Home Makers' Conference. 327 



Lifting the middle of the belt line in the back has a graceful effect also. 

 This is because the horizontal lines in dress must be alleviated in some 

 way on account of their being at a variance with nature. In broad 

 women the line of the yoke may be sloping, so as to repeat the most deli- 



^ cate part of the curve of the jaw in order to call attention to beauty of 

 shape rather than mere mass in the face. With the slender person with 

 narrow shoulders, a yoke may be broad. With a flat figure it is es- 

 pecially urgent that the yoke should be of light color. The light yoke 

 not only takes the shades and lines out of a face, but makes a strong 

 chest effect by producing an appearance of roundness. 



In the middle ages the people used rich and coarse materials for 

 their clothing, thinking that the heavy texture would make the skin 

 look thin and fine by contrast. They cared little for the body or for its 



fcShape, and were more interested in the face because there they thought 

 the soul shone out. Did you ever observe how delicate a fine face 

 looks above a velvet gown? The modern idea of texture is that the 

 dainty, light materials reflect their own lightness into the face. Un- 

 doubtedly some people look fairer in white shirtwaists than in coats 

 of velvet or monk's cloth. Since both the old and the new theories of 

 texture have their good points, how can we be the heirs of all the ages 

 and profit by both. Rembrandt seems to have done this in most of his 

 portraits. Often he painted a subject in a dark hat and heavy coat 

 with a white lace collar to reflect light into the face. The soft lace 

 collar or jabot besides reflecting light, makes a gradual transition from 

 the light face to the dark garment. Also, the harmony between these 

 fluffy effects and that of fluffy hair is very noticeable. For the same 

 reason soft hair is becoming. AYhen it is newly washed it may be 

 difficult to keep in place, but its soft texture makes the gradual transi- 

 tion from the mass of the hair to the face and is, therefore, very be- 

 coming. 



There is no point about clothes which is the subject for more di- 

 versity of opinion than the colors which combine well with different 

 types of people. You hear a friend say, "Now, she ought to wear blue 

 to tone down her red hair," or, "Why does such a yellow girl wear 

 yellow." It is interesting to apply the theory of color to clothing. 

 According to this theory, red hair, which is really orange, will look even 

 more orange with a blue or violet coat or hat. A dull shade of blue 

 will, of course, not make the hair appear as carrotlike as will a bright 

 shade, although nearly all the shades of blue and violet, blue-green, are 

 very discordant with decidedly red hair. Bright shades of pink are es- 

 pecially trying with red hair. The closest artistic harmony is with like 

 things, and with red hair some shade of brown is generally becoming. 



