Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-03-04

Basssr Mary .. seymoar's Idea Of Coo
tame That Amy Woman Could Wear.


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B3sesr Mary q. eeymocr's Idea Of n Coo.
tame That Amy Woman Could Wear.
The resolution in regard to sngges-
tons for business costume for women,
adopted by the recent national council Of
women at Washington, has created
deal Of discussion among women in ali
parts Of the country.
Miss Mary F. Seymour. editor Of The
Business Woman's Journal, In an inter-
view with reporter Of the New York
Sun, expressed herself on the subject as
follows:
Laying aside the question whether
nch costume would be advisable or not,
there Is no doubt that women who are
engaged in business are greatly hampered
by the style of dress now IN vogue. 1t
takes twice ms much exertion in a woman
TO walk as in a man. and you know when
women are compelled to work for their
living they cannot afford to expend their
strength recklessly. The greatest diff
Guilty which business women have today
Is to select the right kind Of dress. Now
my suggestion would be. in the frst place,
TO wear short skirt, one that would
reach TO the tops Of the shoes. One Of
the greatest drawback OF the long skirt
which business women wear ut present,
next to its weight and clumsiness. is its
tendency to-drag in and catch hold of the
mud in the streets and the dust on the
foor. The short Skin. would do away
with this.
"a woman with both arms full of papers
or packages could step boldly across a
street, no matter how wet or dirty II
might be. without being compelled TO
stop, transfer her burden 10 one arm. OF
hold some of it between her teeth in
order to lift her skirts This skirt should
not be Of heavy material; cashmere or
silk is preferable to heavy wooden goods
The weight Of heavy garments. distrib-
uted as it is in the skirts of woman's dress
today, exhausts the vitality. Instead Of
having the many understands women are
won't to have, | would suggest heavy
Turkish trousers. These would be great
deal lighter than the number of skirts
which would he necessary to give the
same warmth. and. besides. would leave
the limbs free TO move. The skirt would
then do nothing but conceal these
trousers.
1.-THE objection will probably be raised
that such short skirt will expose the
foot in an undesirable way. II is true
that women have big feet. and nothing
makes them look bigger than a skirt
which exposes the entire shoe and moth
ing more To remedy this | would sug
gest that fancy leggngs he worn, which
extend from just above the toes 10 three
or four inches above the shoe tops. These
would conceal the line between the shoe
and the stocking, and, besides having a
pretty effect, would make the foot look
smaller than it really is.
80 much for the lower part. The waist
should be as simple and as comfortable
as the dressmaker's skill can make 1t.
once designed dress for myself which
embodied all my ideas of comfort and
convenience. The waist consisted OF o
jacket and a vest in one piece. The
Jacket was in reality nothing but two
long lapels which covered part of the
body Of the waist. In the vest were four
pockets arranged just as they are in a
mans waistcoat. two in the upper aud
two in the lower part. On the outside
of the two lapels were two pockets SINH
lar to those on mans coat. In the back
drapery were inserted two oblong peck
cts, the openings OF which were drawn
together by elastic cord. Under one Of
the panels, on the right and the left sides,
had long pockets"
The reporter next asked Mrs. Lille
Devereux Blake what she thought of the
idea Of business woman's costume.
II think, she said. 'that one of the
greatest strains that business women
could put themselves under would be TO
dress out of the fashion Of the day.
shrink from any suggestion of dress for
women that would make the wearer con.
spicuous and an object of ridicule Busi.
ness women, more than all others. are
dependent upon the favor of the public
and for them to wear garment that
would make them ridiculous would be
, almost suicidal.
II believe that comfortable dresses car
be made within the lines of fashion
They should be perfectly loose and easy
and not too long-three or four inche,
above the ground would he plenty Tn,
most disagreeable and uncomfortabl,
par: of a woman's dress Is the banC
, around the waist. This can be obviateC
. in degree by wearing the waist and III,
skirt of one piece. That is, the lining o.
the dress is all one piece, and the drapery
is put on that according to the fashion O