THE ART OF LOOKING THIN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1018, 6 January 1911, Page 9

THE ART OF LOOKING THIN.

. Tho following is taken from an articlo with' the abovo heading, which appeared in tho London "Daily Mail":—The fact is very quickly comprehended that thero aro certain attributes of di'esa that the plump ' woman must .understand, _ ohcO and for all, for her until her weight diminishes. Site must not wear the short-ami- fashionable skirt; on the contrary, her dress must just touch the ground, and must be made n couplo of inches too" long in front, so that it may remain guiltless ,of the, unpardonable crime of "plucking up." . ■ No sleeves may be, chosen that fit the plump arms closely, t for a moderate amount of fullness veiling tho massive contour of the limbs will add grace to their weighty, appearaiice. • .In furtherance of the same aim, none of the coats niade for the woman of ample proportions lias cufff, although cufts may" bo in fashion. . There is merely a simulated cuff, made by embroidery or the very narrowest braid. Simulation is one 6f the best friends of the woman who-must dress carefully if she is to look graceful. The skirt of which mention has just been made, while it_in\ist not bo short, lieed not be voluminous;- indeed, -it'can approach the silhouette, provided it is designed with panels that allow the wearer plenty of .width. The way in which it is trimmed will rnako for elegance,- and in this connection tho iiso'of pointed pieces at the skies and .back of the skirt will .be of immense assista'ne'e. ' So. will rows of buttons pet in. 'straight lines . suggestive of length,, upon a coat and skirt. Tery adroit ; is the way ii: which, the modish morning coat of the walking suit is made acceptable to the' heavy figure. In the case of tho woman who weighs' 11 stone and- over, a narrow collar sweeping downwards and gradually lessoning in width until it is lost .-beneath, the waist' lino is a \vise choice. Thero. is no fur. upon the coat, and the nearer■ is warned not to choose a .white pelt, and to bo satisfied with a short-haired fur.- v Should she wish to .wear a stole, which should be flat and wide, sable will become Mier, and so will mole; seal is atgood choice, and chinchilla .is so, delicatd* of texture and of' so refined a colour that not even upon bread shoulders will its elegance be lost, though as a rule ijrey is a colour that is not becoming to the colossal figure. .Dexterously-designed l .- pointed , with''embroideries upon them * will .bo' added above and below the waist-line and upon the hips of her coat in-order that the : abundant surfaco may be broken and varied'by graceful.lines. Upon the back of tho coat, if very skilful fingers undertake the task, undue breadth across the shoulders may bo lessened by the introduction of a. panel treated in the same, manner. ■By.such apparently insignificant precautious as tho proper choice of the silk that is to make a 1 dress or coat, the designer for the bulky woman comes to her nid. Satin is riever permissible; the Irish lights'upon it accentuate the rounded curves. Poau'do soie, ori' the other hand, a silk with a dull surfacc, is an admirable choice. The couturier, whose word is law .to-his customers, decrees that' turnover collars 'should never bo thought of for a moment by a womau of a ponderous build. Ho makes a-point in his designs of eliminating tha collar whenever it is possible. The. V-shaped cor'sagc ho recommends, and. for _ tho afternoon dress tho corsage cut straight across"'both'front aud back. A natural but none tho less unfortunate mistake made frequently by the stout woman is tho choice of a turban or toque instead of a picturo hat.' The picturo hat with its sweeping brim refines tho contour of tho face and softens the heavy features, whereas the toquo reveals the countenance in .all its siza and makes it look larger than it need . Thero are two modes in great favour at present in Paris, and both can be made suitable for tho Junoesque figure. Tho loosely-fitting mantle with sleeves is given tho long Hues needed by means of a deep capuchin hood weighted by an ornamental end and tassel, and by a large form' of trimming; a daring detail, but one that proves efficacious, for, abovo all, let tho woman who wants to tone down her size omit niggardly little bits of 'adornment from her toilette.

Tho other voguo in high repute is tho empire dress, and even that apparently inappropriate model for the ponderous woman does not daunt tho couturier, who makes it not only a suitable choico but a. becoming ono 'for the stout figure.