 27. Models. An historical interest attaches to fashion in women's costuming, which the practice style is quick to distinguish, but not always that of the novice. Of course the most casual and indifferent of mortals recognizes the fact when woman's hat follows the lines of the French officer's cap, or her coat reproduces the cossacks, with even a faint at his cartridge belt, but such echoes of the war are too obvious to call for comment. It is one of the missions of art to make subtle the obvious, and a distinguished example of this which will illustrate our theme, history mirrored by dress, was seen recently. One of the most famous among the great couturiers of Paris, who has opened a New York branch within two years, having just arrived with her spring and summer models, was showing them to an appreciative woman, a patron of many years. It is not an exaggeration to say that in all that procession of costumes, for cool days or hot, ballroom, salon, boudoir or lawn, not one was banal, not one false in line, or its color scheme, whether the style was classic Greek, medieval or empire, these prevail. One felt the result, first of an artist's instinct, then a deep knowledge of the pictorial records of periods and dress, and to crown all, that conviction of the real artist which gives both courage and discretion in molding textiles, the output of modern genius to the purest classic lines. For example, one reads in every current fashion sheet that beads are in vogue as garniture for dresses, so they are, but note how your French woman treats them, whether they are of jet, steel, pearl or crystal, she presses them into service as so much color, massing them so that one is conscious only of a shimmering, clinging, wrapping toga effect, a la greck, beneath the skirt and bodice of which every line and curve of the woman's form is seen. Evidently some at least are to be gleaming to nagras. Even a dark blue surge for the motor, shopping or train, had from hips to the bust parallel lines of very small tube-like jet beads, sewn so close together that the effect was that of a shirt of mail. The use of notes of vivid color caught the eye. In one case, on a black satin afternoon-gown, a tiny nose-gay of forget-me-not-blue, rose-pink and jessamine-white, was made to decorate the one large patch-pocket on the shirt and a lapel of the sleeveless satin coat. Again on a dinner-dress of black chintilly lace over white chiffon, empire-lines, a very small, deep pinkish-red rose had a white rose-bud bound close to it with a bit of blue ribbon. This was placed under the bertha of cobweb lace and demurely in the middle of the short-waisted bodice. Again a robe d'interiaire of white satin charmouse had a sleeveless coat of blue reaching to knees and a dashing bias sash of pinkish-red, twice round the waist with its long ends reaching to skirt hem and heavily weighted. Not at once, but only gradually did it dawn upon us that most of the gowns bore in some shader form the tricolor of France. Chapter 28 Woman Costumed For Her War Job Every now and then a sex war is predicted and sometimes started, usually by women, though some predicted that when the present European war is over and the men come home to their civilian tasks, now being carried on by women, man is going to take the initiative in a sex conflict. We doubt it. Without deliberate design to prove this point, that a complete collaboration of the sexes has always made the wheels of the universe revolve, many of the illustrations studied showed women with man as decoration in ancient Egypt, Greece and during later periods. The legend of life tells us that man cannot live alone, hence woman, and the pageant of life shows that she has played opposite with consistency and success throughout the ages. The Sunday issue of the Philadelphia Public Ledger for March 25, 1917 has a headline, Trousers vs. Skirts, and continues Margaret Davies, the author of the article. This war will change all things for European women. Military service of a sore has come for them in both France and England where they are replacing men employed in clerical and other non-combatant departments including motor driving. The moment this was decided upon in England it was found that 30,000 men would be released for actual fighting with prospects of the release of more than 200,000 more. What the French demand will be is not known as I write, but it will equal that of England. How will these women dress? Will they be given military uniforms short of skirt or even skirtless? Of course they won't, but the world on this side of the ocean would not gasp should this be done. War industry already has worked a revolution. Study the pictures which accompany this article. They are a new kind of women's fashion pictures. They are photographs of women dressed as European circumstances now compel them to dress. Note the trousers like a Turkish woman's of the French girl munitions workers. Thousands of