The morning news., 1889-03-15
HOW CoRsETs ARE WORN.
A Fashionable Maker Discourses Upon
the subject.
From the Nelo York Press.

differs in no essential point but one from il S
neighbors. The point of difference is that
it besr5 proudly on its stony b e1st badge
which tells the passers by that within fash
ionable corsets are made. A reporter called
on the pro- rietress.
"Well, what can tell you about corsetsT'
she asked after she had read the reporters
open sesame.
II want to know all about them" was
the modest reply, but first tell me, please,
whether ladies of the present day lace as
tightly as they did few years ago.
They do not, that is certain. Tight lac
ing, you know, has tendency TO elongate
the waist and as short waists are in style at
the present time, the fashionable woman
does not attempt to shape hers to that de-
gree of wasplike attenuation so sought for in
the days of the boardlike stays. Then, again,
women are undoubtedly becoming more
sensible, and consequently more careful Of
their health. Frankly, the woman of the
period cannot stand the tight lacing that
her grandmother could. She hasn't the
constitution, and believe her weakness is
a result of the abominable pinching that the
waists of her maternal ancestors received"
"You do not believe in corset5 then!"
"Bu6 indeed | do when they are used
judiciously. They ara most certainly a
great convenience and comfort, aud | can
not see how the health can be Injured by
their use if, as | say, they are used in a
sensible manner. Some ladies'. to be sure
get along without them, but, heavens, what
dummy, shapeless figures such have. do
not SEQ what possible objection there can be
to loose well fitting corsets. What, for
Instance, could stout la lies do without them2
They not only grid the waist and support
the bust, but chey keep the clio hing from
cutting into the flesh. F eshy..women, how
ever, mako one great mistaEe. Almost in
variably they wear corsets that are 20
small for them. Now, if flesh is squeezed
away from it5 natural position it is bound
to go somewhere olse where nature
never intended it to go; and the
result is naturally an uncouta fig
ure. But tight lacing is indulged
in by stout and thin, in fact, foolish women
of all sizes and c)nditiols will Indulge in it,
1t is hardly necessary for me to say that l
consider tight lacing an abominable and
suicidal habit
''Is it not a fact that most women will in
sst upon wearing corset that is too small
for themT
"That is unquesti nably so, although, as
| have before stated, very tight lacing is no
longer indulged in to any extent. As long
as slim waists are admired by the steraer
sex women will have them. cost what it
may. T ere is scarcely one of my custom
ers who does not wear a corset which is aG
least one or two inches too small for her.
Fer instance, a woman of 25 or 81 inch
waist measure usually will have 20 or %
inch corset made. | used to be that foolish
myself until l learned by accident that
fairly loosely fitting corset really gave the
effe t of slimness much better than one
made smaller than it should be. | am rather
stout, as you see, and, in common with
many other members of my sex, decided
that tightly fitting corset would improve
my figure. ] was taken sick with q painful
disease, which made it impossible for me to
wear a corset at all. Ia fact my side was
SO sensitive, even after [ had almost entirely
recovered. that couldn't bear the slightest
pressure on it. When | began to get around
again l found that l must wear some sup
port for my back, and picked out the
largest corset that l had in stock and put it
en-. Much to my surprise my customers
have ever since remarked upon my s.imness
This simply shows that for a stout person a
loosely fitting corset is better in every way.
But aside from the question of health,
which, of course, is the prifae consideration
after all, tight lacing IS certainly deStruct-
i've of good looks. 1t impoverishes the
blood, impedes the circulation, and thereby
induces the consequent blemiSheS How
many pretty women you see every day
whose beauty is absolutely destroyed by
! the redness of the tips of their noses. There
is a charming young lady who comes here
IL that way. Unnatural pressure on the
body tends to impede the circulation. and
red noses and swollen hands and feet are the
result. | do not dare to say anything to
my customers who are victims of tight lac
ing, for | would only lose their trade, gain
their dislike, and, after all, do them no
good, for nothing | could advise would
change them one whit. 1t is a shame,
though, that family physicians don't warl
do net
the inevitable evil results OF a continuance
of the habit Several years ago whel the
preposterOusly slim, long waist was the
fashion. knew young lady who was sud
denly taken so violently i'll that for q long
time her life was despaired of. Her case
completely puzzle and baffled the doctors
When she was cOnYalesciug an eXamina-
ton was made and it wss discovered that
50 extreme had been the pressure brought
to bear upon her body that the ends of her
ribs overlapped each other in front. Her
youth and naturally good constitution were
all that pulled her through. The young
lady must have suffered untold agonies
when she was up and about, for the organs
of her body could not possibly have per
formed the r proper functions"
did you ever know a woman who would
acknowledge that she laced2"
''Never. Very often wnen 1 have gently
hinted when trying on corsets that perhaps
they are trifle too snug, a Gus
toner will say: But, my dear madam,
just see, l can almost put my hand
between my body and the corset. Surely
you would not say they are too tight for
me- My answer invariably is that if 8 o
can do that when she sits down then they
are not tco tight You see that while a
corset may seem TO fit loosely and comfort
ably when the figure is erect, the same pair
is much 100 tight when sitting posture is
assumed. The reason for that is because
the whole weight of the trunk while sitting
is supported by the corset, tho muscles re-
laxing and the body thus settling down.
The lit Of a corset cannot be correctly ascer-
tanned upon a person standing"
(Which of your customers are the most
particular as classl"
Actresses, for their profession forces
them TO be. They are constantly under the
scrutiny of the feminine public eye and
they know it. On the other hanl, an ac-
tress. while particular, is not so much given
to tight lacing as the society woman. They
know that firm, graceful well proper
toned figure is much more TO be desired
than one which simply possesses sleuderness,
without the other qualifications Of beauty
A tresses, too, know that they cannot
stand the strain of their work when their
lungs and heart are unnaturaly crowded,
Moreover, it would b. quite impossible fer
an actress to stand upon and use her feet
she has TO did she lace tight"
81 r feet. What has tight lacing to do
with the uF
49,.