Ladies' Column

Bruce Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 3099, 15 September 1899, Page 8

Ladies' Column

MAN'S TASTE IN WOMAN'S DRE9S. . Without adopting, the yieyrs of the sarcastic individual who said, « Women dreaa eijbher to please men or to annoy one another," we may admit that a good many of us desire to, please the taste of the sterner sex. The cherished wife, the beloved mother, the comradelike sister, the young woman entering life, and the girl who has many pleasant friendships with men are alljusti- \ fied in wishing to be pronounced good fco look upon by these important critic?. " Praise from Sir Hubert Stanley is praise indeed " ; but it can only bo won by studying his idiosyncracies. These vary, of course, with the individual ; nevertheless, certain characteristics of taste and prejudice may be noted a? common to the entire sex. A man never allows his jud^ai^nfc of Ilia womankind's attire t~» b^ le 1 captive Rt the heel of fashion. If you tell him that something he dislikes ia the very latest "cri," he merely says, " Chen it is a very ugly oae." Io will ba remembered tbat his Majesty M_*n was Btronglr and sarcaiticdly oppo *ad to the big sleeves that male us all fondly fancy ourselves so important a fe-v seasons back; and it will be noted that any mode which tends to distort th^ " female form divine" disposes hia artistic eye. For the same reas>n ib is that outre s yle3 of hair-drassiug — large fringes, coils of hue staudiug oat grotesquely from the head, op any ex. ceas in the use of "frizetfces" — meet with his condemnation, a 7 * do ths high collars, when exaggerated so as fco spoil the contour of the neck. But if lv) objects to the confuting; of the t'eminiae outlines, he deprecates eqmlly undue revelation thereof. He does nob admire the excessively ti_»hfc skirt m«v in vogue ; a pioched waist is his abomination, deemed worthy of scafchiag adjectives ; and a too decolletee gown never to be described by him wicho ut a Bhrug and a lift of the eyebrow more eloquent than words. Another of his pet bugbears is a display of jewellery in the daytim3. "Oh, Mrs So-and-Si was bedizenei, as usual," he wiil say ; "but the girl looked vary nice; quite Bimple ; don't you know, bufc c very cb ing put on right and looking as though it belonged to her." It is a mistake to suppose that, because a man can hardly even describe the dress of a woman, he does not notice small derails. The very reverse is the case. He has the eye of an officer on parade ; tiny defects escape him not. A badly-fitting shoe, a tight glove, nn untidy veil, tumb'ed chiffon or sore \ lace, stamp a girl for him as " bad form." Por a like reason he admires small beauties that mem bers of our sex .verlook. I remember beinc much impressed afc a very smart assembly, wh-ra much beauty was present, by the remark of a man whose opinion is supposed to be a criterion of feminine excellence. Two sisters entered the room and passed ns, ladylike, but, as ifc seemed to me, rather insignificant- looking girls. The man's eye followed them, regardless of several noted belles in their vicinity ; and he said in a tone of satisfaction, " Ah, what well-3efc little heads." Every woman will bear me out in saying thab men, as a cla,s?, like black dresses and black hats. I havo known a few exceptions, in the case of lovers of very bright huep, whose predilection for blue, red, and brilliant rose was a trifle trying to their devoted belongings ; but the adverse man will J disappoint hia wife by refusing to her smart dinner gown the kudos bestowed oa ber old black frock. Grey is another masculine favorite ; parhaps the reason for its frequenr selection for bridal travelling gowos is thai tbe fiancee has found oue this fact during th-j enga^em^n*. As a rule, a «iri in a trim grey " tailormade" is certain cf approbation, il only she carry herself we'i, for simplicity of make is inau'd ideal for her on ordinary occasions. Fo? very smart wear, he will permit her " something fluffy and frilly"; and silk meets with favor. While muslin pleases him, too, especially if relieved with pale blue or soft pink. Yellow he hardly ever admires ; green very seldom. In cold or dull weather a good splash of vivid red appeals to his temperant ; and roses in a har, provided the shape of the confection be not eccentric, are always commended. I have never, to my recollection, met a man who cared for mauve or heliotrope as a color ; but a toque with violet< will b 8 siic:essful in winning his suffrages. Blurred pa^fc /ns on fairies — such as the chine designs in vogue not long J $j ) upe--ftmuge jnen, " Tour gownj

looks as though somebody had thrown a paint brush at it," or " What are those streaks of. greased lightning; meandering all over you? WhyJ couldn't you have a pretty pattern ?''• he has been heard to exclaim. On the whole, it may be said that man seeks in woman's dress not novelty, bat appropriateness; not eccentricity, but charm. Were we only to consult hiß taste, we Bhould, I think, be less extravagant than we are now. He likes us to have pretty things ; but once he takes a fancy to a gown or hat, he is constant, and he regrets to see it discarded before ifc is worn out. In many matters connected with our costume — always excepting bhe shape of hats and bonnets, regarding which he is a dangerous quide — we should do well to be guided by his advice rather than by caprice of the moment.