Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-02-25
CLOTHING FOR GIRLS.
Sensible Suggestions Concerning Useless
Finery.

Sensible Suggestions Concerning Useless
Finery.
Manufacturers of clothing have done
very little for girls at that age when
the child is mer ing into womanhood
and is yet neither child nor woman.
During this age the girl is rapidly grow
Ing, and for several years it is almost
impossible to keep her in clothes, SO
quickly does she outgrow the carefully
prepared garments which have been
made for her. At the stores there are
large sizes of childrens Clothes and
small sizes of women's clothes, but
very little else to choose from. With
boys this is different; there are distinct
styles set down for youths, who, in the
words of the old rhyme, are neither
men nor boys, but hobble-de-hoys. "
One thine is certainly true of a girls
dress at this age, when she is usually in
school. 1t should be simple and only
sufficient for her needs. The soft round
prettiness of growing babies tempts
mothers to be extravagant in providing
dainty delicate muslins carefully
hemmed by hand, but whatever tempta-
ton there may be, in a girl in her teens
| it is idle to give up to it; as, however
gracefully she may develop into woman
hood, she is at an age when she IS
growing more rapidly than ever before,
and is not likely to wear out any thing
made for her, but to grow out of every
thing The underwear of such girl
should be ample to allow for her devel-
oping figure, and should be made of do
| IF
dainty materials She should wear a
warm outfit of wooden underclothes
next to her skin and a comfortable
| corded waist made like a woman's
| waist On no account burden down
growing girl with corsets. Let her de-
| eide herself when she has reached the
| years of matur ty, whether she desires
to wear them, A great many we'll
| dressed women of fashion are leaving
them off, so it is no longer an outre
thing for a woman to do so. The corded
| waist will give her all the support she
! requires, and will allow for the greatest
activity of movement. Make all her
| muslin underwear as severely plain as
possible Avoid the vulgarity of a
oheap-Hamburg ruffie of embroidery.
Linen rufies plainly hemmed is all that
! should be used, and even these may be
! dispensed with. If the girl is going to
| school the washing must be done in the
| general laundry Of the school, where it
/ is not possible to do ironing in
the careful manner in which 1t
/ is done at home. The English
mother, who considers first the
well being and health of her child be-
fore it's appearance, makes the simplest
garments for her grow ng girls. The
greater part of the underwear and all
the bedding in English families is not
moned, but pressed through the mangle.
The washing is done in the most thor
ough manner, but there is no time
wasted in dampening and deliberately
ironing these pieces. Sheets that are
thoroughly dried in the sun or in the
| drying-room and mangled are much
more sure to be free from dampness
than those dampened and laboriously
| ironed. In cases of severe sickness
wise physicians often order that
the sheets and clothing of the
sufferer shall be simply pressed
without dampening, in order to be
certain that they shall be thoroughly
dry. 1t is a pity that such a genuine
labor-saving machine as the mangle is
not in more general use in this country.
The outer dress of growing school
girl should be extremely plain and made
/ in loose ample style. The fashionable
| blouse dresses, the pretty zouave jack
cts are all samples of simple youthful
bodices A plain, full skirt is the best
choice at present till a girl is at least
sixteen. A single simple hat Of felt,
trimmed severely and plainly is all that
Is necessary, and a warm jacket for
winter and light one for summer are
the essential wraps to provide board
! ing-school miss. A warm, thick wrap
! per made of blanketing and comforta-
bic felt shoes are important additions
to young girls wardro ben. Y. TriD-
| une.