Elaborate lace trimmings are neither in good taste nor stylish, and handwork constitutes the decoration on many of the most attractive of these garments. Colored lingerie and bright-colored ribbons should be worn only when the dress is not transparent. Bright pink and blue ribbons in a camisole or chemise will always look a bit garish when viewed through a thin blouse.
Color has a magnetic attraction for the eye and wherever placed immediately attracts attention to that spot. I am sure refined girls do not wish to invite public interest in their lingerie through the use of bright colors in their ribbons. The most delicate tints are permissible, but should be used only in small quantities. White only should be used with the graduation dress.
Since several petticoats are apt to prove clumsy, great care must be exerted in selecting the material for this undergarment, to avoid too much transparency when worn under the very sheer organdy dress.
[Illustration: LINGERIE FOR THE GRADUATION DRESS]
The envelope chemise and knickerbockers are very comfortable undergarments and are quite popular with most young girls of today. They may be made most attractive when soft dainty materials are used and the needlework is carefully executed. These garments should be kept quite simple. If lace is used it should be in limited quantities and of a kind that may be laundered often. Little bits of dainty feather stitching and hand embroidery will add individual charm to these undergarments.
Style depends not only upon the proper selection of clothes but very largely upon the way these clothes are put on and worn. Many girls wearing beautiful clothes are decidedly “not stylish.” Their clothes look as though they had fallen upon their owners. This is caused by the fact that the wearer does not carry herself well, or has not good poise. Nothing is so vitally necessary for good health and good looks as good posture. The slouchy, humped-over girl is unattractive enough when young, but when she develops into a misshapen woman with superfluous flesh about the abdomen and shoulders the most skillful artist will be unable to disguise her deformities. The girl with the débutante slouch or the one who “sits in her corsets” is rarely graceful. The uncorseted figure is the popular one today but if corsets must be worn they should be most carefully selected. Fortunately the long, unyielding coats of mail of several years ago are now rarely seen on girls, and soft, flexible girdles leaving the figure with its natural lines and grace, have appeared as substitutes. A well-shapen brassiere is often necessary with these low-busted girdles.