Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-23
PRACTICAL POINTS.
TRUE DRESS REFORM SANCTIONED BY
FASHION,.
Eleanor Kirk Common-sonse Clothes
A Crcat Bnstie About Nothing
Garments should Hang from
the Shoulders.
Especial Corrcspoa dcncc OF tho Richmond Dis
patchl

Especial Corrcspoa dcnce OF tho Richmond Dis
patchl
7seI4AFAYETTF Az UNuF. BROOKLYN, n. Y,
February %, 1890.
Many ladies are m ch disturbed by what
has ,con called "t,he dccadence OF the
hustle." They declare that this once fash
ionabie dorsal protu Scrance was health
promote, as well as Almost graceful addition
10 the toilet. IL kept the skirts IRON drag
cling upon the hips. and protected tho
sninal cOluNQn from undue weight. Ohe
correspondSnf declares that SINCE conform
ing TO the prevailing style m TINS matter OF
bustles she has llC. been aole 10 TAKE one
half the outdoor eNcrcl % tii't sue tVIIh-
erlv cOuld. and that tho weight OF hcr
stirts ,s simply uncomfortable. Ny dresses
ali cave IN. and stick TO the hollow OF my
10y - enc adds land thus slinkiness COM
,onr;cafes itself 60 the bottom of my
Shirts. and instead of swinging gracefully
off as thew were wont t. DO when wore Z,
medium-sized hustle. they WIND around
my feet and aggTaVa'e me beyond express
sion"
WHAT THE BUsTIT DID
Tbere is really no exaggeration in my
rorrrspondcnts description Of the hang
inc OF skirts once worn with busue:
iTbev certainly will not swing on, and
they aseuredly will sink IN az the feet.
This cannot be helped; therefore no iault
can be found with the deductions oi TINS
advocate Of the hustle. IL VIII probably
10 n verv hard lob t. convince these de-
plorers of the present fashion that while
torical enough in one way they are very
foolish in another, a. wei ne very lar De
hind the times. As detc9taOie rs inc huStie
certainly was in appearance ahc III ~ Eelii,,
eral effect upon the SYSTEM IL ca hl'eI al
perform a sort Of missionary WORK IN pre-
venting the shr0uding OF TIC ankles 10y
Il a
did. Instead of relieving the Welght upoh
the bips il added more. besides importing
10 the spine "a steady friction ana heat
most destructive 20 the nervous system
The trouble is not that the hustle has gone
ont of fashion. but that its votaries VIII
not understand the art of dressing.
SENSIBLE GARMENTS.
A New York society woman Who' because
Of natural weaknesses that threatened 70
he chronic. was sent abroad 10y her physi-
clans, met on the trip across the Atlantic
an elderly English lady who took tho hb-
er,y of telling her some PLAN truths:
There is nothing under the heavens The
matter with YOU she said, after listening
patiently 10 an account OF her companion
euherings. -.
can rnatron inquired with some resent
inst what I say" was the direct re-
sponse. Yoi, are ali right. 1t is only your
clothes that ache and press and drag ana
cause their wearcr 90 pay heavy doctor :
bills and finally 10 Zee from her country.
What Is the matter with my clothes;
was the next question. q" wear onlv such
rarusnts rs other wcll-drcsscd women
wear
II Won will kindly come 10 my room
will show Won few Of my clothes, ana
then you will know what mean
Then followed an examination ~ under
drawers and vests woven together that
there might not be n band Of compression
about the waist. easy fitting. homeless,
steclless waists supplied with buttons.
upon which the necessary skirts We're
fastened. and Last hut not least, hight
weight. tastefully-draped dresses, with q
Cown-form or Princess foundation. mere
was not a garment IN the collection that
did not hang from the shoulders, ana loJ
one the weight Of which was not carefully
studied.
TIE sECRET OF HfALTHTUL DRESSING.
ooh. YES. but you English ladies always
have more advanced ldcas on snc4 SUP
iect- than we Americans said the IN
terested examiner of the pretty ana selsi-
hle clothes. "I viii ask you 90 introduce
me to your dressmIkcr when We get to
London
These al came from Now York" the
EnglshwOman ropl'edwit hearty laugh.
Il do not know o. "a single place I'm Lon
don where such garments can be pur-
chased. but my Seams.rc-s and my dress
maker will know how 10 make them. as
sure YOU, after this. | have been supplied
with these goods for two years. realized
that the terrible strain Of heavy clothes
upon nv hips was eapplug my me, ana 50
ten years ago I ordered all my garments
made TO hang from my shoulders. he
sooner YOU adopt this manner OF dressing
the sooner vOI will recover your health.
II il utterly impossible for any woman 10
he well vino Valh~the earth weighted down
with heavy clothes.
CONNON-9FNsE CLOTHS.
The EuglishWoman was right. | know
If women who have suffered Tor years
from periodical nervous headaches cured
entirely by the adoption of common-Sense
clothes.
You can never talk reform garments TO
me-" said "a pretty and pert young girl the
other day. "lhcy belong % reform
schools" Now. this Child with her slender
waist. made more slender 10y cruel corsets,
her poor little undcyeloped hips and ten
der spine borne down Us heavy pettcoatS
and elaborately drAprd skirts. dbl not know
what she was talk.u- about. She dld not
know that lightweight dress with
COWn-form foundation can be Just az eie-
cant and mOrcarlist,c than any other dress
that was ever ~ 8de. because ready Tor any
sort OF drapcry that the designer cares toput
upon il. If she had known that the choicest
Of the Pour Hundred have all their
garments made with view to the weight
falling upon the shoulders, and could see
some Of these really beautiful creations
she would alter her opilionabout reform
garments tor reform schools" | am glad
tosee that our best physicians are alive to
this subject and have IN my mind now
three popular practitioners, two men and
one woman. who refuse To treat patients
EufTering from the discusses SO common
among my own sex until they have adopt
I'd the lightweight garments that hang
from the shoulders Corsets are forbidden,
and not a string or band is allowed about
che waist.
70 the correspondent who informs me
that she always dressed "fashionably'
and never suffered from anything harder
than a nervous headache. would say that
the probabilities IN her case are ten 70 one
that she would have no headache If she
dressed sensibly.
Exceptional cases prove nothing. In
this matter as in every other we are CON-
PEELED to regard the law of average. A
few women may defy tigltly-laced corsets
and weighty skirts, but the majority can
not. ELEANOR hIBk.
A HISTORIC RELIC.