r costume to
the occasion; consideration of the type of wearer; background against
which costume is to be worn; and all decoration (which includes jewels),
as detail with _raison d'etre_. The body should be carried with form (in
the sporting sense), to assist in giving line to the costume.

The _chic_ woman is the one who understands the art of elimination in
costumes. Wear your costumes with conviction--by which we mean decide
what picture you will make of yourself, make it and then enjoy it! It is
only by letting your personality animate your costume that you make
yourself superior to the lay figure or the sawdust doll.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

FOREWORD xi

I A FEW HINTS FOR THE NOVICE WHO WOULD PLAN HER COSTUMES 1

Rules having economic value while aiming at
decorativeness.--Lines and colouring emphasised
or modified by costuming.--Temperaments affect
carriage of the body.--Line of body affects
costume.--Technique of controlling the physique.--The
highly sensitised woman.--Costuming an
art.--Studying types.--Starring one's own good
points.--Beauty not so fleeting as is supposed
if costume is adapted to its changing aspects.--Masters
in art of costuming often discover and
star previously unrecognised beauty.--Establishing
the habit of those lines and colours in
gowns, hats, gloves, parasols, sticks, fans and
jewels which are your own.--The intelligent
purchaser.--The best dressed women.--Value of
understanding one's background.--Learning the
art of understanding one's background.--Learning
the art of costuming from masters of the
art.--How to proceed with this study.--Successful
costuming not dependent upon amount of
money spent upon it.--An example

II THE LAWS UNDERLYING ALL COSTUMING OF WOMAN 23

Appropriateness keynote of costuming to-day.--Five
salient points to be borne in mind when
planning a costume.--Where English, French,
and American women excel in art of costuming.--Feeling
for line.--To make our points clear
constant reference to the stage is necessary.--Bakst
and Poiret.--Turning to the Orient for
line and colour.--Keeping costume in same key
as its settings.--How to know your period; its
line, colours and characteristic details.--Studying
costumes in Gothic illu