Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / Nov. 5, 1911, edition 1 / Page 16
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r % V , ■5. •>> ; ^Vhe Business Girl's Suit atould De Simple Wt in Good Style A Coal of Duoface Cioth for a(I Sorts of Weather Beneath a Long Topcoat Pretty Frocks May Be Wcm- A Serviceable Mixture Should Be Select ed for the Tailored Sult-Velvet Not a Prac tical Material fot the Every-Day Hat CHR business woman’s salary m»y be the F’ender weekly stipend '•f the little ealesKlrl, or thfe young stenographer just start ing out oft her offlre career; or it majT be the sort of salary that is handed through the pay window in a fat monthly envelope In accordance with an Important yearly contract; but there are certain requirements of dress which she must abide by if she has a proper regard for the canons of propriety and good taste. Her dress In the office will be In conspicuous; It will be scrupulously neat; and It will be at the same time as dainty and beoomlng as her attrac tive femininity has a right to demand. There is no reason why the business woman should not be the most charin- Ing object In her omce, but this charm must not obtrude Itself, for no matter how attractive the business woman may be, she Is by no means the most Important thing In that office and a costume that throws her Into the foreground of notice Is Inexcusable. The young clerk who came to work every morning attired In clothes of exaggerated cut. shoes Intended for dress parade, a flaming necktie and scintillating jewelry, would soon hear from his brother employees if not from his employer; and Jeers and sar casm would be the least of the criti cism he would receive. The over dressed office girl, however, may-attire herself In velveteen, cheap willow plumes, lingerie blouses, suede pumps, reconstructed jewels and other incon gruous article.! of raiment and never know what a mistake she is making or what contemptuous or amused pity ■h« arouses In those who behold her. Tailored Wear Always Most Satisfactory. The business girl need not affect mannish garments in order to be as ap propriately dressed as a man for her ofBce tasks. Man’s natural garb, for tunately for him, is designed on busi nesslike lines rathor than with the Intent to rharm. 'Woman’s raiment, on the contrary, acknowledges charm as Its first requirement. Therefore, to be busiueasllHe.jiYiytian’.s dress must flacrif\ce aoTne of Its own character and become more like the neutral- toned, unomamented garb of the mas culine worker. For this reason tail ored garments are always the best choice, In the long run, for the busi ness woman, though one or two simple, pretty little frocks may.be on hand for occasional wear. The business woman who pins her faith to tailored effects; who wears a well cut, well pressed tailored suit, a simple, tailored type of hat, heavy, mannish gloves, a tailored shirtwaist w'lth immaculate linen collar and He or a trim stock, need have no fear about looking smart and appropriate ly dressed—and at the end of the day will look and feel neater and In better trim than the girl who started out la the morning with a feathered or flow'ered hat that required perfectly arranged coiffure to set ft off, the sort of suit that if hop^leu withoiit ■ ■ - ■* ■ - - ' .>- and dainty accessories, and an elab orate jabot and la^e atock -.which a* day at the office wbutd be bound to reduce to flimsy untMiness. . the bes't sort of tailored suit lor the girl who must wear such-a suit day In and day out, is a simple, rather man nish model of mlxed_ fabric, the smooth surfaced, plain materials being less serviceable tan mixed., effects for steady wear. Mixtures do not grow shiny in spots and they show soil traces less easily than broadcloths and serges do. This year mixtures are par ticularly fashionable and there are very smart eflfecta in hair stripes and in two color patterns. Such a suit should be made in simple, unexagger ated style without conspicuous trim ming, and In this one detail of her wardrobe the business girl should be a wee bit extravagant, putting all the money she can spare Into a really good looking suit of staunch material, for no other item of her wardrobe will count so much in her appearance or in the- impression of prosperity she conveys. The attractive little' suit il lustrated is made of a black and white striped fabric with an effective and jaunty trimming of black velvet and white pearl