It would indeed be a Herculean task to attempt to write a discourse on the ever-changing dictates of Fashion, on the constant whims and vagaries of Style. Each season brings forth striking new dress innovations—new colorings, new draperies, new lines. What is in vogue to-day is cast aside to-morrow as "out-of-date."
In the world of good society, dress plays an important part in the expression of culture. There is a proper dress for afternoon wear, and another for evening functions. There are certain costumes for the wedding, and others for the garden fête. The gentleman wears one suit to business, and another to dinner. Where civilization has reached its highest point, there has dress and fashion reached its finest and most exquisite development.
But instinct can be carried to excess. Inherent love of beauty can be so abused that it becomes a sign of vanity. Fashion can be made a series of fads, and style an excuse for eccentricities. It is because men and women, and especially women, are so eager to adopt any new style creation offered to them by the vast army of "authorities," so impatient always for something new, new—that the dress of to-day has earned the censure of students of sociology. "Supply the demand" has ever been the slogan of the producers, while they strive in every way to increase the demand.
And yet, the study of dress is a beautiful one. Women are never so lovely as when they are dressed well. Men are never so attractive as when their garments are faultless. There is something romantic in the gown and veil of the bride, just as there is something delightfully refreshing in the sight of a young girl daintily attired on a hot Summer's day. There is poetry in dress, just as there is in a towering cathedral or in a well-molded statue.
HARMONY IN DRESS
One of the most important, in fact, the important principle of dress is harmony. Nature itself is a glorious example of all that is harmonious. Picture, for instance, the delicate pansy, with its soft blend of greens and yellows and purples. Think of the exquisite china-aster with its pale colorings of violet and pink. And the many-hued rainbow that glorifies the sky with a sudden brilliance. How utterly irresistible are these harmonies of Nature, and how well we can all profit by her example!
The spirit of the modern dress seems to be more definitely centered around "sensation" than harmony. We see sport skirts worn with high-heeled shoes, pinks indulged in where navy blue or dark brown would be more appropriate, elaborate motifs and decorations where simplicity should have been. And we see women, priding themselves upon being fashionable, wearing gowns that are pretty enough, but that on them are completely out of harmony.
The reason for this is that so many women, and men too, accept the dictates of Fashion without stopping to determine whether or not these new creations are suitable to their own particular type. They do not realize that to be fashionable does not mean to follow conscientiously every new fad, but to adjust the prevailing style to conform with the lines of their individual faces and forms. To illustrate: it is ridiculous for the very slim young lady to wear a severe straight-line frock simply because it is the fashion, but she can adapt the straight-line effect to her own figure, and add a bit of fluffiness. Similarly, the stout woman need not wear tremendous, voluminous ruffles and flounces because Fashion decrees that they shall be worn, but she may gain the desired effect by using them in moderation.
Why is it that a gown may look thoroughly beautiful on a manikin, but have an entirely different effect when you put it on? Because you have distinct personality, you have little peculiarities of line and coloring that require special consideration. To select lines that harmonize with the lines of your body, colors that harmonize with your own coloring, and styles that harmonize with your particular type, is to dress well and attractively. Seek harmony first—and style afterward.