The Woman's Institute - Designing And Decorating Clothes - Part 2

This is another of these Womans Institute books, this is called Designing And Decorating Clothes, copyright 1930. All of these books are made up from earlier articles, with earlier copyright dates. This one has lots of lined drawings and instructions on clothing design.

"The ideal, or average, figure that has an attractive, well-proportioned oval face with regular features, can wear almost anv neck line that pleases her. However, even slight irregularities of feature, the length and fulness of the throat, and the way in which the hair is worn, all have a bearing on the manner in which the neck line of the dress may be shaped and finished. It is, therefore, necessary to study all these points so as to design becoming necklines, for the neck line frames the face and greatly affects the apparent size and contour. In designing, however, it is important to work for harmony between the neck finish and the rest of the design. various neck lines that can be worn by the average figure, or by other figures whose face, neck, and shoulders are approximately average, are shown in Fig. 23."

"Dress and Wrap Designs.-The most desirable effect to gain is one of grace and softness, rather than severely tailored ones, but because it is very easy to cross the line into fussiness when striving for such effects, it is essential that the designing be carefully done, for smartness must never be sacrificed. Among certain types of tall, slender women, there is a tendency to affect the picturesque in dress, and while such a plan is sometimes feasible when a woman may have a great many clothes, it is safer to keep away from this sort of clothes, except for such special occasions as call for them."

"Neck and Shoulder Treatments.-The tall slender figure is usually thin in the neck and shoulders, but there are all sorts of designing features that may be employed, as Fig. 30 shows, to overcome such defects. Sometimes these pertain to the neck alone and again are so developed as to embrace the shoulders. And frequently, accessories may be called upon to lend their help in creating the illusion of greater bulk."

"Dress Designs.-Smartness for this type ties largely in tailored simplicity, in restrained decoration, and in richness of effect. Ruffles, excessive flares, or features that suggest fussiness must be shunned, while at the same time lengthening lines must not be overemphasized because of her height. A tailored, an afternoon, and an evening costume suitable for this figure are given."

"Painted Designs-Painting designs on fabric to beautify it was, a very early form of decoration. It was probably first employed by primitive civilizations while weaving was still in a crude state, but its use has persisted throughout the entire history of textiles. Painted or stenciled designs on fabrics have not, until recently, been permanent and so could not be so strongly recommended, though the beautiful silk ball gown worn by Martha Washington, and now preserved in the Smithsonian Institution, was painted all over
with a charming flower design, and some of the lovely scarfs imported from France and Russia, a copy of one of which is shown in Fig. 9, are painted with great success in vigorous forms and strong colors in the manner of the futurist art. With the recent developments in paints and dyes, however, the art of fabric painting has been so improved that beautiful and lasting effects can now be obtained."