The mature stout woman should never expose her shoulders and upper arms when in evening attire; rather, she should cover the flesh with filmy lace or chiffon, or she should wear a scarf of tulle, preferably of black or a silent tone, across the shoulders and the arms. White will make the arms appear larger than they really are, and black will give the opposite effect.
When dignity is the aim, one must always seek to give interest in line. Youth can manage severity in line and can wear satisfactorily garments that are untrimmed, but with advancing years, there comes a greater necessity for variety in detail.
A coat, for instance, might be boyishly plain for a 20–year-old girl weighing 160, but for the same weight at 50 one needs to slip in a friendly line or cozy bit of fur to modify the severely tailored.
The examples shown on the opposite page are worthy of close study, and a smart Fashion Book at your right hand will allow you a modish use of these correct lines in any current fashion.
TRIMMINGS TO AVOID
In choosing the trimmings for your garments, remember that buttons or trimmings placed in flat patch effect, as in squares, triangles, or diamonds, will tend to add thickness and destroy dignity, while if they are arranged in single rows or broken lines they will add dignity and at the same time give the appearance of length. Harmonizing, rather than contrasting colors should be selected for trimmings, so that they will not stand out boldly from the garment. Never should the collar, the belt, or the finish at the bottom of the skirt be permitted to attract the eye before the garment itself does, but they should be arranged so as to be as inconspicuous as possible. Tucks, plaits, and seams should be made to extend up and down the garment instead of around it. Nowhere else can the laws of optical illusion be so effectively applied, with such noticeable results, as in the matter of trimmings. A single ornament, wrongly placed, can mar an entire costume for the woman who wants to achieve slenderness.
HOW THE MATURE WOMAN CAN APPEAR SMART, ATTRACTIVE, AND CHARMING
The mature woman—the woman past her first youth—owes it to herself, her family, and the world at large to be as becomingly and appropriately dressed as intelligent effort, skill, and available money will permit. On her rests the responsibility, example, standard of right living, and the function of leadership. Also it is her duty not only to attract and please, but to hold the admiration of those who believe in her, and by her charming appearance, poise, and dignity to make her particular sphere, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant it may be, radiate joy, peace, and progress.
Nearly everybody agrees with the adage that “a woman is as old as she looks and a man as old as he feels;” at least, there is no doubt that the mature woman has a big advantage over the mature man. By her dress, the woman of today can prolong her youth and at the same time she can take on that poise and dignity which the accumulation of years and experience generously bestows upon her, provided, of course, she accepts these years and experiences in the right spirit. Deep down in every normal woman lies the girl nature, and becoming, appropriate clothes make possible the return of the girl spirit in a dignified way that imparts real charm.
Would you believe that the pattern of these two dresses is exactly the same? This illustrates how you can vary a dress once you find the foundation lines that are becoming to you. One pattern can suffice for both a tailored and an afternoon dress, as you see both effects are pleasing in their slenderness.