 |
| CLOTHING BUDGETS AND BUYING |
WHAT AND HOW TO BUY
Income and Income Spending. — Incomes are earned through the
labor of the member, or members, of a family upon whom this responsibility
falls ; they are spent by the earner, or some member of the family upon whom
the business of spending devolves. Planning for wise expenditure of income
presents one of the most important economic and household problems of the day.
Woman's Responsibility. — Upon woman, the chief spender, depends
the wise or unwise apportionment of the income to the various needs of the
family, — shelter, food, clothing, etc. The girl of to-day, whether or not her
future sphere of activity shall lie in the field of business, teaching, or
home-making, must assume her share of responsibility in the business of
spending either her own income, or that of others. Whether or not she performs
her part wisely depends somewhat upon the equipment furnished her by home and school.
Woman's Opportunity. — Abundant opportunity to learn to become
a wise spender awaits her in the field of clothing. It is
possible for her to provide for herself and others, for whom
she may have need to buy, suitable wearing apparel that will not deplete the purse,
yet give joy and satisfaction to the wearer. When purchasing ready-to-wear
garments, she should be able to judge of them as re- gards their (1) durability
and the quality of the materials of which they are made; (2) their suitability
to occasion and wearer; (3) the becomingness of color and line, and (4) the
price in relation to her allowance. If the allowance permits made-to-order
garments, she should be able to make her own selection of materials and de-
signs for the garments, and calculate approximately, at
least, the cost of the making, in addition to the price of the materials. The same
is true of the young woman who may make, in whole or in part,
the garments she wears.
Her Training. — To become a master workman in the art of
clothing herself and others^ wisely and well, the young
woman should have an interest in the industries concerned in the making of women's
apparel, in the production and preparation of the fibers of which the materials
are made, the manufacture of the fabrics, and the construction of the garments
themselves. She should become familiar with the principles of design which
relate to clothing, and through the study of artistic forms in sculpture,
painting and his-
toric costume, learn to choose for herself and others,
colors, lines and shapes that are becoming. Add to this, technical skill in
cloth- ing design, in the manipulation of fabrics in draping, or in the cutting
of cloth by pattern, and in the use of needles, pins and shears in the
construction of garments, and her equipment will be complete.
WHAT CLOTHING SHOULD DENOTE
Clothing and Circumstances. — Well-ordered clothing should, first
of all, denote fitness to circumstances. We may dress as richly as our
circumstances permit, but should let the keynote of that rich- ness be
simplicity. We should choose attractive and suitable gar- ments or stuffs of
pleasing colors. There should be evenness of attire; we should nol: sacrifice
one garment for lavish expenditure upon another. Extremes of fashion are to be
avoided; they are in bad taste, and moreover extravagant. To follow the extreme
of fashion, is like chasing a will-o'-the-wisp; the fancy is subject to continual
change, the purse to depletion.