buttons. The ciit of this suit is excellent, the coat being In the new finger-tip length and the skirt, while not flaring at all, having sufficient width at the foot for easy walking. With- this practical lit'iTe suit is worn a charmingly becoming, yet Ideally simple hat of black velvet^ with a youthful band and how trim ming of the new rep ribbon in a soft shade of green. With such a suit the correctly dressed business girl wears heavy kid gloves in a serviceable tan or reddish shade, gray mocha gloves, or wash able white chamois or doeskin gloves. Some canny business women buy their one-button, heavy kid gloves at the boy’s counter irhere these gloves maj' be purchased in good qufility %t less cost than those sold at. the woman’s glove counter. , The boy’s gloves also are easily drawn on and off -^nd give a smart, tailored finish "to th# costume. The footwear should be ia keeping with the auit. Just now buttoned boots are considered smarter than the laced sort, which are re»erv«d for country and outing use, find the busi ness girl may select dull calf butt;»ned boots with stitching and%]»erforated trimming on the toe, tan calf hoota of the same sort, or patent leather h^ota with tops of dull kid. V^yret,'ituelle or white buckskin boots tl^e buslaei^i woman of good taste, will -neyer , weaw in her office. , A Coat for Stormy Days. Another essential of the btisiness woman’s wardrobe wHl the practi cal utility or storm coat wjll cover her from top to toe on snowy days, and which may also b« worn occasionally over the Uttle frocks which offer a pleasant variety in the eternal shirtwaist and skirt tnonotony. This year the reversible ^ot^ coats are the approved thing in storm.co«t wear and evenr little business gtrl will want oi^e of those graceful and smil^t coats, Vith' their big, sloping dplla^ Tlie Stiirtvsraidt albDUildDe ScFupuloos^Neat slanting down to a low side-fastening, and their cheerful combination of col ors. One of those good looking coats is illustrated—a duofaced cloth inodel, brown flecked with cream On the outerj side and warm mahogany color on th#^ reverse side. The buttons are ihade qM|[’ the material—mahogany side ou^e^.. naost, and match the big cellar and, cuffs. The umbrella matches’the co«^ cover and outier silk ca^ being ^ rich brown coloring. ■‘There seems reason why the businees ' woman,m these little details of dress, should ndt* ^ ,,, add a cheerful bit of color to ® Wedding, otherwise inconspiculously correct tume. Haven’t you ever noticed pretty girl with a becoming hat a red umbrella is the mc»fit cheer^i^ a, dainty model;Crepe de chine in the color of the skirt may be used, or one of the pretty plaided taffeta silks in a blue and grreen checked pattern with pipings of, plain green arid tiny gold or fmel buttons. Satin, velvet, lace and Bt- blouses should bef eschewed business girl who even on Sat- ^;^j|^^buld no more t'^ink of wear- vipJSii'iW^irelaborate regalia than would .few «^t|>loyer of donning his frock gray tie and gloves because^ the afternoon he expected to a “Dress-Up” Occasion Arrives. . |v- ^here are occasions when the little ' r'^^iness girl must go directly from hei* . . some festivity, when there is note in a car full o4 somberly cia^:.^pj||iQ}}^t^^y not time to return home people on a gloomy niorning? ’ ,The Shirtwaist Question. rfO'm.attfer what other costumes the busriness woman resorts to for relief from monotony, she always comes back to^the shirtwaist, sooner or later as..the,best solution of the dress prob lem. H After all, there is • nothing so peat, so attractive and sq a,ppropriate for office wear as the shirtwaist of linen or other tub material which mi^y be r'enewed in freshness after each Wearing if. necessary. Never have, tailored wfiists been more popular with well dressed women than they aJ*eiat this n^omeht And the smart, well,'cut waist with “a tvirn over cellar and four- in-hand tie is as appropriate on, Fifth Avenue as in a business ofHce far down Broadway, and much smarter tha.n a s^eer laiwh blouse honeycoii(ibed‘ With; lace- ; ‘ ■ ■ Btit there are shirtwaists and shirt waists, and the' tailored walst“ more .than any, other kind,, needs to ,be. well crit and well flnlshed to be correct :T|^e wip.ist illustrated is made • of .Striped'Shirting and is perfectly plain in style, with mannish cuiShi and _ a starched ' box, pleat»at 'the front but toned-with pearl buttons. There are lovely, patterns in wi|sh silks for these ’tailored . waists^—soft, dull French, blues striped with shaded- lavenders,' .faint pinks with , blue striping; and whitiB with deliciate gray-blues or rose. .These tub silks do seem tb^c6st a rather substantial amount, l?y the yard, but they iare very wide and they launder- beautitolly, with no ne^d of star(6h« > SO'- that with ■, a ■ small flatiron and gas stove a.iraist- of..thla.