MAKE FASHION YOUR SERVANT

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 89, 6 July 1927, Page 5

MAKE FASHION YOUR SERVANT

By MABEL HUDSON It has been said that the only really well-dressed women are those whose clothes one never notices. And. as a , broad principle in the art of good ‘ dressing, this is certainly true. But "it is not. by any means, the whole truth. Clothes of a sober tint, and unobtrusive cut, achieve wonders in many instances, but in quite as many others they only succeed in making the wearer look—dowdy! An artist will often take as much 1 pains over the framing of his picture as over the picture itself. He knows that, just as the finest work in the world can be spoilt by a poor or unsuitable frame, so even the simplest sketch i< immeasurably improved by the right sort of mount, and he grudges neither time nor thought in getting the effect he desires. Concealing Defects Clothes should be to a woman what a suitable frame is to a picture; and even the plainest woman cun quite transform herself by wearing the right garments, garments which not only bring out her best points, but cun- j ningly conceal her defects. This happy consummation is arrived at in many different ways. There are no definite rules. Within reasonable ! limits every woman, in matters sar- i torial, should be a law unto herself. If her figure and complexion call for j a quiet non-committal style of dress. ; she should make it her own. If,on the contrary, her personality cries out for a dash of colour, or some more daring scheme, why should she hesitate to adopt it? Why Follow Fashion Everything depends upon suitability* Hence the woman who blindly follows the fashion whether it suits her or not is seldom a complete success. She lacks that “sense of dress,” that feeling for line, proportion, and colour, without which it is so fatally easy to go astray. A style is going to be worn. Very j well, then. Looking in a long glass let j every woman ask herself, can 1 wear j it? Will it be becoming tt» me? Or is my age, face, or figure such that modifications will be necessary? It is—oh, joy—“just made” for me, or is it, as far as my appearance goes, impossible? Happy is she who. answering these questions honestly, chooses her frocks in accordance: who follows fashion only to the extent that is becoming, adapting it to her own individual needs, or even rejecting it altogether should i: clash too hopelessly with her temperament, or threaten to swamp her particular style. We know, of course, that even in these days, it is not easy to escape the tyranny of fashion. Variety of Styles But if women would have the courage of their own convictions we should see far less of those deplorable misalliances of line and form which a slavish devotion to fashion must inevitably produce. There would be greater variety of style and individuality, and women looking always at their best would appear more attractive than ever before. To be guided, but not led, by fashion, to make the most of good points and camouflage the bad, this, above everything else, is the secret of the welldressed woman. If there is no paste handy when sticking on labels, rubbing an onion on the surface of the tins will make the labels stick.