Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-07-07
Queer Bathing SHIFTS 20 be Seen
on the SeashOre.

New York Letter.
Imagine if you can, the anxiety of
the thousands of women who mean
to battle and who know how hard it
is not to be hideous while doing it.
A good proportion of them will give
up the problem aud appear in the
ordinary loose blouse and trousers,
in which no mortal woman can look
otherwise than decidedly unenchant-
ing. Once drenched, these garments
droop in a manner that utterly puts to
naught whatever ~shapeliuess the
woman inside may possess. But there
are many who will not give it up
so. The fashionable dressmakers are
beset by their customers on this sub
ject, and the outcome is considerable
novelty in designs. 1t should be
Eorne in mind that, if a woman be
perfect in bodily outline, and brazenly
.audacious, she can, without trouble,
conquer the difficulty, for she has
only to dress herself in tight fitting
garments of the usual flannel, or in
loose ones made Of cotton (Which.
when wet, will cling to her skin), and
she will reveal herself a thing OF
beauty. A startling bathing costume
of this improper sort was shown to me
by the designer, a Fifth avenu man
miller, and he says that he has al
ready received orders for more than
thirty substantial duplicates.
The costume was displayed for my
benefit on aliving model-one of those
perfectly formed creatures, whose
good luck in that respect yields them
ten dollars per week for standing to
order in dressmaking establishments
to try things on. The body garment
was ~ostersibly a single blouse OF pink
ish gray flannel, but it was really a
most artful continuance. Instead of
being straight and shirt-like, it was
cut in to fit the waist almost tight, so
that when wet it would only have full
ness enough to wrinkle a little, while
really following every curve Of the
figure. A belt encircled the waist.
The skirt was very short-not long
enough to fairly sit down in-and here
another clever deception was intro
duced. The material was, as a slight
concession to decency, left just long
enough at the front and back to cover
the actual body; but at side it wat
cut away we'll up on the hips. The
trowsers we're moderately full around
the upper legs, but tapered off very
rapidly to the knees, where they be-
came skin tight over the calves, ter
minating at the ankle. Thus the effect
Of tights was produced from the knees
down, but without changing the mate
rial. The feet were left bare. The
sleeves we're moderately tight from
shoulder to wrist. There were no trim
ming or plating anywhere. The girl
looked nude, yet she was completely
covered with the cool, gray material,
and the cut was such that a wetting
would not render it bCdraggled or
baggy.
Well, to preserve the shape Of the
wearer Of this costume, a corset has
been made Of fine wire, netted in large
meshes and fitted neatly to her body.
The girl was put into a variety OF at
titudes to show me how apparently un-
tramelled this wirework Enclosure left
her figure.
Those women who stick TO decent
costumes for bathing may console
themselves with the assurance that, at
the best Of the resorts, fragrant disre-
gard of the properties will not be
allowed. 1t is strange, but true, that
| never saw so much that was OBJ
jectionable in this matter anywhere as
at Ocean Grove, the great Methodist
campmeeting resort down below Long
Branch. Girls who are almost adults
disported themselves on the sand and
in the surf with legs barred to the
thigh, and even woman's knees were
markedly visible. More than this, it is
the custom of that economical resort
to 60 from the residences to tho shore
ready dressed for the surf. and SO
avoid the expense Of hiring bathing
houses. To meet a party Of females
in the street clad only upward from
some point betwixt hips and cali, was
something shocking TO an unaccus-
toned stranger. Nothing wrong was
intended, Of course, aud the practice
was simple and indication Of freedom
from restraint. s.ro 9af