The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 17, 1901, Page 18

OU can't dress becomingly unless ihere is a think behind every one of .your gowns. 3 the taflors and the akers ought to know—ah, ? They know the fashions, they e technical tricks of cutting and but in most cases they don’t know Therefors. if you have anything artistic about you, design your own clothes. 1If mot, turn yourself over to a competent person, who shall study you and act on the results. ¥or it is study that does it—constant study The designer of any costume must consider the figure of the one who 1s to wear it; he must considér the color- ing of hair, eyves and skin; and he must consider the mode of life, which makes a difference in the use of a gown. The key- pote of good dressing is appropriateness. Mark that—appropriateness. The busi- ness woman cannot go to business in re- ception costumes and look well dressed, no matter how swell those reception cos- tumes may be. The stout woman cannot wear flufly effects and look like anything but a ruffied pillow. The petite, kittenish girl cannot wear the sweeping lines that are becoming to her queenly sister and be anything but ridiculous. Appropriateness—remember that. The woman off the stage must study herself, her style, and decide on what suits her best. Once settled, her path ahead is easy. But to the women of the stage, who change their personalities sometimes as often as once a week, there is nothing but constant study. The piguante ingenue of one week may be the stately queen of the next. To car- ry out the different roles costumes must be planned with the greatest care and must be strictly realistic, for the are of dressing for the stage is realism. That may be something of a blow to tradition. We have often heard that stage gowns are one thing and human gowns another. It has been told that grotesque- ly formed hats and gaudy colors and fac- tory-made gems lend ‘“‘effect.” A thou- sand times no. Such things look tawdry and theatrical. Actresses cannot wear flimsy, cheap goods and expect them to look like bet- ter qualities. It is all nonsense. Poor fabrics fall in ungraceful lines. There is po art in dressing for the stage without realism. A swell woman does not wear tarlatan in the place of chiffon; and a swell woman cannot be thus depictel on the stage. Parts must be dressed exactly as they would ke in real life. I mean this to the letter. I mean it even to the silk lining. Therefore, as there is no difference be- tween stage dressing and off-stag dress- ing, the same iaw applies to both. That law, remember, is appropriateness. Take, for instance, the part of Edith in “A Leap for Love.” She is young, girl- ish, ingenuous. She is in good society, THE SUNDAY OALL. Now what sort of a high-necked evening gown will she wear? In the first place, it will be good, for she is supposed to be in fashionable so- ciety. There will be nothing shoddy about her. Every material used in her gown will e the best, and it will show as that. The flare and the sweep that a silk liming give cannot be imitated and they show even from the stage. Next, it will be simple, Yor the girl is young. No young girl in good society wears elaborate gowns. As to color, I chose pink. This was part- 1y because it is a girlish color and partly because it suits me. There is another complexity, you see; the actress has to look to her own complexion at the same time that she is considering an imaginary personality. The little pink crepe de chine that I had made for this part depends for its beauty upon its exquisite quality and modish out- line. The trimming is simple in the ex- treme. The sleeves are shirred above the elbow. About half-way down the upper arm this shirring springs into a great puff which stops just below the elbow. Three broad tucks outline a dip in the skirt. They have the same value as a cir- cular flounce: they imitate the waist line and increase the impression of a dip. What trimming there is on the gown consists of cream lace and cream corded silk, the latter sprinkled with the fash- fonable French knots in black. The lit- tle square blocks in which the lace and silk are arranged give a unique effeet. Notice again, that the dip line is repeat- ed in the applique of dotted silk. It fits over the hips like the yoke of a petticoat and keeps to the outline of the belt. Compare this gown with the wedding anniversary gown worn in “The Eighth Year.” In this, I must be a woman who has lived past her girlhood, for the action takes place on the eighth anniversary of her wedding. It must be a dressy evening gown. 3 Where the other was simple, this is elab- orate. It is of white lace over white taf- feta, and the lace skirt is embroidered all over with Ilittle silver wreaths. Silver spangles carry out the scheme on bodice and sleeves. The train is long and sweeping and over it flow the long ends of a white silk sash eplendidly embroidered in silver designs. The sleeves stop just above the elbow d are close fitting. A puff of illusion s them; the bodice is supported by -* 5 THE LATEST THING IN BACNRS Some Points in Dressing That Will Appeal to the Ilind Feminine. Laws of Appropriateness for Stage Apparel You Will Find of Value in Everyday Life. A Quiet Little Talk From an Actress Who Makes It a Point of Studying Effects in Costumes and Who Can Give You Advice Worth Having. straps over the shoulder. one a plain band of white satin ribbon, the other a garland of pink baby roses. That