The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-01-05
Low-Neck Dresses.
What the Ladies, the Club men and the Dress
Makers Have to Say of the Fashion, and Where
the line of Decency Should be Drawn
From the Ne,c York World.

the line of Decency Should be Drawn.
From the Ne,c York World.
The extremely decollete dresses worn by
many ladies at the opera, balls and else
where in society circles at evening gather
ings this season has attracted universal at
tention. While last wear and the year
preceding very decollete dresses were
worn by some ladies, they were the exeep-
ton, and not almost the universal rule, as
is the case this year. The subject has
formed topic of conversation at the clubs
and elsewhere, and many and various have
been the reasons assigned for the seemingly
all prevalent fashion. The young married
ladies are the most conspicuous in this
matter of dress, or rather undress, and
several who have occupied prominent boxes
at the Metropolitan Operations during
the season just closing have attracted pub
lie notice from the unblushing display of
natural but generally concealed beauty
Last year low-necked dresses used to be
held in place by shoulder straps, but this
Year these have been discarded and to the
observer the arm-straps seem entirely in
sufficient and inadequate to hold the cor
sage, and there is feeling of momentary
expectation lest the entire bodice fall down.
Several prominent society leaders were
questioned regarding the reasons for this
remarkable and indecent fashion and as to
its probable results and tendencies. Owing
to the fact that the fashion is so universal
and that their opinions would consequently
reflect upon their associates and fellows,
they decline to give their names for publ
cation.
A prominent society woman said at is
a subject do not care to discuss, but the
whole question rests on whether woman is
modest or immodest The fashions change
in this respect every few years, and year
after dresses have been cut lower in Paris
they begin to cut them lower here, but as
to where lady shall draw the line rests
with herself and her own ideas and feelings.
Under the Directory when high-waisted
dresses were worn the bosom, except in the
case of young girls, was often entirely ex-
posed, and do not know that that period
was much more immoral than this. For
myself, | should never care to wear dress
or allow my daughter to wear one which
could excite the slightest suspicion or
thought of immodesty on our part in any
observers mind, Dresses, save by members
of Roman Catholic families, are cut quite
as low in England as here, and certain
American society girl who married an En-
glish lord, and who has been making quite
long visit here recently created quite 4
sensation by her low cut dresses when she
first returned home last year. She may,
to certain extent, have started the fash
ion.
An old club man said; '"The present
fashion of low-cut dresses is, think, car
ried to an indecent and disgraceful extreme.
| cannot but consider it demoralizing to
young men and girls to attend our balls and
mingle with and observe women whose
charms are often wholly uncovered.
know by personal experience when | have
heard young men in this club talk the day
after Delmonico ball that the husbands
and relatives of some of the ladies they dis
cuss could have no possible ground for
resenting their imputations did they hear
them And yet believe these ladies to be
pure, good women otherwise, and in the
majority of cases excellent wives and moth
ers They do not stop to think how great
ly, in yielding to an indulgence in foolish
fashion, they aid in lowering the moral
tone of the community, 1t seems to go
from bad to worse every year, and | do not
see where it will stop unless we boldly
adopt the entire customs of the French
Directory. The dowagers are the worst,
think, and there are two or three conspicu-
Gus examples who display their charms be-
decked with diamonds at opera, theatre and
ball who ought for the sake of public de-
cency to be suppressed"
A fashionable dressmaker was asked re-
garding the matter and said: ''The fashion
is certainly this year for slightly lower cut
dresses than usual, but it is largely an in
dividual matter after ALL Some OF our
most lady-like and most demure-looking
customers order the lowest cut dresses, es-
pecially if they have handsome necks, bo-
SONS and arms The general rule is, in the
case of debutante, to so cut an evening
dress as to just suggest the contour; for an
older society girl we allow the bosom to be
well defined, and for matron or chaperone
there is no particular or decided limit.
How are the dresses supported by mere
straps? Well, these are made to tit so
tightly that the dress cannot slip, but if
they should happen to break-well, disas-
trous consequences might follow. The
whole matter: after all, is good test as to
whether lady is modest or immodest, but
| do not wonder that some of the dresses
this year have raised an outcry."