lines on either side of the cheek seems longer
than it is, as the observer may discern three lines instead of only the
nasal one, and the impression of longness is emphasized. Not only is
the length of the countenance made more noticeable, but years and years
are apparently added to the actual age.
That No. 13, which shows a parting and soft waves that do not come below
the ears, is to be preferred by a woman whose features are of this
character need hardly be explained. The improvement in looks is quite
obvious.
[Illustration: NOS. 14 AND 15]
No. 14 is an example of a misguided woman of the pudgy type who, for
some inexplicable reason, arranges her hair in the Madonna style. It is
utterly unsuited to her face. Unless her ears are deformed this style of
hirsute lambrequins should not be worn by a full, round-faced woman.
The arrangement sketched in No 15 adds effectively to her appearance,
not only making her look younger, but less inane.
[Illustration: NO. 16]
For Faces with Protruding Noses.
Women with decidedly protruding, or irregular, tip-tilted noses should
be especially careful in arranging their coiffures.
Any woman who arranges her hair as in sketch No. 16 caricatures her
facial defects by increasing the too protuberant lines of her nose. The
distance from the end of her nose and the tip of the topmost knot of
hair is too long for either beauty or intelligence. The shape of her
head acquires idiotic proportions, and her nose is placed entirely "out
of drawing" and is obtrusively conspicuous when seen in profile. This
type of woman is generally classified among the inquisitive, bright, and
energetic. She should aim to modify the unhappy angularity of her
profile as well as to repress her gossipy tendencies. The graduated coil
of hair and waved coiffure, shown by No. 17, are most felicitous in
their effect on this type of face.
[Illustration: NO. 17]
[Illustration: NO. 18]
No. 18 reveals an error in an opposite direction. The snubbed-nose girl,
by fixing her hair in a bun-like coil, gives the impression that her
coiffure is held by invisible strings by her nose, which gets a more
elevated look than it otherwise would have, because of the bad angle at
which the coil is placed.
[Illustration: NO. 19]
No. 19, which is a picturesque variation of the popular coif, manifestly
improves this type of face, and makes the nose appear less obtrusive.
A woman should carefully study the contour of her head from every side;
the modelling of her face; the length and inclination of her nose; the
setting of her eyes; and the breadth and form of her brow, and adopt a
becoming coiffure that will give artistic balance to her face, and never
absolutely change the style whatever the mode in hair-dressing may be.
In England, the court hair-dresser years ago studied the character of
the head and face of the Princess of Wales, and designed a coiffure for
her which she has never varied until recently; then she merely arranged
her fringe lower down on her forehead than she has ever worn it before.
The general style, however, she preserves intact, and wears her hair,
and has for many years, as is shown in the picture--No. 20. Her
daughters, who have faces the same shape as hers, dress their coiffures
similarly. In never changing the style of arranging her hair, the
Princess of Wales owes in no small degree her apparent air of
youthfulness.
[Illustration: NO. 20]
NO MATTER WHAT THE PREVAILING STYLE THESE RULES MAY BE PRACTICALLY
APPLIED.