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.