The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-03-22
NUMBER 1o.
A Woman on Woman's Fashions,
By FANNY FERN.

When / say that the street dress of
the majority of respectable women of
New York to-day is disgusting, | but
feebly express my emotions. | say the
respectable women, and yet, save to
them who know them to be such their
appearance leaves a wide margin for
doubt. The clown at a circus wears not
a more stunning or parti-colored COS
tune; in fact, his has the advantage of
being sufficiently "taut'-to use a nau-
teal phrase-to interfere with locomO-
tlon; while theirs-what with disgusting
humps upon their backs, and big ro-
settes upon their sides and shoulders.
and loops, and folds, and buttons, and
clasps, and bows upon their skirts, and
striped satin petticoats, all too short to
hide often clumsy ankles-and more
eolors and shades of eOlOrS heaped upon
one poor little fIshiOn-ridden body than
ever were gathered i'm one rainbow-and
ali this worn without regard to temper
azure, or time, or place-I say this
presents a spectacle which is too dis
heaftening even to be cOmical. One
cannot smile Mt the young girls who are,
one day-Heaven help them-to be
wives and mothers | say to myself, as
see the throat and neck with only the
protection Of gold lOcket between itself
and the cold autumnal winds. Wives
and mothers l say, as l see them ruin
ing their feet and throwing their ankles
out OF shape in the vain endeavor TO
walk on their heels like cOrlzs, fastened
iar into the middle of the sole Of their
Do0ts; and those boots so high upon the
can oi the leg, and so tightly buttoned
aer0ss III, that circulation is stopped, and
violent headaches follow. Wives and
Ihothers. 1 say, as | see the heating and
Durdensome pannier tackled on the most
dellcate portion of Il woman's frame. to
make still surer confirmed invaIidism
| What fathers, husband, brothers. lovers
can be thinking about, to be wiIIin1
that the women they love and respect
should appear in public, looking like
women whom they oespise, is a marvel
to me. Why they do not say this tu
them, and shame them into decent ap-
| pearance-if their glasses cannot effect
/ i'll do not know. Oh, the relief il is tC
meet lady, instead of u ballet-girl
Oh, the relief il is to see IL healthy, firm
stepping, rosy, brOad-chested, bright
eyed woman, clad simply with dres
all of one color, and free from bunche
and tags / turn to look at such al
one with true respect, that she has tn,
| good sense and courage and good tast,
to appear on the streets in a dress befit
/ ting the street; leaving to those Door
wretched women whose business it is Il
advertise their person, Il free field with
out competition. If | seem to speaE
harshly, it is because l feel earnestly Oh
this subject. | had hoped that the
women OF 1872 would have been worthy
of the day in which they live. | had
hoped that all their time would not
have been spent in keeping up with the
chameleon changes of fashion, too ugly,
too absurd for liberation. 1t is because
/ want them to be something, to do
something higher and nobIer than a
peacock might aim at, that | turn heart
sick away from these infinitesimal "trip
peries that narrow the soul and purse,
and leave nothing in their wake but
emptiness. Nor is it necessary, in
avoiding all this, that woman should
/ look "strOng-minded," as the bugbear
phrase goes. 1t is not necessary that she
should dress like her grandmother i'm
order to look like q decent woman. Ii
is not necessary she should forswear
OrnamentatiOn, because it were better
and more respectable to have il confined
TO festal and home occasions and less to
the public promenade. She is not
driven to the alternative of muffling
herself like an omnibus driver in Jan
uary, or catching consumption with her
throat protected only by a gold locket.
/ Oh, / wish that bevy of young and
handsome girls, of good social position,
would inaugurate plain, ladylilSe cos
tune for street and church wear / say
/ young and handsome, because if an old
woman does this, thelittle chits toss theiI
heads and say, ooh! she has had her days
and doesn't care now-and we want
ours" Now that's perfectly natural
and right, too, that you should have
your youth; that you should, as girl,
say, "make the most of yourseIves;'
but in doing so don't you think it would
be well not to lessen or cheaper your
selves? and | submit, with all Difference
to your dress-makers and mammas, that
every one of you who appear i'm publ,
in the manner have described ar,
doing this very thingCare defiline
womanhOod, and bringing it into deris
ion and contempt, whether you believe
it or not.