girls here in France are working in such trousers. Note the smart liveries of the girls who have taken the places of male carriage starters, mechanics and elevator operators at a great London shop. They are very naughty aren't they? Almost like costumes from a comic opera. While they are not operatic costumes they are everyday working liveries. Girls wear them in the most mixed London crowds. Wear them because the man shortage makes it necessary for these girls to do work which skirts do not fit. All French trams and buses have conductresses. The coming of women cab men in London is inevitable. Indeed it already has begun. In Paris they have been established sparsely for some time and have done well, but they have not been used on taxis only on the horse cabs. I have spent most of my time in Paris for some months now and have ridden behind women drivers frequently. They drive carefully and well and are much kinder to their horses than the old red faced, brutal French crochets are. I like them. They have a wonderful command of language, not always entirely or even partially polite, but they are accommodating and less greedy for tips than male drivers. At Selfridge's great store, the largest and most progressive in London, operated on Chicago lines, skirtless maidens are not rare enough to attract undue attention. The first to be seen there indeed is not in the store at all but on the sidewalk, outside of it, engaged in the gentle art of directing customers to and from their cars and cabs and incidentally keeping the chauffeurs in order. An extremely pretty girl she is too with her frot coat coming to her knees, her top boots coming to the coat, and now and then when the wind blows a glimpse of loose knickers. She tells me that she's never had a man stare at her since she appeared in the new livery, although women have been curious about it and even critical of it. Women have done all the staring to which she has been subjected. Within the store, many girls engaged in various special employments are dressed conveniently for their work in perfectly frank trousers. Among these are the girls who operate the elevators. There is no compromise about it. These girls wear absolutely trousers every working hour of every working day in a great public store in a great crowded city, rubbing elbows even touching trousered knees inevitably with hundreds of men daily. And they like it. They work better in the new uniforms than they used to in skirts and are less weary at each day's end and nobody worries them at all. There has not been the faintest suspicion of an insult or an advance from any one of the thousands of men and boys of all classes whom they have ridden with upon their lifts, sometimes in dense crowds, sometimes in an involuntary teta-teta. Other employments which girls follow and dress for bifurcatedly in this great and progressive store are more astonishing than the operation of elevators. A charming young plumber had been no compromise whatever with tradition. She was in overalls like boy plumbers wear except that her trousers were not tight but they were well fitted. A little cap of the same material as the suit completed her jaunty and attractive costume and cap and suit were professionally stained too with oil and things like that while her small hands showed the grime of an on his days competent hard work. The coming summer will see an immense amount of England's farming done by women and I think well done. Organizations already are underway whereby women propose to help decrease the food shortage by intelligent increase of the chicken and egg supply and this is being so well planned that undoubtedly it will succeed. Eggs and chickens will be cheap in England ere the summer ends. I have met three ex-denographers who are now at hard work, two of them in munition factories making military engines of death and one of them on a farm. I asked them how they like the change. I should hate to have to go back to work in the old long skirts one replied. I should hate to go back to the old days of relying upon someone else for everything that really matters. But well I wish the war would end and I hope the casualty lists of fine young men will not grow longer day by day as spring approaches. Although everybody says they will. Mrs. John Bold takes girls in pantaloons quite calmly and approvingly. Now that she has learned that if there are enough of them dad and the boys will pay no more attention to them in trousers than they would pay to them in skirts. We had preferred to quote the exact wording of the original article for the reason that while the facts are familiar to most of us the manner of putting them could not to our mind be more graphic. Someday when the watoes of the future are painting the court ladies who again dance pavans and sunlit glades wearing wigs and crinoline such data will amuse that the women of Finland make worthy members of their parliament does not prove anything outside