The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-18
A PROBLEM OF F00TGEAR.
WHAT SMALL 4 WoMAN TEiR WIEN
SIZE GOES ~RLCTCLINGR

to settle entirely to her own satisfaction land to
that OF mankindl Just how she should dress her
feet and legs. She has given much thought to
the subject and the problem is still unsolved. IL
the feet and legs OF all tho wheclwomon looked
nike to the general public, there would never
havo been so much discussion about what looked
trim or slovcnly on them. Comfort would have
been tho only thing worth considering. But
alack and alasi There arc all sorts. shapes, and
conditions, and each case has TO DO dealt with
individually, as tho teachers In the Ttuant
School say about their refractory pupils.
Four whcolwomcn we're talking over this mat
tor the other day, and they looked at 1t from
four distinct Wow points. That is to say, one
was middle aged and more than stout-shc was
fat; another was middle aged. tall, and angulari
the third was a tall. athletic girl. with symmot-
rical curves and lines, and tho fourth was one
Of these trim girls, just plump and shapeiY
enough to look half woman, half child. Now
how could this quartet be expected to agreo os
how the feet and legs should be dressed foR
bicyclingl The women didn't agree, and they
made things pretty lively in the parlor Of the
big department store, whore they sat resting 80
tor q shopping tour. The discussion all started
this way:
ats a fine day for wheeling" remarked she
Of tho vcnus-likc figure innoccntly.
"Don't talk to me about wheeling in this
Wdrm weather., eNClalmcu inc STOUT woman
I'm going to give it up until fall. and simply
because my feet and lower limbs arc, so, uncom-
e spon Il they I So are '4 made st Of the shG tSinn n1sn Of SG Sid::
when the mercury is playing tag with the 100
You don't mean to saw that you still cling to
high boots g. broke out the trim little girl.
why nobody wears them any longer. The
thread stockings and either ordinary low shoes
or or patentleathGr pumps, such as men wear for
have had theIr. day, so far as w~heelwomen are
ceneerncd. Why. haven't you noticed that all
"'Ihave noticed that a great many have dons
So answered the stout woman dryly, but
ally, say that the high boot shows tho shape Of
the leg Just as plainly a; II it wasn't there, and
The leather holds the too. too solid flesh in place.
PEDALS pe1 d ns It docs doc 'G %hen the dp n rider pU wears Sa an o pdc
nary stocking; AZ for the golf stocking, It 10
that; SO what is she to wear except a high boot
made of the very. thinnest kid that can be
laced nearly to the knee. Where i, fastens win
three or four leather straps and buckles. Eng.
trinity about the ankle as a laced one, but 1t 10
Is es hot as a stove in hot weather, and rather
give up riding. wish TfSad the courage to ride
In thin stockings and low shoes, but Haven't,
fined woman that is DER stout who has"
"If women didn't make such mountains out
nobody would think of them"
The Creator attends to that retorted the
siSd e %Sman to oi hsSe small hiffe eey AND mSp trim W shape IS
legs Ill 2 yours !. she only could. It's easy enough
for iyo a and all lot, other sr women o 4 of your ,s size and
y very i thin Il a -t P3eTsi'ans problem TO very stout or
girl. I've made a great study of the question
since the wheelwomar came prominently before
that first she wore low shoes with leather leg
gings. These looked trim and iaunty enough for
and wrinkled about the ankle. giving a decided
Y sloppy appearance TO the feet and legs. Next
Iesx i4ilsf 10 % SsnSs,r saI,s sh and tss We Of sha msf,ns &c sl Ssa
or not even so good as those made Of leather.
on and began to turn out high boots. They were
good to look at for a time, and comfortable
they had to be laced too closely to be comfort.
able. and when hot weather came, great COM
makers Of stockings determined not to be behind
the makers Of shoes. andithey thought this was
1Rs 'i ws, fG In then the s an sss on OF ' iss5. inf Thsy
turned out a cotton stocking in black.
f tai 81 ana no g Epss with II m SnstG Gnsi sswsd to On Iao Gn Ell std .
boot and to be worn with low shoes. 1t had the
advantage of being the coolest thing, yet put on
the market. and II was the first article that ever
gave the wheelwoman a free ankle motion. Bun
1 was unpaFdona5Sly ugly, and the girls would
u " uohc " l. ihtS SluLk ~ LlCAI hlBu "
and leggings all that summer.
I'm 1896 lcggings were tabooed, and now You
rarely see a pair. Last summer the women, with
usual womanly endurance, wore the high boots.
but they began to make a general kick about 1t,
spirits turned their calves out OF winter quar-
tiers and yentured forth IN golf stockings and or.
lucky seven that did it. or is it that tho
minded and to regard their feet and
legs as a legitimate part Of their bodies !
stockings. which are exceedingly. clumsy look
ing and capable of making the trimmest ankle
a degree cooler than a boot. But they've been
sensible enough 10 send the golf stocking the
knssli has sounded. The most comfortable. most
fashionable. and most stylish way 10 dress the
fee, for cycling \ is the one e, nov thin m s,dct n yoG rue
some people cant wear ritcnt leather. and
There's one thing certain. said the angular
woman as the trim girl stopped to catch her
golf stocking will never be sounded so long az
there are thin women to ride wheels. l hate the
same. They are at least a little cooler than a
high boot, and even II, they do mako ones's
enf'f' F tTPn .a ySS f Know. .n wy a Soa ani S oniy t ost shs
them with feet feet but 80 many people OBJ
2 %Ssr wo tS n sas% to 0e sSeir skin inH that e0 the foot SSs
less golf stocking soon made its appearance,
i wear that style over Isle thread or sill
stockings. with low shoes, and find that my feet
and legs not only look better than they ever did
In lodgings or boots, but that l get a free ankle
movement undreamed Of by women who box
their limbs W. The golf stockings are very
warm, but l couldn't think OF turning out IN
thin ones. and a woman who wheels must yul
up with some things not altogether agreeable
you know; What do you think ahou, ! she
asked, suddenly turning to the athletic girl, who
was lying, back among tho cushions ON a low
couch, smiling in an amused way.
" think, she began, crawling her words out
!" that she is right" lazily motioning toward Tho
trim girl. Tho proper way TO c!othc The fec
and legs for bicycling and the one most il
fashion is 20 wear thin stockings and low shoes
but ! have gone even n step further and have
discarded long thin stockings"
What! You ride without any r. shrickeC
the trim girl, and the two matrons just gasped
Yes, J. don't, wear stockings amy more" sh'
answered quietly. You know, OF course, tha
I've Just returned from Paris, and masculine
hosiery is the latest fad for women there. We
men who pretend 10 dress well have packed
away all their long stockings, even those OF TIT
sheeniest silk, and have accepted half hose a
!, their substitute. Do You want 10 see u pair .
she went on, fitting her skirts 1%aintily. - Yol