Transvestia

easy

But in Figure #13, you see the classic garment of America, the shirt waist dress. Perhaps the most sen- sible garment ever made. It can be worn morning, noon and night. It can be made in crisp cottons for house- wear or in the richest of silks, say with paisleys, for evening wear. It is forever comfortable, practical, to care for, easy to put on and take off, long wearing, timeless, except for the hemline, and sells better than any other garment. Volumes could be written about it, but sufficient to say, don't buy just one, buy several, they can be simple $2.98 house dresses or $79.95 in rich, rich, fabrics.

WAIST

STRUCTURES

Now, let's move up the rectangle and look at the waist. The waist line of a garment can be high, or low or even non-existant. Looking at the drawings of simpli- fied waist structures, note first the natural waist. This is just above the hip bone and for the most part, is the one proper place to put a belt or trim or line of a gar- ment. Invariably, designers will first raise, then lower the waist line, but always manage to come back to this position.

Figure #2, however, gives a beautiful change of pace with the purely classical Empire, symbol of pure elegance. This line goes back to ancient Greece, is carried through the Roman and Byzantine periods and reached new highs in the mid-nineteenth century. Today, we see it in dresses as well as lingerie. It allows greater fall of fabric for the skirt structure than any other style. The skirt proper that part below this line moves ever so gracefully, especially in long formals. Many wedding gowns are cut "Empire" today. Unfortunately, it is not a becoming line for talls. It adds to the height, rather than detracts.

Figure #3 is the shirred waist structure. This a de- vice to gather fabric to create fullness. The resulting movement of the basic skirt makes a lovely feminine quality. Too, a fuller skirt helps to hide slim hips or big hips. Shirring always adds to the general decoration of a garment. It helps to make a dress dressier, With a gentle fullness, and is quite elegant.