Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1889-11-09
CHEMILETTEs AND LEGLETS
Thew Are Discussed in an Interest
ing Manner by Mrs. Annie
JenneSs Miller.
Kansas City Globe.

Jenness Miller.
Kansa. City Globe.
It is my desire that no one shall
leave this hall this afternoon ignor-
ant of the laws of artistic and health
full DRESSING said Mrs. Jenness
Miller, as she advanced to the front
Of the stage yesterday afternoon at
Music Hall to address the large audi
ence composed of many Of the most
prominent ladies of the city. The
apostle of dress reform, as Mrs.
Miller is called, is beautiful wom-
an. She is five feet. six inches tall,
weighs $50 pounds and is perfectly
formed. Her bust measure, as she
stated yesterday, is thirty-si1 inches,
waist twenty-eight inches.
"Since my lecture here last win
ter" said she, Il lave received nu-
merous letters of inquiry from the
ladies of Kansas City in regard to
dress reform, and | am here in per-
son to answer them. The question
| am oftenest asked is, What would
you do for the fat woman?' The
fat woman seems to multiply very
rapidly on the earth, and there is a
continual wall going up, How shall
we dress artistically and comfort
ably?'"
The speaker said that the physical
side of the question is the most i'm
portant, and if she were fat she
would reduce her flesh. She would
reduce the fat not by starving, but
by eating. 1t is a great mistake to
starve ones self, as it impoverishes
the blood and is unsuccessful in the
end. The speaker said that she
never knew of an attempt to reduce
the flesh by the starvation process.
in which the subject did not return
to her former eating habits and
became fleshier than she was at first.
The true plan is to abstain from fat
producing food, avoid starchy food,
fruit and sugar. Eat plenty of lean
meat and take baths. Hot baths
were recommended, as they open up
the pores of the skin and help to
eliminate the water from the system.
Physical exercise should be pursued
daily. Some women think they can
walk their flesh off, but this is a
mistake, as walking only exercises
the muscles of the legs, and women
seldom move their arms when walk
ing. The massage treatment was
urged for the body.
IF considered too much trouble
to undergo such course Of treat
ment | would dress the flesh as be-
comingly as possible. The fat
woman seems to be the last woman
in the world to have any idea of
grace. She puts on a corset and
squeezes her abdomen down and her
bust up under her chin with an idea
that it reduces her size. Then she
always wears a basque, nobody
knows why, only that it cuts her off
around the hips, just where she
should not be. 1t is no use talking
Of the corset being worn loosely. |
never yet saw a woman breathless
from tight lacing who did not de-
clare that she could put both hands
inside her corset.
To reduce the apparent size begin
with the undergarments. The fat
woman should wear nothing super
fluous. First comes the union gar
ment, which is made all in one and
is worn next to the skin. The ma
terial used may be of any kind,
heavy or light silk. merino or heavy
wool. The warmth should be fur
nished by this garment, and it
should be regulated according to the
requirements of the wearer and the
season. Mrs. Miller admitted that
there are a good many ladies who
require a support for the bust. This,
she said, should be done from the
shoulders by means of a barred
waist fitted to a yoke and worn next
to the union garment. Over this
should be worn the chemilette. The
leglets or divided skirt form an i'm
portant part of the fat woman's
costume, and are worn next to the
chemilette. The material about the
waist and hips is thus reduced to
five thicknesses. The dress should
fall in straight lines from the
shoulder to the foot. No drapery
should be allowed. especially about
the hips. Much fulIness should be
inserted by means of pleats a little
below the waist line III the back of
the skirt. A soft drapery over the
front of the waist will conceal
larpa hust "