What Dress Makes of Us | Page 3

choose or avoid.
For Wedge-Shaped Faces.
[Illustration: NO. 3]
[Illustration: NO. 4]
The least-discerning eye can see that the wedge-Shaped face No. 3 is
caricatured, and its triangular proportions made more evident, by
allowing the hair to extend in curls or a fluffy bang on either side of the
head. Women with delicately modelled faces with peaked chins should
avoid these broad effects above their brows.
It is obvious in the sketch No. 4, that the wedge-shaped face is
perceptibly improved by wearing the hair in soft waves, or curls closely
confined to the head and by arranging a coil or high puff just above and
in front of the crown. This arrangement gives a desirable oval effect to
the face, the sharp prominence of the chin being counteracted by the

surmounting puffs.
For Heavy Jaws.
It may readily be seen that a woman with the square, heavy-jawed face
pictured by No. 5, should not adopt a straight, or nearly straight, bang,
nor wear her hair low on her forehead, nor adjust the greater portion of
her hair so that the coil cannot be seen above the crown of her head.
The low bang brings into striking relief all the hard lines of her face
and gives the impression that she has pugilistic tendencies.
[Illustration: NO. 5]
To insure artistic balance to her countenance, and bring out the
womanly strength and vital power of her face, her hair should be
arranged in coils, puffs, or braids that will give breadth to the top of her
head as shown by No. 6. A fluffy, softly curled bang adds grace to the
forehead and gives it the necessary broadness it needs to lessen and
lighten the heaviness of the lower part of the face. A bow of ribbon, or
an aigrette of feathers, will add effectively the crown of braids or puffs
which a wise woman with a square jaw will surmount her brow if she
wishes to subdue the too aggressive, fighting qualities of her strong
chin.
[Illustration: NO. 6]
For Short Faces.
The sisterhood who have short, chubby faces should, in a measure,
observe certain rules that apply in a small degree to those who have
heavy chins.
As may be observed even with a casual glance, the little short-faced
woman depicted by No. 7, causes her round facial disk to appear much
shorter than it really is by allowing her hair to come so far down on her
forehead. She further detracts from her facial charms by wearing
"water-waves." Water-waves are scarcely to be commended for any
type of face, and they are especially unbecoming to the woman who is

conspicuously "roly-poly." The round eyes, knobby nose, and round
mouth are brought into unattractive distinctness by being re-duplicated
in the circular effects of the hair. This mode of dressing the hair makes
a short face look common and insignificant.
[Illustration: NO. 7]
Do you not see that this type is immensely improved by the
arrangement of the coiffure in No. 8? By combing her hair off her
forehead her face acquires a look of alertness and intelligence, besides
being apparently lengthened. She can wear her bang in soft crimps
brushed back from her brow, if this plain arrangement is too severe.
[Illustration: NO. 8]
For Eyes Set Too High.
A low forehead is supposed to be a sign of beauty in woman. The
brows of the famous Venuses are low and broad. Perhaps for this
reason many women wear their hair arranged low upon their foreheads.
Whether the hair should be worn low on the brow depends chiefly on
two things,--"the setting of the eyes, and the quality of the face."
[Illustration: NO. 8-1/2]
A good rule to observe is the artistic one, to the effect that "the eyes of
a woman should be in the middle of her head." That is, if an imaginary
line were drawn across the top of the head and another below the chin,
exactly midway between the two the eyes should be set.
The Japanese type of woman should carefully observe the foregoing
hint.
Observe No. 8-1/2. Nature has not been artistic. The eyes are too near
the top of the head. The defect is exaggerated and emphasized by the
wearing of the hair low on the forehead. In some faces of this type the
face is brutalized in appearance by this arrangement. The expression
and whole quality of the countenance can be greatly improved by

arranging the hair as shown by No. 9, which is the soft Pompadour
style. The Duchess of Marlborough, formerly Consuelo Vanderbilt,
frames her naïve, winsome face, which is of the Japanese type, in a
style somewhat like this. Her dark hair forms an aureole above her
brow, and brings into relief the dainty, oval form of her face. Even
simply