of Finland that the exigencies of the present hour in England have made women equal to every task of men so far and trusted to them proves much for England. Women like men have untold untried abilities within them. Women and men alike are marvelous under fire capable of development in every direction. What human nature has done it can do again and infinitely more under the pressure of necessity which opens up brain cells steals the hard hardens the muscles and like magic fire licks up the dross of humanity aimlessly floating on the surface of life awaiting a leader to melt and mold it at fate's will and to clearly defined personalities ready to serve. This point has been magnificently proven by the war now waging in Europe. Let us repeat that from the beginning the story of women's costuming proves her many sidedness the inexhaustible stock of her latent qualities which like man's await the call of the hour end of Chapter 28 recording by Miriam Esther Goldman Chapter 29 of Woman as Decoration. This is a lipovox recording or lipovox recordings are in the perfect domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit lipovox.org recording by Shulif Amaliyem. Woman as Decoration by Emily Burbank. Chapter 29 in Conclusion. The full going chapters have aimed at showing the decorative value of woman's costume as seen in the art of Egypt, Greece, Gossack Europe, Europe of the Renaissance and during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. To prove the point that woman is a telling note in the interior decoration of today the vital spark in any setting we have not dwelt upon the fashion so much as decorative line color scheme and fitness for the occasion. It is costume associated with caste which interests us more than folk costume. We have shown that it is modern insistence on efficiency that has led to appropriate dress for work and recreation and that our idea of the chic and the beautiful in costume is based on appropriateness. Also we have shown that lining costumes is in part the result of one's form the absolute control of the body, its carriage, poise of the head, action of legs, arms, hands and feet and that form means successful effort in any direction because through it the mind may control the physical medium. It is the woman who knows what she should wear, what she can wear and how to wear it, who is most efficient in whatever she gives her mind to. She it is who will expend the least time, strength and money on her appearance and be the first to report for duty in connection with the next obligation in the business of life. Therefore let us keep in mind a few rules for the perfect costuming of woman. Appropriateness for each occasion so as to get efficiency or be as decorative as possible. Outline fashion and silhouette adapted to your own type. Background your setting. Color scheme. Fashionable colors chosen and combined to express your personality as well as to harmonize with the tone of setting or if preferred to be in agreeable contrast to it. Detail. Dreaming with raison d'être, not meaningless superfluities. It is of course understood that the attainment of beauty in the costuming of woman is our aim when stating and applying the foregoing principles. The art of interior decoration and the art of costuming woman are occasionally centered in the same individual, but not often. Some of the most perfectly dressed women, models for the less gifted sisters, are not only ignorant as to the art of setting their stage, but oblivious of the fact that it may need setting. Remember that while an inartistic room confuses to nine and color scheme can absolutely destroy the effect of a perfect gown an inartistic though costly gown can likewise be a blot on a perfect room. Fashion Plates. It is a sketch made from life for this book. Observes a gilded wig and richly embroidered gown. They are after descriptions of the costume worn by the real Tays. It is a Greek type of costume, but not the familiar classic Greek of sculptured story. Tays was a reign in beauty at Actiton the Theatre of Alexandria in the early Christian era. Plate Two. Woman in ancient Egyptian sculpture relief about one thousand BC. We have here a husband and wife, Metropolitan Museum. Plate Three. A Great Face. Dionysiac scenes about four hundred and sixty BC. Interesting costumes. Metropolitan Museum. Plate Four. Greek Chylics. Signed by Heron, about four hundred BC, Asinian. The woman wears one of the gowns for Tunis Paris has reproduced as a modern teacown. It is in two pieces. The characteristic short tunic reaches just below waistline and front and hangs in long fine pleats, sometimes cascaded folds under the arms, the end of which reach below knees. The material is not cut to form sleeves. Instead, two oblong pieces of material are held together by small fastenings at short intervals, showing upper arm through intervening spaces. The resultant appearance is similar to a cumulus sleeve. Metropolitan