Elegant Simplicity

The less trimming you put on the better. A rich dress does not require it; and on a cheap one, it looks “I would if I could.” What is more ridiculous than a low priced dress spattered with ruffles, folds, buttons, gimp and cord? Much trimming is an unmistakable sign of an empty head. You cannot possibly keep up with the fashions, which people start who have nothing else to do, and the attempt is silly. The plainest dress is always most genteel. There is something that commands respect in an evident absence of pretension; therefore, the more plainly a dress is made the more likely it is to continue to look well. 

--Jane Swisshelm “Letters to Country Girls” (1853)