Underwear is to the dress what the foundation is to a house, and it should be built just as skillfully. It is impossible to secure a dainty graceful effect in a dress when it is worn with a clumsy petticoat. Styles change in underwear just as they do in dresses and the silhouette of the outer garment must decide what the lines of the under one shall be. For the present styles soft yielding materials are absolutely necessary for underwear and few flounces should be used about the bottom of the skirt if the clinging effect around the ankles and knees is desired in the dress.
Elaborate lace trimmings are neither in good taste nor stylish, and handwork constitutes the decoration on many of the most attractive of these garments. Colored lingerie and bright-colored ribbons should be worn only when the dress is not transparent. Bright pink and blue ribbons in a camisole or chemise will always look a bit garish when viewed through a thin blouse.
Color has a magnetic attraction for the eye and wherever placed immediately attracts attention to that spot. I am sure refined girls do not wish to invite public interest in their lingerie through the use of bright colors in their ribbons. The most delicate tints are permissible, but should be used only in small quantities. White only should be used with the graduation dress.
Since several petticoats are apt to prove clumsy, great care must be exerted in selecting the material for this undergarment, to avoid too much transparency when worn under the very sheer organdy dress.
LINGERIE FOR THE GRADUATION DRESS
Corsets and Posture
The envelope chemise and knickerbockers are very comfortable undergarments and are quite popular with most young girls of today. They may be made most attractive when soft dainty materials are used and the needlework is carefully executed. These garments should be kept quite simple. If lace is used it should be in limited quantities and of a kind that may be laundered often. Little bits of dainty feather stitching and hand embroidery will add individual charm to these undergarments.