little garland shows the only dash of color about the gown. You see what a different personality this costume has from that of the pink crepe de chine. It is older, more of the world. And It ®ost my pocketbook a round $275 while the other was covered by $125. The bolero gown is a®smart little black and white affair that I keep for my own uses. It is appropriate for calling, for matinees and the simpler class of after- noon functions like informal teas and re- ceptions. The pattern should be becom- ing to any slender woman. The beauty of the black silk skirt is its rows of hemstitching. This is put In in long bands from waist to hem. The stitch- ing is about half an inch wide. Jet trim- ming surrounds the skirt; two rows in the front and three in the back. The skirt has a galrly long train. Bodice and sleeves are severely plain, made of cream lace over cream satin. The bolero of black silk and black inserting is cut in an 60dd shape that the picture shows better than I can describe. Its two long points in front are of brocaded vel- vet, a brilliant moss green; there is no other sign of green about the gown. That touch of it gives life to the whole cos- tume." The hat worn with it is a cheap thing— T picked it up for $7. and T hold that it is more artistic than plenty of $20 hats. In fact, I'm not sure that I don’t like it bet- ter than my Virot which cost me $28. There you see a wide brim which is equally suited to a wide or narrow face. The big Alsatian bow, too, gives width to the whole. But people with very retrousse noses should not risk a brim which rolls so far over the face. The Virot hat is a panne velvet laden with a huge wreath of white roses and dull green leaves. It is one of those hats ‘which roll up at the sides and dip in the front. In narrow shapes they are ex- tremely trying to any face, but the width of this saves it. That $35 tan ulster would never do for a very stout woman. Let her beware of the large, loose cloaks. They are stylish, but they are impossible to the stout. Give a passing glance at the boa that goes with this. The boa s one of the happiest of modern fashions. It softens any face; it “dresses up” any gown. This one is of white chiffon, edged with nar- row black velvet ribbon. This carries out the season’s fad for black and white. But a warning right there. Don't be misled by color fashions. There are cer- tain colors suited to every complexion, and it is doubtful if the woman lives who dare wear every shade. So unless the prevailing colors be becoming pay no at- ¥tention to their fashions. Colors are for the individual. fiot the times. Velvet is In style this winter, and it 18 far more becoming than woolen cloth. Dark-colored velvet softens the face, as sealskin does. The black velvet jacket and skirt costume is suitable for street wear. It is very warm with its heavy ermine trimming, and will be good form only in cold weather. That Is another point on which so many make mistakes; they dress unseasonably, therefore un- becomingly. If a woman can have only one winter suit she makes a mistake in getting anything so wintry looking, for there are bound to come mild days, on which the velvet and ermine will be out of place. The toque that goes with the suit ear- ries out the ermine scheme. The breast which surrounds it Is white dotted, with black feathers, that look: almost exactly like the little black tails of the fur. Tha toque is simplicity itself, but it cost me $16, even though I get professional rates, you know, as theatrical people do. We are obliged to have so many clothes that prices are cut Lo us. The Paris cloak (3110) Is my favorite v e 3 garment of all the lot. It is made as only Paris knows how to make. It ap- pears upon close inspection te be a silk, thin in texture, laid upon a downy fan- nel, then stitched all over, back and forth, in infinite zigzags and whirligigs. Between the stitching the silk puckers; giving a crinkly appearance, something like crepon. This cloak is of the palest sray. The broad empire belt is of gray panne velvet; the chiffon. which fluffs into ruchings down the front, into knots at the throat, into ruffles inside the collar, is all gray. Only the brocaded silk lining is white. Notice the half-fitted, high-watsted back of this cloak. It is new and smart, but another impossibility to the over-stout ‘woman. For remember, you are te dress hand- somely and stylishly if you like to and can; but it is a matter of “must” tha you dress becomingly. “ Ea— ] Interesting Genealogles. Among the 311 descendants of King Charles II of England and Nell Gwynne are the Duke of St. Albans, the Countess of Warwick, Lord Rosslyn and the Duch- ess of Sutherland. The Duke of Rich- mond is descended from Charles Lennox, the first Duke of Richmond, who was the illegitimate son of Charles II and Louise de Querouaille, a French woman, sent over to England by Louis XIV of France, and created “Duchess of Portsmouth by her royal lover. The Duke of Grafton is descended from the first Duke of Graf- ton, who was the lllegitimate son of Charles II and Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland. . The Earl of Munster bears the royal arms with the bar sinister to indicate his irregular descent from King Willlam IV and Mrs. Jordan, the actress, all of whose nine illegitimate sons and daughters were well provided for wihie their unfortunate mother was brutally discarded and Bllowed to de in great pov- erty and distress.—Portland (Or.) Ore- gonjan.