What Dress Makes of Us

What Dress Makes of Us

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Title: What Dress Makes of Us
Author: Dorothy Quigley
Release Date: February 13, 2004 [EBook #11078]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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WHAT DRESS MAKES OF US
By
DOROTHY QUIGLEY

Illustrations by ANNIE BLAKESLEE
1897

I am indebted to the editors of the New York Sun and New York
Journal for kindly allowing me to include in this book articles which I
contributed to their respective papers.

PREFACE.
Did you ever observe, dear comrade, what an element of caricature
lurks in clothes? A short, round coat on a stout man seems to
exaggerate his proportions to such a ridiculous degree that the profile of
his manly form suggests "the robust bulge of an old jug."
A bonnet decorated with loops of ribbon and sprays of grass, or flowers
that fall aslant, may give a laughably tipsy air to the long face of a
saintly matron of pious and conservative habits.
A peaked hat and tight-fitting, long-skirted coat may so magnify the
meagre physical endowments of a tall, slender girl that she attains the
lank and longish look of a bottle of hock.
Oh! the mocking diablery in strings, wisps of untidy hair, queer
trimmings, and limp hats. Alas! that they should have such impish
power to detract from the dignity of woman and render man absurd.
Because of his comical attire, an eminent Oxford divine, whose life and
works commanded reverence, was once mistaken for an ancient New
England spinster in emancipated garments. His smoothly shaven face,
framed in crinkly, gray locks, was surmounted by a soft, little, round
hat, from the up-turned brim of which dangled a broken string. His long
frock-coat reached to just above his loosely fitting gaiters.
The fluttering string, whose only reason for being at all was to keep the

queer head-gear from sailing away on the wind, gave a touch of the
ludicrous to the boyish hat which, in its turn, lent more drollery than
dignity to the sanctified face of the old theologian. Who has not seen
just such, or a similar sight, and laughed? Who has not, with the
generosity common to us all, concluded these were the mistakes and
self-delusions of neighbors, relatives, and friends, in which we had no
share?
I understand how it is with you. I am one of you. Before I studied our
common errors I smiled at my neighbor's lack of taste, reconstructed
my friends, and cast contemptuous criticism upon my enemies. One
day I took a look at myself, and realized that "I, too, am laughable on
unsuspected occasions."
The humbling knowledge of seeing myself objectively, gave me
courage to speak to the heart of you certain home truths which concern
us all, in homely language which we can all understand.
That you may discern the comicality and waggery in ill-chosen clothes,
I have endeavored to hint to you in these talks some of the ways
gew-gaws and garments make game of us.
May you discover that your dress is not making you a laughable object;
but if, by any chance, you should note that your clothes are caricaturing
you, take heart. Enjoy the joke with the mirth that heals and heartens,
and speedily correct your mistakes.
The lines of your form, the modelling of your face, are they not worthy
of your discerning thought? Truly! Whatever detracts from them
detracts from sculpture, painting, and poetry, and the world is the loser.
A word to the thinking is sufficient.
D.Q.

CONTENTS.

PREFACE
CHAPTER I.
HOW WOMEN OF CERTAIN TYPES SHOULD DRESS THEIR
HAIR
Style for Wedge-Shaped Faces Style for Heavy Jaws Style for Eyes Set
Too High Style for Eyes Set Too Low Style for Long Faces with Long
Noses For Faces with Protruding Noses
CHAPTER II.
HINTS FOR THE SELECTION OF BECOMING AND
APPROPRIATE STYLES IN HEAD-GEAR
The Magic of the Bonnet Style for Women with Broad Face and Heavy
Chin Style for Women with Tapering Chin Hat for the Chubby Woman
For Women Who Have Sharp and Prominent Profiles For the Woman
with an Angular Face Women Who should Not Wear Horns
CHAPTER III.
LINES THAT SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED AND CONSIDERED IN
MAKING COSTUMES
Style for Tall Slender Women The Coat the Short Stout Women should
Wear The Cloak or Cape for a