The Washington times., 1894-05-13
What Shall Lady
Riders Wear?

Wanted-A suitable model for q cycling COS
| tune for women!
| Most women riders cling to the long skirt, q
few have ventured into "bloomers" with long
| coat uppers, and an occasional rider has ap-
peared clad in top boots, knickerbockers and
short skirts. No one as yet-at least in New
York-has had the temerity to don short
skirt costume and appear in it sans leggins,
sans top boots.
Men cyclists regard even the non-expensive
| trouser leg as an undesirable handicap. and
| they discard 1t in favor of knee breeches.
And women find the weight Of long skirts
an even heavier tax on their strength and
serious drawback to the enjoyment OF cy-
cling. At every upward movement the knee
has to lift a mass OF stuff. and when only a
mildly stiff breeze has to be faced the handi-
cap of long drapery compels the woman to
exert herself two or three times more than
her skirless escort IL she desires to keep pace
with him. The long skirt also makes the
mount unnecessarily "fussy," since compare
lively few women do the ''sprinc" mount, and
the pedal mount necessitates a preparatory
hitching about OF drapery.
We are not prepared to adopt the masculine
costume in toto, sensible rs it Is, and the
question is. How near may We approximate to
it? How much tribute must we still pay to
convention? If we may display legs (and
mostly for vanity 3 sake) Mt the seaside, what
sane reason is there for denying us the
privilege Of shortening our skirts in the in
terest of comfort and hygiene? To my mind
the hideous bloomer halfway measures are
repulsive and suggestive, as mock modcsty
always is; and. although 1t Is hardly to be ex-
pected that women will readily take to so
radical change as the one advocate, there
is no doubt OF its ultimate adoption.
This design is submitted as an excellent
model for a bicycling suit. That the skirt is
abnormaliy short is Il matter of little moment,
since it can be heightened at will without at
all interfering with the design.
A nabit-like effect and not an attempt at
picturesqueness should be aimed at in
cycling costume. 1t should be quiet in color
gray or blue. preferably navy blue as this is
more becoming than gray. Alter five years
OF experience the writer prefers storm serge
rs the best all around usefui materials. Cord
uroy is liked by some, but as cycling is an eY
ceedingly heating pastime. frequently redue-
ing its devotees to Turkish bath condition
Of perspiration. a more pliabre and less heavy
material than corduroy is desirable.
For reasons stated above the starched collar
and ditto shirt front should be Stunned. They
may look natty when the rider starts out but
n spin up hill or two under hot sun will
renGer the linen unfit to be seen. Wear next
to the skin suit of union underwear Digit
or heavy weight according to the season of
the year. and over this knickerbockers. Dis
pense with corsets and in their stead wear
boned waist fitted to the figure made of some of
the finer grades of waist lining. Do not wear
leggins; whether they be of cloth. leather or
or Jersey they are intolerably hot, and the
sweating process they impose on the legs
must be harmful.
As to footgear, do not ruin the appearance
Of your ankle and calf by wearing Oxford ties
with short skirt. Try the effect before your
mirror of slippers. ties and boots. You will
find that the first and last preserve the symme-
try OF the feet, ankles and legs, which the ties
destroy. Boots the ordinary button or laced
model disguise the size or clumseness of
unsiChtly ankles