^rt may be done up in an evening by a thrifty business girl. Such waist-is wora with a > high turn-over collar of the silk* pinned neatly Under a four-in- hand tft, a stiff linen col^r, either high' or ia”the opfn Byron style, or an »to«^ .of-pliw*'eolo*"^ niadrj^ . if a.ilarker blouse iaprefw^ mes- saline siU^ . i>ink tucked and with' ths^iuMrroir pord«d ptifBltfs |>^k(S a change of toilette and humdrum workaday costume is totally inadequate to the demands of the entertainments to be. In such event, it will be much wiser for the business woman to carry her "glad •togs” with her to the office than to sit all day in the dfiinty Pnery which should be fresh for evening. A little chiffon and soft silk, gown like the one illustrated may be folded into an or- dlnary traveling bag, with room to spare for silk hose arid slippers, fresh Jewelry. The bag should also contain a hand mirror, a •bbttle of toilet water for freshening up, in lieu of the warm bjifh that can not be managed, and of course, a corr\b ahd brush and manicure, necessities— though these the dainty business girl usually keeps at hand in a drawer of h®r office desk. It is a very poorly / C' f"' ' .nV'* :S': - ' " A One-piece Off iceTrock* that IS Practical and Ppeily The Soft Litttle Evening FpocK that can be Carried m a Ba§ JEWELS FOR A QUEEX. equipped office building that has not some retiring room where after hours, the office girl cannot make the simple change of costumevsuggested. One Evening a Week for “Picking up lioose Ends.” At least one evening out" of the seven the business Woman must spend, in her own rooin, ‘halving a heart to heart confab with herself; or in other words, doing; the necessary face steani=- ing, hair shampooing, -manicuring and massaging which keep her perfectly and exquisitely groothed and for which there seems so little time in the busi ness girl’s life. During this evening also, stockings will be darned and the necessary stitch taken ,here and there inr ripped or frayed wearables, aj^d a dainty , piece of neckwear p^^aps washed out ,an^ ironed. ftXJEiEN, MARY especially favors diamonds, and at the coronation of King Greorge, wore many of them. The Queen never looks better than w'hen wearing many diamonds, but she does not like other jewelry. ..Queen Alexandra, on the other hand, has a marked preference for pearls and other colored stones, particular aniethysts. She possesses many of these stones, and is always searching for ijiore to eomplete her private col lection. A * nEVER has there been a time when neck dressings were so be- .-.Qomliig; never a time when ’'more latitude in .choice was al lowed by, Madame Mode. So Jong ste the arrangement is becoming it mat ters very little whether'one’s bodice is squareJ-cut, ' V shaped, rounded in Dutch style, finished with a turn down collar, or lett perfectly plain to throw the whiteness of the throat into relief. One may even wear an upstanding Medici frill at the. back if one desires —these are seen in the neckwear de partment under the name of th6 new “Elizabethan, frill.” The woman who has a long, swan-like throat jnay wear her lace stock? as high and as stiffly boned as sheL pleases, and the tailored girl may wear her severe linen collar and four-in-hand in the perfect secur ity that she Is correct according to fashion’s mandate. One may stroll up Fifth Avenue of an afternoon and not count two neck dressings alike, yet in all probability every woman will be charmingly and modjshly dcessed and will wear some little neck belonging worth remembering^^—and Imitating. Here will be a huge jabot; there a dainty little silk bow; yonder a chou of black tulle with .dangling jet ear rings to complete a suggestion of French chic. The next woman will wear no neck frippery of any sort, her coat opening over a perfectly fit ting yoke, and tall stock of the fash ionable. shadowed-lace, with perhaps a string of . pearl beads at the base. of the throat. The favorite riieckwear for Out of doors, without a doubt, is the jabot; for indoor' wear, the graceful collar. Some of the handsomest collars