The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-08-13
HOOP SKIRTS AGAIN IN FASHION
A Sudden Demand that the Factories
Cannot Meet-The New Style.

Foreign papers report that. in opposi-
ton to the limp. lank skirt Of the aesthetic.
Partisan modistes are bringing forward
the crinolettc, which is simply revival
of the hoop skirt. The shops in the cities
are again displaying hoop skirts, and re-
port Il good sale for them. At one time
hoop skirt manufactures were numerous.
and a large capital was engaged in the
business. Since the hoop skirt went out
of fashion the factories have nearly all
disappeared. and the capital has gone
into other enterprises. Mr.. Bradley, of
the firm Of Bradley, Voorhees, & Day
said Yesterday:
II recollect the time when we en-
PLAYED 200 hands. and our product was
10000 skirts day. That was during
the war, but about 1868 the hoop skirt
went out of fashion and the trade died
out. There was transient revival in
1870. but it disappeared. and from then
until now the hoop skirt trade has been
~ very Small pau vi oui puSiiicSS. VIC
have always continued the manufacture
to some extent, getting orders every now
and then. mostly from the South and
West Some ladies have never given up
the use of the hoop skirt at all, but they
have been old fashioned people vino liked
it because of its comfort. Now, how
ever. it is in fashion again. The demand
has sprung so suddenly that it is impos-
sble to meet it. For the last six months
there has been an increasing demand,
and in the last few weeks. in addition
to the local demand. we have been con-
stantly receiving orders by telegraph from
Philadelphia, Pittshurg, and other cities.
and are sold ahead Of production all the
time. The trouble is that old operatives
have gone into other pursuits, and it is
impossible TO get hands enough. At
present We are turning out about one
dozen day"
How do You account for the change ?"
well. you know when fashion runs
to extremes there is likely to- be Il vio-
lent reaction. Hoop skirts were driven
out of fashion because the style was
pushed to such an extreme. Hoops got
to he four and five yards around in the
style known as filters \ lady could
hardly get into a church pew. When
she sat down her dress ballooned and
took up the whole side of street car.
The papers all got to making fun of the
fashion, and there was reaction against
hoop skirts. Another thing that had to
do with it. suppose. was the hard times.
1t took a great deal of fabric to cover
these big skeleton tents, and there was
a saving in adopting narrow skirts. Now
tight dresses have been pushed to an
extreme. and a reaction toward fuller
dresses and the hoop is natural
How does the new style compare with
the old ," asked the reporter.
"Look at that said Mr. Bradley.
pointing to a hoop skirt hanging from
tilV 'SiiiiiS. II "''' " SiNut Nii't'' " "a
cage yards around. Now look at this
and he held up a slim. graceful skirt,
with hoops secured by broad tapes, and
running about half way up. The old
hoops ran up to $50 inches in cireumter-
ence. The present style runs from - to
81 inches. Now. if the modistes do not
push the style to excess. and will keep
the hoop skirt down to two yards i'll cir
conference, it will remain in use.
"lIas there been much change i'll the
manufacture of hoop skirts -
An the change in the world. II was
in 49,, that hoop skirts first came into
use | remember the first articles of the
kind, which were imported from Europe.
They were cumbrous affairs. the hoops
being made OF bamboo, cane. or rattan.
Iron was considered too heavy a mate
rial. steel hoops were introduced by
American makers 1t was long pro
cess to get the right quality of steel. If
made too hard the steel would snap, and
if too soft the hoop would benl i'll wear
and lose its shape. Now the steel is so
well tempered that the hoop skirt retains
its shape and at the same time conforms
to changes of attitude in the wearer like
woven fabric. The weight Of a skirt
like that now coming into fashion is less
than one fourth of that of the old style
of skirt, and the new skirt will wear four
times as long as the old"