Museum. Plate Five. Example of the pointed headdress, carefully concealed hair in certain countries at certain periods of history, a sign of modesty. Round necklace and very long closed sleeves, characteristic of fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Observe angle at which headdress is worn. Plate Six. Fifteenth century costume, virgin and child, and painted terracotta. It is by Andrea Veroggio and our Metropolitan Museum. We have here an illustration of the costume so often shown on the person of the Virgin in the art of the Middle Ages. Plate Seven. Fifteenth century costumes of the Holy Women at a tomb of our Lord. The sculpture relieves an amour terracotta in white, blue, green, yellow and manganese colours. It bears the date 1487. Note character of headdresses, arrangement of hair, capes and gowns, which are early renaissance. Metropolitan Museum. Plate Eight. Queen Elizabeth in the absurdly elaborate costume of the late renaissance. Then crinoline, gorgeous materials, and ornamentations without meaning, reached their high watermark in the costuming of women. Plate Nine. If Valesky's portrait of the renaissance, when the human form counted early as a wreck, on which was heaped crinoline and stiff brocades, and chains and gems, and wigs, and every manner of elaborate adornment, making mountains of poor tottering human forms all but lust beneath. Plate Ten. An ideal example of the typical costume of fashionable England in the 18th century, when picturesqueness, not appropriateness, was the demand of the times. This picture is known as the morning promenade, Squire Hallard with his lady, painted by Thomas Gainsborough, and now in the private collection of Lord Rothschild, London. Plate Eleven. Marie-Antoinette in a portrait by Madame Vigée Lebrun, one of the greatest portrait painters of the 18th century. Here we see the lovely queen of Louis XVI, and the type of costume she made her own, which is still referred to as the Marie-Antoinette style. This portrait is in the Musée Nationale Versailles. Plate Twelve. The portrait of an English woman painted during the Napoleonic period. She wears a typical empire gown, cloak, and bonnet. The original of this portrait is the same referred to elsewhere as having moistened her muslin gowns to make them cling to her in Grecian folds. Among her admiring friends was Lord Byron. A descendant, who allows the use of the charming portrait, explains that a fair lady insisted upon being painted in her bonnet, because her curling looks were short, a result of typhoid fever. Plate Thirteen. Portrait by Gilbert Stuart of Donia Matilda. Metropolitan Museum. We use this portrait to illustrate the period when woman's line was obliterated by the excessive decoration of a costume. The interest attached to this charming example of her time lies in colour and detail. It is as if the bewitching Donia Matilda were holding up her clothes with her person. Her outline is that of a ruffled canary. How difficult for her to forget her material trappings when they are so many, and yet she looks light of hard. For sharp contrast, we suggest that our reader turn at once to the portrait by Sargent, Plate Fifteen, which is distinguished for its clean cut outline, and also the distinction arrived at through elimination of detail in the way of trimming. The costume hangs on the woman suspended by jewelled chains from her shoulders. The Sargent has a simplicity of the classic Greek, the Gilbert Stuart Portrait, the amusing fascination of marionto and her detail. The gown is white satin, with small gold flowers scattered over its surface. The headdress, surmounting the powdered hair, is of white satin, with a seed pearl ornaments. The background is a dead rose velvet curtain, draped to show blue sky, veiled by clouds. The same dead rose on table and chair covering. The book on table has a softly toned calf cover. Gilbert Stuart was fond of working in this particular colour-node. Plate Fourteen, Madame Adeline Junnet, the greatest living exponent of the art of toe dancing. She wears an early Victorian costume, 1840, made for a ballet she danced in London several seasons ago. The writer did not see the costume and neglected, until too late, to ask Madame Junnet for a description of its colouring. But judging by what we know of 1840 colours and textures, as described by Miss McClellan, historic dress in America, and other historians of the period, as well as from portraits, we feel safe in stating that it may well have been a bonnet of pink and cut velvet, dreamt with silk fringe and a band of braided velvet of the same colour, or perhaps a white shirt satin, or dove-coloured satin with pale pink and green-figured ribbon. For the dress, it may have been of dove-gray satin, or pink-floured silk with a black teftor cape, and one of black lace to change off with. Plate 15 A Portrait by John S. Sargent Metropolitan Museum, painted about 1890 We have here a distinguished