THE WAY TO LOOK TALL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3359, 27 October 1911, Page 8

THE WAY TO LOOK TALL.

IT’S YOUR FAULT IF YOU ARE SHORT.

“She’s a little person, yet you always think of her as being tall,” said a physical culturist of an actress. She is, measured by the rule, below normal. Yet she manages to study the art to look fully up to the average. There is something in this that might be applied to every day use. This actress, who manages to look tall in spite of the fact that she is short, has a few rules which she observes from year to year no matter what the style. She never stands next to an extremely tall person; this dwarfs any woman. Should it be necessary to hold conversation with a man or a woman of greater height than hers, she either makes the talk brief or moves off a little, trying to keep some object between her and the person, such as a chair or a table.

She never seats herself on a very tall chair. When she is seated she does not cross her knees. This js a general rule of behaviour taught in the home and in the training schools. But women forget it aftei they have been away from school a few years. She tries always to keep her arms hanging at her sides. This is a difficult thing to accomplish gracefully. The woman who can let her arms hang without swinging them or twisting them in some unseemly fashion is rarely found. The trick is simply to let them dangle. Ada Rehan did this to perfection. She is particular about her walk. She never walks with the quick, snappy little steps of the short person. She has a tread that is rather long and stately. She does not stride, but she never trots along after the style of most short women. There are society women who have mastered the art of* showing their beauty off to the best advantage. They do not do it so much by make-up as by culture. Among their acquirements is the art of putting on their gowns so as fb get all height possible out of them. One woman said one day to a circle of friends that she attributed much of her social success to her figure. “I had a poor form to begin with,” said she, “because I was so short. But I took lessons and now everybody speaks of me as a tall woman. Tell you some of mv secrets P Well, I will.” Some of her secrets were, these rules:

Never let your stock sag away from your throat. If you are wearing a gown which shows the neck, very well, otherwise let your stock fit high and tight round your neck. To have the stock imperfect takes just as much off your height. If you are wearing a belt be sure that your blouse fits snugly into it; nothing shortens a woman more than a baggy belt Tine. Few women lealise this, and the short woman will pull out her shirtwaist to get a baggy effect, little knowing that she has cut off two inches from her apparent length. Take plenty of outdoor exercise. This is not so much for the sake of the good the fresh air will do you as to acquire grace. Learn to wear long lines. This is what every dressmaker will tell you. but the best modiste in the world will fail to make you graceful if you are not willing to help a little yourself. Long strings of beads make the short woman look tall. It is well known that beads are becoming; that is why they are so popular, but it isn’t every woman who understands why.

There is something to be said about shoes. In the street the short woman should wear comfortable shoes if she is going to acquire grace. A little, short, fat foot makes a woman look dumpy. In the house the short woman can wear high heels. She can wear a train, but it should never be long. A train one-sixth of her height in length should bo the maximum.

Her hair is always a problem with the short woman. If. she puts it down low she looks as though slie were trying to pose as a girl ; if she does it high she looks top heavy. There is one certain spot where she can wear it effectively, but it often requires the eye of an artist to discover iust where this spot is. Ribbons wound around the top of the coiffure inciease tiie height. Tall combs add to the inches. A bow stood smartly upright makes a woman look taller,' and fancy pins, if placed so that they tower a little above the hair arc good as height inereasers. Here arc somo of the trifles that make for height: A string or chain that will hang around the neck and fall say as low as the foot of the tunic; ribbons, sasii ends, trimmings, or whatever you please, that fall from the belt line; the shoulder scarf, if long enough, gives a woman inches. A skirt so long that only the tip of the shoe shows will have the same effect. The French woman does even better than this, for she wears a skirt that is two inches too long in front. All her negligees and house robes are made in this manner. For the street the hat should be taller than ordinary. This doesn’t mean that it need be a steeple crown, but it should never be a low, flat hat. A flat topped hat mushrooms a little woman’s figure. And, of course, the short woman never should be ; tout. It is impossible to make a short woman look tall if she has been so careless as to allow herself to grow too plump.