The extent of your attractiveness rests with you and don’t forget ever how very much a right color can help you. Haunt the shops for the beautiful, the flattering, the becoming thing. Don’t be satisfied to buy green, blue, or gray simply because it’s the season’s color—find the tone or shade of that color that is lovely for you—then you can be fashionably dressed and becomingly so.
CHAPTER IX
THE LINE OF YOUTH AND GRACE
There is a distinct difference between the appropriate clothes for the young stout girl and those for the elderly stout woman. The first must work to emphasize trim smartness; the second simplicity and becomingness. Not so much difference in the two, you will say, but think carefully about it and you will realize that there is a difference. The whole idea of dress is different at 20, let us say, than it is at 50. If you are 20, you may wear 20–year clothes, but if you are 50, you may wear 40–year clothes. And you can truly look 40 if you learn to blend the lines suited to youth and maturity and to do it skilfully.
WHEN TAILORED CLOTHES ARE SMART
Work to achieve one of two types—tailored smartness or supple dignity. Neither need emphasize age and both can reduce the appearance of size. If you are best as a tailored girl, be one morning and evening. Remember that the soft wools, charmeen and poiret, are best, and often smart in stripe effect. One-piece wool frocks are a boon to slenderness and every season brings smart, simple straight lines especially adaptable to soft, clinging materials. Watch the length of your suit coat if you are young. Long Eton effects are often good, and don’t forget the beauty and long line possibilities in the very long suit coat.
Tend a little to the vampish black in the evenings, if you wish, but tailor the lines so that they are severely smart. Of course, if you are 18 you may not want to use black and look vampish, but you can, as far as size goes, wear cream, sky or old blue, or watery green effectively. In fact, any of these colors are wearable if you choose supple fabrics and wear them unadorned. If you choose boat necks, be sure to wear a scarf or necklace to break the line.
But here we are going to talk about the girl who is young, good-looking, and stout. You needn’t say that you are not good-looking. It’s your own fault if you aren’t, that’s certain. Read the women’s magazines. Every month they carry excellent articles on the care of the face, hands, hair and body, and if you are delightfully clean and follow even the simplest rules, you can be good to look at even if you weigh more than you would like to.
Straight lines can be artistically used in lingerie or negligee, and such garments need not be monotonous or unattractive. Beautiful simplicity or distinctive smartness should be your aim with such garments.
At the left is a night dress with pleasing length lines.
Ribbon trimmings or contrasting bands are desirable in finishing dressing gowns, such as shown in the center above, especially if the color harmonizes with the predominating color of the fabric.
Soft crêpe, as at the right, in subdued color, is becoming and inexpensive. Effective length line trimmings can be added by decorative stitches or bindings.
Fortunately, the flesh on a young stout girl is usually evenly distributed, thus making the chief consideration in dress one of choosing line and fabric that are becoming to youth. It is very easy for a young stout to be well corseted and that is an important essential, for correct corseting will go a long way toward avoiding additional fat.