There comes a time with all of us when we have to admit that we are no longer youthful, but we never need admit nor should we ever feel that we are no longer young. Young hearts, young eyes, and young interests can always keep within us the fountain of youth, and that is our right in life—to enjoy to the last day our heritage, which means interest in living, expressing beauty, tenderness, and true womanliness.

When you have reached this stage of development you should be just as proud and happy about it as when you made your debut thirty years ago. Your vision can behold much more now than it could then, for you can now look both forward and backward, and then you could only look forward.

A wise educator says that every woman should have three careers: The first, of youth and education; the second, of marriage and motherhood; the third, of activity in business, or in advanced motherhood, or in social or civic life. So it is for the third career that I want to write these pages—to you who have a real incentive to be attractive yet have a definite problem of too much weight.

DRESS SMARTLY, NO MATTER HOW OLD YOU ARE

There is nothing more discouraging than to see a woman become careless of her appearance as she grows older. Indeed, nowadays no woman with proper self-respect would be guilty of such a crime, for although dignity and womanliness are much to be admired in the mature woman, there is certainly no excuse for a woman to allow herself to look old or dowdy, no matter what her age may be. On the contrary, the older you grow, the more urgent is your need for clothes that will make you look smart and attractive, especially if you are even one pound overweight. Let your watchword be to dress more smartly each year and to pay more attention with each succeeding season to the demands of fashion. Dress to suit your circumstances and needs, of course, but never forget to dress appropriately to the occasion as well as to your figure and always with a keen appreciation of youth.

Don’t allow salespeople and the family to squelch your desire to look attractive. I remember a dear mother woman of 55, round and happy looking, who made her husband’s heart go “pit-pat” as much as it had 30 or 40 years before. She went into a millinery shop one day and was shown to the case of bonnets for old ladies. Tears came—sincere, tragic tears. She turned to her daughter and said with a definiteness never to be forgotten, “If you ever let anybody put one of those hats on me I will leave home.” And the daughter knew that she meant what she said.

Such a woman is a delight to dress. She is interested, has a responsibility, and wants to look 45 instead of 55, and so every available aid should be at hand to help in so worthy a cause.

For her, soft silk dresses are best. They are more nearly in harmony with kindly good humor than stiff firm fabrics. Blue that is cool and soft is better for such a type than purple or lavender. Lovely grays are better than black. Navy blue is best of all.

Every woman should study her temperament and mood along with her type of figure and work to dress both as perfectly as possible, remembering that a little frosting is good on any cake, and even the plainest bread is improved with butter and jam. Don’t be afraid of the smart hat, the new trimming, or a trim new collar that is fashionable. It may help somebody to fall in love with you all over again. Keep on the alert for whatever will add youthful charm, womanly dignity, and lovely smartness, as well as slenderness.

All the precautions, suggestions, and instructions throughout this book are even more important for you than they are for younger women. Here are a few, however, that apply especially to you.

IF YOU ARE SHORT AND STOUT

If you are short and stout, select lines definitely lengthwise to aid height. Lines that extend the full length of the figure are best. Neck lines, panels, etc., will improve the general effect if they are made to terminate in a point. Crosswise lines and trimmings on skirts are not for the short woman, as they emphasize breadth and tend to shorten the figure. It is particularly important that you give careful study to those optical illusions which seem to add height and detract width. You cannot be too particular about applying these rules to every garment that you either make or buy.

The tall mature stout figure should watch her lines so that they will not overemphasize height. Draped, as well as tunic skirts may be used to advantage. The possibilities of applying trimming features to garments for the tall woman are more allowable than for the short woman, but great care must be used to avoid an upholstered effect that detracts from her essential dignity.

If the length of the waist is short in proportion to the skirt length, design and color combinations that do not tend to accentuate this irregularity should be selected. A very common mistake in such cases is to wear a skirt with a high waist line or a dark belt with a white or a light-colored blouse. A short-waisted woman should choose skirts with regulation waist lines or long-waisted blouse effects.

SKIRTS FOR DIGNITY

Skirts, whether full or narrow, that are cut as long as possible without attracting undue attention to their length or causing discomfort, long tunic skirts, and plain, straight-plaited skirts are desirable for the stout woman. She should consistently avoid tiered skirts or skirts with ruffles, shirring, and excessive or crosswise trimming.