example of the dignity and beauty possible to costume characteristic of the period, when extreme severity, as to outline and elimination of detail, followed the elaboration of Victorian ruffles, ribbons and lace over hoops and bustle, curled hair and the obvious camea brooch, massive bracelets and chains. Plate 16 A Portrait of Mrs. Thomas Hastings of New York, painted by the late John W. Alexander We have chosen this, one of the most successful portraits by one of America's leading portrait painters, as a striking example of colour scheme and interesting line. Also, we have here a woman who carries herself with form. Mrs. Hastings is an accomplished horsewoman, her fine physique is poised, so as to give that individual movement which makes for type. Her colour, wonderful red hair and the complexion which goes with it, are set off by a dull gold background, a gown in another tone of gold, relieved by an odor too of turquoise green and the same green appearing as a shadow on the victory in the background. We see the sitter, as she impressed an observer, transferred to the canvas by the consummate skill of our deeply lamented artist. Plate 17 Portrait of Mrs. Philip M. Liddick, patron of the arts, exhibited in New York at Devine Galleries during winter of 1916-1917, Mrs. Iloga Pictures. The exhibition was arranged by Mrs. Liddick. This portrait has been chosen to illustrate two points, that a distinguished decorative quality is depended upon line which has primarily to do with form of one's own physique, and not alone the cut of the costume, and the great value of knowing one's own type. Mrs. Liddick has been transferred to the canvas by the clever technique of one of the greatest modern painters, Ignacia Ziloga, an artistic descendant of Alaska's. The delightful movement is at that of the subject, in this case, kept alive through its subtle translation into terms of art. Plate 18 Mrs. Langtree, Lady the Bath, where has been one of the greatest beauties of modern times and a marked example of a woman who has always understood her own type to costume it. She agrees that this photograph of her, in an evening wrap, illustrates a point she has always laid emphasis on, that a garment, which has good lines, in which one is a picture, continues wearable even when not the dernier cri of fashion. This wrap was worn by Mrs. Langtree about two years ago. Plate 19 Mrs. Condé Nast, artist and patron of the arts, noted for understanding of her own type and the successful costuming of it. Mrs. Nast was Miss Clarice Caudaire, her French blood accounts in part for her innate feeling for line and colour. It is largely due to the keen interest and active services of Mrs. Nast that Vogue and Vanity Fair have become the popular mirrors and prophetic crystal balls of fashion for the American woman. Mrs. Nast is here shown in street costume. The photograph is by Baron de Maire, who has made a distinguished art of photography. We are here shown the value of a carefully considered outline, which is sharply registered on the background, by posing figure against the light, a method for suppressing all details, not affecting the outline. Plate 20 Mrs. Condé Nast, in an evening gown. Here again is a costume, the beauty of which evades the dictum of fashion in the narrow sense of the term. This picture has a distinction of a well-posed and finely executed old master, and because possessing beauty of a traditional sword, will continue to give pleasure long after the costume has perished. Plate 21 Mrs. Condé Nast, in a garden costume. She wears a sun hat, and carries a flower basket, which are decorative as well as useful. We have chosen this photograph as an example of a costume made exquisitely artistic, by being kept simple in line and free from an excess of drumming. This costume is so decorative that it gives distinction and interest to the least pretentious of gardens. Plate 22 Mrs. Condé Nast, wearing one of the famous Fortuniti gowns. This one has no tunic, but is finely pleaded in the Fortuni manner, and falls in long lines closely following the figure to the floor. Observe the decorative value of the long string of beads. Plate 23 Mrs. Vernon Carza, who set today's fashion in outline of costume and short hair for the young woman of America. For this reason, and because Mrs. Carza has formed a superlative degree, correct carriage of the body, and the clothes sense, knowledge of what she can wear, and how to wear it, we have selected her to illustrate several types of costumes, characteristic of 1916 and 1917. Another reason for asking Mrs. Carza to illustrate our text is, that what Mrs. Carza's professional dancing has done to develop and perfect a natural instinct for line, the normal exercise of going about one's tasks and their versions can do for any young woman. Provided, she keep in mind correct carriage of body when in action or repose. Here we see Mrs. Carza in ball costume. Plate 24 Mrs. Vernon