THE WORTHY ART OF DRESS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 48, 20 November 1907, Page 3

THE WORTHY ART OF DRESS.

Nothing is more disastrous than for a perBon to be. serious-niinded -in the wrong places.,- It.; is like : . emphasising the wrong words in a sentence, and thereby obscuring the true meaning. • Being serious-minded is not,.a virtue'in itself; it is only valuable when the right things are taken seriously. Now, for some-reason, a great many otherwise intelligent .women consider dress a frivolity.' Exactly why they, should do so Bb is-not. clear, i .-There. are crises in life whereto have a well-cut .and becoming gown is than health or riches. There are domestic rifts in the lute which a pretty gown ; 'and a Marcel wave can .banish where : argument.fails. There are social situations where suitable dress is a necessary condition: of, opportunity. Does any. one suppose that women—who are by far less vain, naturally, than men—would spend the time and-, thought they do on dress but for the urgent, ,and deeply founded need of good clothes that thoy find in their lives and ex'perienoes? ■■■■!■. ■,iThe, matter.of dress should always be seriously -considered- by every feminine mind. It is can antecedent of .personal value to be ■wisely used by all wiso women.- If a woman dqsires to influence oither her own sex or the other sex, she; must either dress; so as to please the eye, or. have to spend a steady amount of personal effort.to counteract her appearance. The pioneer women suffragists could,not convince anybody, male or female, as long as they wore short hair and bloomers. Now the up-to-date' suffragette wears real lace and does her-hair becomingly, and her influence is so'much the greater for every good hat she buys. ■ Extravagant and unsuitable dress is a great evilrr-ho.-doubt of .that, but no ono was ever, yet deterred from following a frivolous fashion by the admonition of a serious friend or relative who was also a dowdy one. It'is for the dress-reformer to dress better than the average; and it is for the serious woman to show,, in the cut of her skirt and the lines of her hat, a graceful and excellent Way of dressing.