The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1874-07-09
DRESS REFORM.
An extra Session. of the We
mans Club Garments that
tIe Coming Woman Will Wear.
FROM the Boston Globe.


and endeavoring to find some form Of
costume which shall relieve overbur
dened femlninity of its weight of clothes
and prospect it from bedraggled skirt:
and dampened ankles. Several members
of the club have experimental for some
time in this under its auspices at Free
man Place Chapel for the exhibition Of
, such garments as these members or Others
had devised 1t was not secret affair,
for women were welcomed, but no man
could obtain admittance. Reporters
were unceremoniously excluded, and an
artist of Leslie's Illustrated, who endeav-
ored to get in to obtain sketches for
his journal, was forbidden to enter.
Mrs. Carolina Severance, president of
the club, superintendent the exhibition,
and there was large attendance, indica-
ting no little interest in the subject to be
considered. x < :
At this point, Mrs Julia Ward Howe
declared that she was III a great hurry,
but desired to see Mrs. Flynt's inventions
before taking her leave, and that lady
came forward Not being a reformer,
nor member of the club, Mrs. FIvnt
lacked the self-possession and tiuency of
some of the other ladies, but she succeed
ed in making herself Ineligible, soon
| forgetting the popularity of her position
in her interest in her topic. She Is a
rather short, broad, blonde woman, on
| the shady. side of forty, and wore "A sim
| pie black silk skirt, and gray redingote,
with black velvet collar, cuffs and buttons
plain enough for reformer, but in
excellent taste. She told the club that
/ hr tbo toff Of of
| she had come in to show them her ideas
of dress reform, and that she would be-
gin at the beginning. This she did by
exhibiting a large doll, dressed in clothes
adapted to a child just beginning to walk.
Her system, she said, applied the same
princi pie to suits for females Of all ages,
the leading idea being to suspend the
weight heretofore borne upon the waist
and hips from the shoulders. In this
model the undershirt, worn next the
body, was of an elastic knit fabric, to
which was sewn bands of unelastic mate
rial for supports, the clothing for the low
er part of the body being buttoned On at
the waist. The main point Of support
for all the clothing was the point of the
shoulder, although its weight is distribu-
ted upon the whole Of the upper part of
the chest
Another doll was then shown, intend
ing to represent an older girl. This was
provided with loose waist, at the natu-
raj belt point of which were two rows of
buttons, one for hose, under-drawers and
flannel skirt, and the other for white
skirts and the skirt Of the dress, which
was separate from the waist thus sustain
ing the weight Of all the clothing from
the shoulders and upper pari Of The chest,
as in the first instance Mrs Flynt then
showed doll No. 3, which she said was
fully -developed young lady. AS it came
into view, Mrs. Howe asked why its UNI
derdress had so many more bands, tapes
and buttons than the child's garment be-
fore shown; to which question Mrs.
Flynt explained that lady ~ears haavier
clothing, and requires support where a
child does not, and proceeded to explain
the function of each strap and button,
showing that while none were useless,
there was provision IN the garment for all
the uses of the wearer This garment
had no waist-band, but served as a sup
port for stockings, wooden and cotton
drawers, and flannel skirt, all the weight |.
resting on the shoulders. Mrs Flynr /
meaning of the word ''loose" by saying
that while her own waist measure was
twenty-seven inches, she made all belts a
full yard in length. Here Mrs. Howe /
interrupted again, in astonishment, with: I
these clothes?" to which the reply was I
made: es, Eve worn nothing else for
more than year." a declaration which .
was received by the audience with hearty T
applause In describing this garment,
Mrs. Flynt recommended her hearers to
use concave French bone button, as
they button easily, hold several button .
holes each, and never cut thread, which I
was also received with applause. Mrs. /
Howe seemed not to be able to recover
from her surprise that these garments .
had actually been tested by wearing,
and again asked Mrs. Flynt have you
really discarded corsets to which the .
answer was eyes, and l weigh 175 " an /
admission at which the audience again .
cheered heartily.
After this DEPRESSION, doll No. was
shown, wearing the next stage of lady's /
underdress. 1t was a single garment, /
combinating a chemise, underskirt, cor
set-cover, if corsets are worn, habit shirt /
with bosom and undersleeve, finished /.
with buttons at the neck for collar or
ruff, and at the wrists for cuffs or rutfies. +
This garment, which included so much, /
had neither gather nor plat, but was
very comedy and graceful. Several la /
dies declared that it was pretty enough /
for a chamber dress, and examined It's
:" cut with much interest. 1t was in +
1ol
serve as a support for hoop-skirt, or its |
equivalent, white skirts and dress skirt, the /
latter being detached from the waist, as
is now common. Every garment this
model young lady had on was suspended /
from her shoulders, but she had as pretty /
figure as could be desired. In lifting /
her arms above her head, in illustrating
the ease of these garments, Mrs. Flynt /
declared she could feel the lifting of the /
clothing to the soles of her feet, while in
walking she felt It's support as she did no
other clothing.
Mrs. Flynt's garments were warmly
commended by most of the ladies, who
seemed astonished that clothes could be
devised which would so entirely relieve
the waist and hips from pressure, and at
the same be comedy and graceful. Mrs.
Dr. Lewis, however, objected, declaring
that to support the clothing from the
point of the shoulder was unnatural it
should rest where mans suspenders do,
midway between the shoulder-point and
the neck; but Mrs Flynt defended her
idea, and offered, if Mrs. Lewis would
call and leave her measure to make her
an entire suit, that she might give it tri
al.
Mrs. Flynt then resumed her exhibit
ton by displaying to the audience water