The older you are, the more generous you can be in skirt length and fullness, though in no case should your skirts be noticeably far from fashion’s dictates.

SLEEVES FOR GRACE

The sleeves for the mature stout should be plain and soft in appearance and have a tendency to cling to the arm. If the forearm is large and heavy, a sleeve that comes just below the elbow or to a point 3 or 4 inches above the wrist is suitable. Long, bulky sleeves, however, should never be worn on a heavy forearm. If long sleeves are worn, they should be made to fit very close below the elbow, and should be finished at the lower edge with a fold of net or lace or fabric or with a moderately small, light-weight, flaring cuff. Such finishes will make the hand appear smaller when a glove is not worn.

The mature stout woman should never expose her shoulders and upper arms when in evening attire; rather, she should cover the flesh with filmy lace or chiffon, or she should wear a scarf of tulle, preferably of black or a silent tone, across the shoulders and the arms. White will make the arms appear larger than they really are, and black will give the opposite effect.

In choosing the trimmings for your garments, remember that buttons or trimmings placed in flat patch effect, as in squares, triangles, or diamonds, will tend to add thickness and destroy dignity, while if they are arranged in single rows or broken lines they will add dignity and at the same time give the appearance of length. Harmonizing, rather than contrasting colors should be selected for trimmings, so that they will not stand out boldly from the garment. Never should the collar, the belt, or the finish at the bottom of the skirt be permitted to attract the eye before the garment itself does, but they should be arranged so as to be as inconspicuous as possible. Tucks, plaits, and seams should be made to extend up and down the garment instead of around it. Nowhere else can the laws of optical illusion be so effectively applied, with such noticeable results, as in the matter of trimmings. A single ornament, wrongly placed, can mar an entire costume for the woman who wants to achieve slenderness.

HOW THE MATURE WOMAN CAN APPEAR SMART, ATTRACTIVE, AND CHARMING

The mature woman—the woman past her first youth—owes it to herself, her family, and the world at large to be as becomingly and appropriately dressed as intelligent effort, skill, and available money will permit. On her rests the responsibility, example, standard of right living, and the function of leadership. Also it is her duty not only to attract and please, but to hold the admiration of those who believe in her, and by her charming appearance, poise, and dignity to make her particular sphere, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant it may be, radiate joy, peace, and progress.

Nearly everybody agrees with the adage that “a woman is as old as she looks and a man as old as he feels;” at least, there is no doubt that the mature woman has a big advantage over the mature man. By her dress, the woman of today can prolong her youth and at the same time she can take on that poise and dignity which the accumulation of years and experience generously bestows upon her, provided, of course, she accepts these years and experiences in the right spirit. Deep down in every normal woman lies the girl nature, and becoming, appropriate clothes make possible the return of the girl spirit in a dignified way that imparts real charm.

There is no definite or set period when certain styles of clothes are to be worn by women of different ages. The age limit for certain styles is within the control of every woman herself, and, naturally, the woman who has the most intelligent knowledge and appreciation of herself and her clothes will generally be the best dressed and will convey that undeniable pleasure to observers—a well-dressed and dignified appearance.

Frequently, a woman does not become noticeably stout until she has reached the neighborhood of 45 or 46 years. This time of life is usually the most trying for any woman, for when youth has taken flight it makes necessary three things if a woman wishes to continue to appear attractive and pleasing: dignity, careful grooming, and correct selection of color, lines, and fabric. Correct corseting is, of course, absolutely essential in order that the entire costume may be in perfect harmony with her individuality and that she may have the appearance of absolute comfort and ease.

But there is no reason why a woman of fifty cannot look smartly dressed, and so she should. It is not only desirable but necessary for her to keep active and progressive both in mind and in body, and as women’s clubs and good reading matter help to develop her intelligence in other respects, so they are aiming also to help her in selecting the best materials, colors, and styles for her clothes.

Fashion folks need money from all of us to keep their lovely shops going, so hunt around, find the shop that has things becoming to you, then buy or copy them as your purse dictates, and study fashion magazines and shop windows as you would a speller at a “spelling bee.” Dress up—be gracious and charming! Everybody will love you for doing it and you will look ten years younger as a result.