Design Essentials for Good Costume: Line. 1943 Advice from Grace Morton

Grace offers basic art theory in her book The Arts of Costume and Personal Appearance. Her chapter on design essentials starts by offering a basic lesson on art terms, with Line considered most important to costume.

•  Straight lines, as found in tailored clothes, Mission furniture, and modern skyscrapers

• Full, round curves as pictured below and as found in Rococo art

  

 

• Restrained curves, as in curling smoke, the curve of a flower stem, Chinese paintings, and "the undulating lines of a picture hat."

Additionally, lines produce movement.

Vertical lines are found in Gothic sculptures, or in pleated skirts or striped shirts.

Horizontal and vertical lines appear in the aprons worn in this 1962 ad

Horizontal lines appear in flounced skirts, the wide off-the-shoulder necklines of the Romantic period, and in horizontal striped shirts.

Diagonal line movement is found in surplice closings as in the picture below.

The silhouette is noticed first, especially from a distance. It changes with the modes, and with seasons, and over the years. The dress worn during Jane Austen's time was basically tubular. The Victorian dress was bell shaped. The bustle brought in an "S" shape.

 

 

A 1943 "tubular" silhouette

 



 "One of the most important requirements of all art is that it conform to the law of unity with variety, or variety within unity. The silhouette must be judged by this law." The silhouette should be related to body structure, hide imperfections, and emphasize good points. The hoop skirt, bustles, and mutton sleeve did not fall under this stricture.

19th c "bell" shaped skirt had little to do with anatomy. It did make the waist look smaller.

 

The 1943 era dress below conforms to the standard put forth by Grace.

Maggy Rouff evening gown, courtesy of Harper's Bazaar, "Perfection in this geranium pink pleated crepe dinner gown, flowing gracefully with body lines and emphasizing points of body articulation. It satisfies the modern demand for elimination of every unnecessary detail and for a silhouette neither too revealing nor concealing."

  

"A beautiful dress will reveal some parts of the anatomy, while others be subtly concealed with graceful drapery or fullness."

The outline should be interesting, and in character with the spirits of the times. Grace notes that in the 1940s a return to femininity was revealing smaller waists, curved bosoms, and graceful flowing skirts. The severity of tailored suits should be softened as in the suit below with its sleeves gathered at the wrists, waistline definition, and contrasting dickey.

 

 

The full, round shapes of the Botticelli inspired gown below is constrained by the embroidered bands. 

 

Designed by Jessie Franklin Turner. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Rhythm in costume can be found in the draping of fabric in the colors or prints of the fabrics, embellishments, and it line.

Vivian Leigh as Lady Hamilton. Courtesy of United Artists Corporation. white crepe with sequin embroidery is a gown of classic inspiration, where a beautiful rhythm is achieved by skillful cutting and shaping.

Allowing certain lines dominance holds the viewer's attention.

 

The beautifully curved waistline and the graceful flowing skirt with its pointed inserts are subordinated to the greater interest of the bodice top and interestingly designed sleeve's.

 

 

An afternoon coat in which a dominant horizontal rhythm is given stability by a vertical movement. The shapes themselves have significance, but with relationship to the whole.

 

 

Next time I will offer advice from the chapter The Art of Combining Colors.

The Arts of Costume and Personal Appearence by Grace Morton

The Arts of Costume and Personal Appearance by the Late Grace Margaret Morton, published by John Wiley & Sons printed  in 1943

This textbook was used by college women in their education. Imagine--a book of nearly 400 pages to teach college women about beauty, clothing, outfitting a wardrobe, fabrics, and how to choose flattering styles and color.

"This volume deals with one of the important and absorbing pursuits of modern society."

These pursuits continue to absorb contemporary women.

The author asserts that "personal attractiveness and marriageability" are a major impulse. She warns "intellectual girls" not to undervalue about the importance of appearance by mentioning successful women of beauty such as Clare Booth Luce.


Sure, the author acknowledges, there exists a competitiveness about clothes, but one must attract that necessary spouse. And once he is hooked, you need to keep him coming home at night. Plus a gal feels good about herself when she knows she looks good. Think about the reality show What Not To Wear, with Stacy and Clinton helping a depressed gal who has given up caring about how she looks, but who after the make-over has self-esteem to spare.There is truth to Grace's assertion that how we look impacts how we feel, and how other's respond to our appearance does change our feelings of self-worth. I am not asserting this is ideal or positive. It is hugely important that we instill a healthy self-esteem in our children, not based on appearance's.

"In these troubled times there are many who sorely need a sense of security and feeling of significance."

Significance! Our achievements and contributions, our family life and faith life, these are not enough?

Let's remember what life was like in 1943: WWII is in full swing with fronts in Europe and the Pacific; the Ukrainian Insurgent Army massacred Poles in Volhynia; the Nazis took over Denmark, and were killing thousands of "undesirables" in the killing binge we call The Holocaust; The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was going on; Gandhi was on a hunger strike; The Siege of Leningrad and the Battle of Stalingrad, the Battle of Kursk, and the Battle of Tarawa all happened in 1943. The PT-109 was rammed, with John F. Kennedy aboard. Just to name a few events.



And employment had skyrocketed due to the war industries and the Depression was OFFICIALLY ENDED. It was time for the ladies to indulge themselves a little. Rationing limited supply, but there was still a lot a gal could do. Feedsacks, for instance, provided many a gal with clothing.

Chapter Two deals with "self-made beauty," based on cleanliness, good grooming, healthiness, and posture. Also voice and facial expression. "Every modern woman should learn to "place" or pitch her voice agreeably" and "to enunciate beautifully." Animation and warmth should radiate from one's face, she advises.

Eleanor Roosevelt radiated love and warmth, but her voice was not very pleasing. She was not beautiful and her clothes were dowdy. Yet her inner beauty still radiates down through the years, and she is considered one of the most influential American women.

Today we indulge in daily showers and regular hair cleaning, but in 1943 a hair washing every 10 days to 2 weeks was considered normal.

"Unless the scrubbing makes the skin pink" you have not scrubbed it hard enough! Pumice stone was "positively one of the greatest beauty aids of which we know," a physician was quoted as saying!

Four pages are devoted to proper posture alone. Helena Rubinstein's advice was: "Pull the abdominal muscles and flatten the lower curve of the back by pulling down the rear muscles--grow tall. The chest will take care of itself if the abdominal muscles are pulled in." My 7th grade teacher chastised me about posture. She said boys liked girls who sat up straight...and I understood she meant one's bosom was better displayed. It embarrassed me to death and I think I have slouched ever since! But now I understand she was a product of her education. I bet she read this book in college.

Two pages on daily cleaning include a recipe using almond meal or grains with water rubbed into the skin, particularly areas with large pores, and teeth cleaning with salt and soda blended together equally. Hair brushing for three minutes distributed hair oil, followed by a three minute massage, and then another brushing of 50 strokes. Last of all she advises pasting a 'frowner" to relax the face muscles before turning off the lights.

I will be sharing Grace's information on fabrics next post.