The Portland daily press., 1875-07-27
The Contracted Skirt.

The force of habit is strikingly illustrated in
the comments made by the cynics and humor-
lists of the press upon feminine apparel. These
people have long been accustomed to rail at
the garments, absurd and inconvenient, in
which women have attired themselves, and
so have gradually come to believe that dress
is fit subject for ridicule, not because
of its indelicacy or cumbersomeness, but be-
cause it is worn by their sisters. They have
quite lost sight of their original subject the
folly of fashion, and expend their fun
and satire upon that other theme so dear to
the masculine heart, the folly of women.
To-day they are assaulting with Incorporate
zeal that honest and graceful garment, the
contracted skirt. With them it is the type
of indelicate absurdity. One would think,
were he solely guided by the descriptions and
animadversions of these censorious ones,
that the old Coventry costumes obtained with
our women, and that the streets are filled
with Godivas, not only at high noon but at
every hour of the day. Much utterly bad wit
is expended upon the offending gown, and
even pent-up Utica with its contracting pow
ers, mostly out of use since the presidential
candidacy of Seymour, is pressed into service
again.
Yet the truth is women have not since the
time of Petrarch's Laura worn so becoming
garments as they do to-day. The contracted
skirt is step backward-in the direction of
grace. 1t is return toward Aspasia and
Greek perfection of taste. For many years
women have worn clothes which have pos
sessed no merit except as DISCUSSES, which
have given color to the monstrous tales of
mythology and the wild superstitions of sea-
men. 1t was easy to believe in lamia and
mermaid while our women enveloped them
selves in vast bags, or were entrenched in
Notifications of whalebone and wire.-
But the women Of to-day have done away
with all that. A purer taste reigns. They
have accepted NJ. Blarc's dicLum that "the
picture should not be lost in the Frame" and
have given US "a few inches more of woman
to fewyards less of drapery." The change in
taste is highly commendable, and the result
ing costumes thoroughly artistic The clingin g
drapery of the present with its suspicion o (
graceful curves is following out of Ho-
garth's line cf beauty, line which ought
surely to exhibit itself if anywhere in the
last and best work of the Creator. 1t is a
moral as well as artistic success. Despite the
innuendoes of the paragraphists there is
about it not shade Of indelicacy. The i'm
modest dresses were those stretched over the
huge swinging cages of decade ago, or
those, worn in the first years of the century,
of which it was said they "began too late
and ended too soon." No objection can rea-
sonably be made to garment which follows
the natural contours of the form, which
gives us sinuoas lines and graceful curves,
which sets forth the figure while clothing it,
which reveals but does not expose. The
dress too gives as good opportunity as the
older styles for the display OF richness in
fabric and sp.endor in color. 1t is even more
effective in these respects than the multitu-
dinous wrappings of past years, and does not
lend itself so readily to those absurdities in
trimming which offend the artistic eye.
In short, the much abused pinned-back
skirt is an honest, sensible, and graceful gar
ment, the like of which has not been seen
for wearisome time. 1t becomes US to praise
it and encourage its wearers. We should
not be chary of commendation. Let rs
rather be profuse in adulation. Let us heap
up compliments until we have recognitory
pile as high as Bunker Hill. Let those who
have the gift of jingling pour out praises in
rhyme. Let Others plead in homely prose.
Let US if possible persuade our sisters that
they never before looked so well nor wore so
becoming garment. Let the praise be con-
stant and lavish. Then perhaps we may sue
ceed in seizing the feeting fashion by its con-
tracted drapery and induce it to abide with
us little longer.