Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-07-15

MANY KINDS NEEDED BY THE
SOCIETY MAID.
ATHLETICS AT THE BOTTOM
Appropriate Footwear Demanded for
Golf, Tennis, Riding, Wheeling and
Mountain Climbing as Well as for
Dancing and Other Purposes-No
Small Cost Involved.

-NSMpOQI, July 11.-1nere never was
the time when the summer girl had ia
have so much footgear as now, and this
seemingly small item in her outfit
really amounts to serious matter. al
most as serious as the gown or hat
question. There are just sixteen styles
OF shoes which she should have, and if
she is ambitious to exhibit different
varieties OF each style the total could
easily be swelled to sixty. Now. six
teen pairs of shoes of tue kind fancied
by the smart girl of '97 cost a pile of
money, at least $3.50. Just what sixty
pairs cost on the same basis the math-
ematically inclined can easily figure to
their own satisfaction. It is something
over $500; and this for summer shoes
for single summer girl almost seems
preposterous.
Athletics are at the bottom of the alb
normal increase in footgear. Of course
the summer girl rides a wheel, COLTS,
plays at tennis, climbs mountains and
takes long walking jaunts, and each of
these diversions requires a short skirt
and consequent exposure of the foot.
This means that the pedal extremities
rately dressed as the rest of the person.
If a girl has a pretty foot, and that
foot is going to be seen by the multi
tude, she is bound to make it as attract
i've as possible, whereas the girl with
the doubtful foot is equally earnest
m II nto6 Foe
ion will permit. Short skirts are, in
deed, boon to the shoe men and a
curse to the milliners, for it is a posi-
tive fact that more attention is given
by the average servant girl today to
shoes than to hats or bonnets.
Just why a girl needs at least sixteen
or eighteen pairs of shoes can be easily
told. In the first place, when she gets
up in the morning she, of course,
thrusts her feet in her bathing slippers
preparatory to the morning bath.
When her morning toilet is completed
and she is ready to go down to break
fast she discards the bathing slippers
of quilted satin, with the round toe and
fiat heel, and dons her breakfast slip
pers. It would never 40 to wear the
bathing slippers in public, as they
make the foot appear dreadfu1ly large,
as they are either lined with elder
down or made entirely of the soft and
fluffy Angora wool. The breakfast
slipper is a perfectly plain affair, with
a low heel and round toe, made of
Turkish morocco or tan in various
shades.
An hour after breakfast it is time to
think of the mornings fun. It may be
a brisk run awheel, a visit to the golf
links, horseback ride, long walk or
a yachting trip, any one of which re-
quires a special kind of footgear. For
the bicycle there are three styles, and
the one that has suddenly gained the
most popularity is the low shoe, fash
Toned somewhat like the ordinary OK
ford tie, but fastened with laces. With
this style of footgear the wearer does
not use leggings or covering of any
kind for the leg. At first the wearers
of the low shoe used thick golf stock
ings, but these have been found to be
too warm, so those of Isle thread were
substituted. Silk bicycle stockings
have not yet appeared, but these can
not be far off, as the march of progress
is steadily in the line of comfort and
show.
The reason of the downfall of the
knee-high bike shoe is that experience
has taught the best women riders that
absolute freedom Of the ankle is neces-
sary on long rides. With high shoes
this is impossible. They bind the foot
in a stiff position and do not give all
be little muscles of the foot and leg a
hance to bear a share of the exertinn