The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-27
SHORT SKIRTS IN BOSTON.
Dress Reform Among the Elue Stock
inzs of the American Athens.


Dress Reform Among the Elue Stock
inzs of the American Athens.
BosroN, MASS, Aug. % Mrs. Margaret
| Ingersoll, a sister of Mary Shaw, the
actress. and herself we'll known in New
! England, has undertaken the leadership OF
the Boston dress reform movement. Mrs.
| Iugersoll's purpose is TO obtain for women
! O costume slitable to wear on the streets on
rainy DAYS. This will require many striking
| changes IN that now worn, and so after con-
/ sultetion with some Of her friends it was
! decided that the best plan would be for a
number of them TO agree on costume and
then to appear In public with it at the same
time
The costume adopted, says Mrs Inger-
soil, is simple, reducing the number Of gar
ments to four or five. These include tights,
hose, the union garment, the Ypsilanti or
J enness- Miller waist and the dress itself,
which Is TO be short enough to clear the
curbstones in wet weather. and to be made
of one piece from top to bottom, so thai its
weight may rest on the shoulders and not on
the hips. The length of the skirt will be to
some extent matter for each woman to
settle for herself. It may come down to
the top Of the present walking boot, or
1t may be four or five inches shorter
than that, showing q little of the swell
of the calf. The feet and lower legs will be
covered by light top boots, made like a
riding boot, to wrinkle at and above the
ankle, or by tightfitting leather leggins
buttoning up along the side, or by fleece
lined leggins Of gossamor.
The feet covering" said Mrs. Ingersoll
Twill be the most expensive part of the
new dress, because it is there that modesty,
or mock modesty, shows iisalf most.
prefer the boots made like the riding boot,
and they will be expensive, for they have to
be made to order"
Mrs. Ingersoll says that she shall try to
avoid that short. dumpy look noticeable in
foreign peasant women who wear short
skirts in two ways. First she says, "by
wearing no corsets we eau make the waist
line at its normal place. which is not where
it is now drawn, but is just under the bust.
The dress will be made with a zouave
jacket or with a square yoke. such as the
children wear, and the skirt will be pulled
on to it. In this way, by raising
the waist line to its proper place, we
| add 10 the top of the dress what we ia Ike
! off the bottom, and SO preserve the proper
| tions of tho figure. We also advocate the
wearing Of the killed skirt because it has
the fullness which gives perfect freedom of
movement, and because it further helps, by
its long, vertical lines, to lengthen the AZ
ure in appearance and preserve its proper
instead of the ordinary understands, the
dress skirt will have to be shorter to clear
| the boots when walking
Mrs 1ugersoll says that she has no con-
nection whatever with the recent dress re-
form movement at Chatauqua, although
she sympathizes fully with it. One of the
ideas upon which the Chautauqua reform
ers have laid a good deal of stress
originated with her-namely: that each
woman supply herself with photographs
| of the Venus de Milo aud other similar mas
terpieces of ancient classic sculpture in or
| der the better to know what is the normal
and the perfect female form. This sugges-
ton was made by Mrs. Ingersoll to Mrs.
| Dryer of Chicago some years ago, and was
| by her laid before the assembly at Chautau-
| qua this summer. Mrs. Ingersoll and her
associates have selected the first rainy
Saturday in October to make their public
| appearance. Her associates include severa
of the leading literary women of the city.