Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-24
DIVIDED SKIRTS AND CoRsErs.
Washington Women Adopting the For
mer, but Lacing the Latter Excessively.

Washington women are adopting divided
skirts," said dealer in such feminine equip
ments to STAB reporter yesterday. "only
last week two ladies Of cabinet families bought
them here. I will venture to say that 500
women in this city are wearing them today. and
within year there will be 5000 For riding
especially they are coming into favor, and the
freedom Of motion they allow recommends
them for dancing. Some people imagine that
the divided skirt is a substitute for the dress
skirt, but Of course it only takes the place of
the petticoat. Several makes have been intro
duced, both English and American; but any
woman can manufacture such things for herself,
having once obtained the pattern"
The corsetiere said that dress waists as a sub
stltute for corsets were coming steadily more
and more into use among Washington women
result chiefly due TO the persistent crusade
against tight lacing.
But is it not true" asked TIE SrAR re-
porter, that. Notwithstanding this oft-raised
howl, the women who really lace injuriously
are very few nowsdays?"
woMESs FIGURES NORTH AND SOUTH.
"Not in Washington. Farther north tight
iacing has gone out of fashion to q great er-
tent, and it is an exceptional thing to see an
artificially small waist in New York or Boston,
but south Of Philadelphia women begin TO pull
In their stays, and in this town it is almost a
universal practice, as II Is all over the southern
states. Such points have absolute knowledge
OF, because II has been the business OF nv life
time to study them. Curiously enough there
is less reason why southern women should lace
than there IL for their northern sisters adopt
ing the practice, inasmuch as the female figure
IN the south 10 better than il is in the north.
1t Is fuller and better developed as q rule, with
more OF the curves that render the dress
makers work less arduous. And yet another
contradiction is found in the fact that women
In Washington and elsewhere south are much
more addicted to padding. The plump and
rounded hgures you see on the streets here are
NOT infrequently helped out by artIice. OBJ
yiously my notion Of such matters must be
pretty accurate, for as to things of that sort
woman always makes a confidant of her cor
set maker. Within certain limitations / nv
self highly approve Of padding. For instance.
the most common defect in the female figure il
a hollowness under the arm, where il ought TO
be plump. Nearly all women have that defect
and good dress maker will always supply il
by pad sewn into the dress"
coRsETs AND LAcINe.
''The women who lace confess the fact 10
you, of course?"
Hardly ever. That is one thing which they
do not appear to own up even to themselves.
as rule. Women come in here every day to
be fitted who insist that they never pull them
selves in, though actually break the new laces
In trying to get their corsets tight enough to
suit However, make no remarks though /
can't help thinking what q mistake il is Nv
point of view is not that of the physicians,
who talk Of the injury to the constitution oc
casioned by tight lacing look at it from nv
own professional standpoint, simply as a ques-
ton OF producing beauty. From observation
/ know that it is apt to make the nose red and
to spoil the complexion; also, it pulls the
shoulders forward in an ugly way and increases
the size Of the abdomen very much. Every
woman who can afford the luxury should wear
French corsets; they know how TO cut them
over there in a manner that is not at all under
stood in this country. Young women with ideal
figures are employed in the factories as models
to ut the corsets upon before they are sent out.
Every pair OF French stays, in fact, is made to
fit perfectly the ideal figure of the bust meas
ure 1t Ii registered for. Ladies who buy them.
not possessing ideal figures usually, have 70
have them refitted for themselves at the sbons