have wide frills attached in jabot style-and the frill ^ay be slipped outside the coat, if a coat is donned. One of these combination collar and jabots is pic tured. Of the three new Jabots illus trated, the one on the left is the hand- someSi model, for this jabot'is entire ly hand m9.de and comes from-one of - y- the French convents where such iex- quisite stitchery is done by the nuns. Hand embroidered leaf motifs swid fine Irish crochet lace are artfully com bined* lii an effect of airy daintiness to make The center'Of the jabot and the wide graduated frill is made of pleated batiste edged with the Irish lace. The other two Jabots are machine made af-1 fairs, handsome of their kind but not ' as high class in style as the hand-made ; model. The jabot in the center has | two frills, the wider one being intend- i ed to reach across the codt-:front, clear to the shoulder. . There are special “Jabot pins” for these frills—long bar pins of mental inset with pearls or etched in effective designs. ' A ve^ry pretty jabot pin of filagree sliver'set with sapphires' and. rhinestones was noted the other day in a'Fifth Avenue tea room, the Jabot which it secured being a mammoth affair that covered one side of the coat front. Very sniart frills are in black and white effects. and these frills are by no means confined to mourning use. There will be, for examjile, a pleated black net frill over one of white shadowed lace, 6r‘ the effective Venise, and at the top will be set a smart little A very effective collar with rever* that may be crossed in surplice effect to make a high or low V-shaped neck opening, la. iUustrated.* This hand- sorrie bit of neckwear is'made of Irish lace and Is intended for wear over velvet, the dark fabric throwing the w^hiteness of the lace into high relief. The collar may be worn with either a high stock and yoke as in this case, or An elaborate bit of neckwear for a velvet costnme. black satin or velvet neck bow. Other frills of white net have hemstitched borders in black and sometimes three frjlls are used, two of pleated white net with a black net pleating between. *Kie variety is infinite. Collars are as exaggerated as the Jftbots and some of the prettiest col- lara fall tulte to the waist at the back. There are wonderfully be9,utlful. col lars of the very fashionable itnacrinfie lace; the very same cream'ST'lace that evei^ody Was crocheting,for lambre quins and bedspreads a score or so of ymiita The hand-made macrimfiL laces are rather high priced, but there are very good imitations of this lace and the' largtf collars and wide cuffs are extremely artistic over simple frocks of velvet.' The smartest of the big collars have all their bi^ess at the back, and in front come only Just be low, Uie - throat -where the| V'd neck openlB^ \is finished with a fanciful si^;i|u&ckbow or a brooch. Some of big, dressy collars have at* tached jabots. with a V-shaped decolletage. Very few of the elaborate costumes for afternoon and house wear are made, with boned stock collars—even ing gowns never. At the opening of one of the foremost Paris couturiers not a single collared bodice was ex hibited, but the couturier admitted that these collars with yokes or guimpes would be basted into the frock if -Madame insisted. Very few women, however, insist upon tall, tight stocks, when the comfortable, ar tistic low-cut bodice is permitted them.' Many American women fed that the tall stock is in best taste on all bodices which make a public ap pearance during the day, in winter, whether the frock be worn in the street, at a matinee, In a restaurant of in church. The most fashionable col lar and yoke Just now is the one of thinnest shadow lace or even of per fectly- transparent net, the effect being of a bare throat, except that a plpin? of dark silk at the top of the collar betrays its presence. When these col lars and yokes are made of cream net, which blends with the tone of th® flesh,, the^effect at a little distance i3 exactly that of a bare throat. A pretty way to finish the round neck of a trotteur frock of wool or mohair fabric. Is with a corded of silk. A boned lace or net stocK may be basted under this cordln? when desired> or the neck may be „ilnished with a narrow pleating ® cream-val, a^ little silk bow giving » •mart touch in ICront. •r- t r. a ’ * ■
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Nov. 5, 1911, edition 1
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