The times., 1897-05-09
THE WOMAN OF FASHION.
The Wheelwoinan's Duty 10 Looh
Her Best on the Wheel.


looked down the long stretch of River
side Drive, that famous wheeiInens thor-
ouclfare of New York city, l perceived
that she was far from being the only
woman thus ne.slectful of the first article
in the feminine code
Yet il is this very thing that deters
many a would-be cyciist from adopting the
wheel as a means of Ioconotion as well
ss OF pleasant exercise.
A regular cycling habit lis necessity.
and the sooner the wheelwoman comes 10
a realizing sense of this fact the better
for the continued popularity OF the wheel
In feminine circles. Women, as class,
are not going TO make a Practice OF i'toR-
Ing like freaks for any length OF Time
They will either drop the wheel alto
gether or they viii adopt a becoming cos
tume Tho re is no reason III tb' world
why the latter cannot lie the solution.
Not even the consideration of economy will
excuse an ugly, unsuitable cycling outht-
When one can buy dress for less than SO
that makes the difference between grace
and dawkwartlnessitis better to wait awhile
longer and save up the pennies TO buy it
at the same time with the wheel. One
young woman of my acquaintance s1ys
she is going to purchase her costume and
get accustomed to that first before she
gets her wheel.
The al,-important garment 10 be con-
sidered is the skirt Boomers as an outer
ment are QUITO the question now a-days,
as let US hope they always WILDE. The skirt
which seems TO be gaining most i'll popu-
larity is The CBe with the division in the
back which fits nicely over the wheel
and rarely gets askew. There are several
varieties, but all have pleats in the back
which insure a graceful drapery when
the wearer is seated In the saddle.
One OF the cheapest as well as the most
satisfactory skirts is really double or
divided skirt with a false panel that
buttons down in front TO each portion
of the divided garment This front panel
Is shaped like the gore of a skirt ard the
buttons look like a trimming down the
seams, but the convenience Of the arrange
ment is realized when, upon reaching a
quiet, country road, the panel is unbuttoned
and removed, leaving the rider untraln-
meled and free in bifurcated skirt.
Such skirts as these with jackets to
go with them can be purchased, ready
made, for fro N 81 to S9at the large stores
made withouuthe pa nel, but are so carefully
hung that the division does not show.
Some also are made with no division at
all in front, and until one turns the ament
around it looks like an ordinary skirt.
The most of these are cut down a few
Inches On each side of the front where they
are buttoned up when the skirt is on, in
stead of having an opening in the back II
ma he that the bicycle viii reform woInan's
1ressIa thisIespect. The ubiquitous placket
that's forever gaping open has always been
dsfigurer OF gowns, and perhaps the
necessities of the cycling dress may work
an improvement in all the others.
Other skirts Of different styles are worn,
but uutil one becomes very expert in mount
ing the wheel one never can he sure that
the fullness of the skirt is properly ar
ranged over the saddle unless il is divided
the back.
The best materials for such suits are
cheviot and tweed, but some of the more
Elegant ones are made OF cloth such as is
iSedin habits for horseback riding. a cloth
suit can be bought for from twenty to
thirty dollars, but the improvement in ap-
pearance s hardly worth the difference in
price If one is going to spend so much FOR
b suit it is better to have il made TO order
either by regular bicycle tailor or at one
of the large dry goods stores that make a
speciality of such things. Those who are
compelled to make their own skirts should
get O pattern or borrow somebody else s
suitto follow while making it.
The Jackets worn With bicycle suit :
are mostly Etons, in accordance with the
cf,- y In ~ c.a-t fun ,an,s
They are in every way better suited Ia
the cyclist than those with loose, flop
ping fronts Some prefer short coat
skirt to hang down over the saddle in
the back, but that is an excess of modest !
which few share There is differ
ence in the size OF bicycle sleeves 10
noticeable that last years suits are be-
ing sold cheap. The woman OF clever
ness and thrift has seen her opportunity
In these and has purchased one of these
and pruned the sleeves. This can be done
as easily as in the case of an other gown
by ripping out the sleeves and cutting off
three or four inches from the top of the
upper sleeve. This makes a well fitting
small sleeve without the trouble of buy
Ing pattern and cutting it all over again
The newest suits are trimmed with
braid, and these are, of course, more eX
pensive than the plain ones This sug
gests a renovating scheme to the pos
SCISSOR of an old suit A few yards oi
braid FOR frogs on the jacket and for
trimming along the seams of the skirt
will make shabby suit look new after
IL has been thoroughly brushed an6
cleaned. one of the easiest patterns to
make witl braid is that OF the three loops
which is SO common. Another, that is a
little newer, consists OF long curvinl
spray ending In a spiral of braid sewet
round and round itself until it is aboui
the size Of silver half dollar. n making
this pattern one should always start with
the spiral
Although browns, tans, and grays arc
considered the best colors for suits be-
cause they are the most serviceable
some of the prettiest costumes are blacl
and dark blue Even purple is worn OF
the wheel as it is everywhere else.
For those who can afford more than one
dress for cycling it is very nice to have 6
more fancy suit to wear upon extra occa
uions For instance, patriotic blue, trim
med with white Hercules braid and white
revers, will do very ynicely for spin through
the park or a run down the boulevard, but
1t wouldn't stand very many century
trips.
But for whatever purpose the costume
is intended, the greatest care should bt
taken to get one that is becoming, and il
should be rememberedthas pretty costume
is often spoiled by very Slight defect; The
jacket may not fit snug and trim or il
may be too square or too pointed or too
something else that can easily be RENE
died by little attention. 1t is the duty OF