Carza in winter afternoon costume, one which is so suited to her type, and at the same time conservators as to outline and detail, that it would have charm whether in style or not. Plate 25 Mrs. Vernon Carza in the summer afternoon costume, appropriate for city or country, and so adapted to the wearer's type, that she is a picture, whether in action, seated on her own porch, or having tea at a country club, or in the winter sun parlor. Plate 26 Mrs. Vernon Carza costumed à la guerre for a walk in the country. The cap is after one worn by her aviator husband. This is one of the costumes, there are many, being worn by women, engaged in war work, and that ahead of messengers, chauffeurs, etc. The shoes are most decidedly not for service, but they will be replaced when the time is at hand for others of stout leather with heavy soles and flat heels. Plate 27 Mrs. Vernon Carza in one of her dancing costumes, she was snapped by the camera as she sprang into a pose of me joyous abandon at the conclusion of a long series of more or less exacting poses. Mrs. Carza assures us that to repeat the effect produced here, in which camera, lucky chance, and favourable wind combined, would be well nigh impossible. Plate 28 A skating costume worn by Ms. Weld of Boston, holder of the woman's figure skating championship. This photograph was taken in New York on March 23, 1917, when amateurs contested for the cup and Ms. Weld won, this time over the men. The costume of wine-coloured velvet dreamt with small skin, a small close-talk to match, was one of the most appropriate and attractive models of 1916-1917. Plate 29 One of the 1917 silhouettes. Naturally, since women today dress as for occupation, work, or play, the characteristic silhouettes are many. This one is reproduced to illustrate our point that outline can be affected by the smallest detail. The sketch is by Elizabeth Searcy. Plate 30 Souvenirs of an artist design as unique establishment in spirit and accomplishment, Vre Parisienne. Notice the long capium the style of 1825. Tapier himself will tell you that all periods have had their beautiful light and colours, their interesting details, but to find beauty one must first have the feeling for it, that if one is not born with this subtle instinct, there are many fold opportunities for cultivating it. His claim is the same as of that we made in our art of interior decoration. The canoiseur is one who has passed through the schooling to be quiet only by contact with masterpieces. This treasure is sifted by time and preserved for our education in great art collections. Tapier emphasises the necessity of knowing the background for a costume before planning it, the value of lining the physique beneath the materials, the interest to be woven into a woman's costume when her type is recognised, and the modern insistence on appropriateness, that is, the simple gown and close hat for the car, vivid colours for field sports or beach, a large fan for the woman who has mischiefs of sweeping lines, etc., etc. Tapier is absolutely French in his insistence upon the possible eloquence of line, a single flower well poised, and the chic which is dependent upon how a head or gown is put on. We have heard him say, No, I will not claim the head in that photograph, though I made it, because it is malpouzi. Plate 31 Costume of a Red Cross nurse, worn while working in a French war hospital by Miss Alcy de Wolfe of New York, an example of a woman costumed so as to be most efficient for the work in hand. Miss de Wolfe's name has become synonymous with interior decoration throughout the length and breadth of our land, but she established a reputation as one of the best dressed women of America, long before she left the state to professionally decorate homes. She has done an immeasurable amount toward molding the good taste of America in several fields. At present her energies are in part devoted to disseminating information concerning a cure for burns, one of the many discoveries resulting from the exigencies of the present devastating war. Plate 32 Madame Géraldine Farrar as Carmen In each of the three presentations of Madame Farrar, we have given her in character, as suggestions for staged costumes or costume balls, by courtesy of Vanity Fair. Plate 33 Madame Géraldine Farrar The valley of line was admirably illustrated in the opera Madame Butterfly, as seen this winter at the Metropolitan Opera House. Have you chance to ask yourself why the outline of the individual members of the chorus was so lacking in charm, and Madame Farrar so delightful? The great point is of that in putting on her kimono, Madame Farrar kept in mind the characteristic silhouette of the Japanese woman as shown in Japanese art. Then she made a picture of herself and one in harmony with her Japanese setting, which brings us back to the keynote of our book, Woman as Decoration, Beautiful Line. End of Chapter 30, End of Woman as Decoration, by Emily Burbank