Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-11

herself with a single costume, saying, This
Is my gown for athletic exercises" for such
costumes are as varied as the flowers of
the field, even when designed for the same
kind of exercise There are as many diff
ferent kinds Of cycling costumes, for in
stance, as there are bicycles, and as much
difference Of opirion as to which is correct
The comparative merits Of two wheels
form a sufficient topic of conversation for
any two cyclists, be they men or women;
and the correct costume for women a-wheel
Is discussed by everybody, regardless of
wheeling propensites. 1t is the person who
does not ride who Is most critical. The
bloomer has come in for the greatest share
Of criticism, and the effect of such criti-
cism is beginning to show itself by the
gradual wane in popularity of the bloomer.
Take the percentage of skirts and knicker-
bockers in any large city, and the petit
coat will be found to do much more than
merely hold its own.
Nearly all the newly patented garments
In the bicycling lire are skirts of one kind
or another. There are four principal va
rieties of bicycle pett:coat, all of which are
in more Or less general use.
First, there Is the ordinary short skirt,
not very fill, and without any unfeminine
notifications. In spite of assertions to the
contrary, this is the skirt which is WORE
by the gel eral run Of people. Prominent
fashionable women have not been riding
the wheel for very long, and are not ready
for the advanced costume yet. Nor does
the everyday woman wish to make herself
conspicuous by appearing in public in the
much-criticised, bifurcated costume. Mrs
John jacob Aston wears a skirt when she
rides So do other leaders Of fashion. This
much must be said for the bloomer, how
ever that it usually goes with the petit
coat, but does not appear except in cases of
emergency. Some women have adopted
the practice of wearing a skirt while riding
in the city. and then removing it and roll
ing it up in the carrier provided for the
purpose by enterprising inventors.
A more col venient arrangement than this
is the new Bygrave skirt. named after it's
inventor, VINO is an English woman. The
skirt is the product of her own experience
and is very simple, yet very effective. The
idea was to arrange the skirt in such a
manner as not to interfere with the free
management of the pedals. and to prevent
its catching on the wheels. The skirt is
practically converted into a pair of bloom
ers by drawstrings running up and down
the middle of the front and back of the
skirt These strings may be pulled as tight
as Is desired. raising or lowering the skirt
at will, anu they are provided with catches
to hold them in place. TRe skirt may thus
become a pair CT knee boomers, or be al
lowed to hang loose like a divided skirt;
and when worn amidst 1.-THE busy haunts of
men, it appears a plain. ordinary skirt,
with never a suspicion of masculinity about
it.
The divided skirt comes in two varieties,
thus making up the four mentioned at the
beginning. These are the regula ton Jen-
ness Miller skirt, and the one that is only
divided in the back.
The latter style is the special property
of large New York store and has many
qualities in it's favor. Of the wheel it
hangs Xix, an ordinary skirt. and on the
wheel it. stays. put in exactly the same