The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-06
A sHIRT-WAIsT SOLUTION

lnasmuch as the problem of shirt waists
for men in warm weather, which has now
grown to be of worldwide i'm
portance, had its inception in this
city some years ago in the for
nation of a shirt waist club It is
peculiarly fitting that a solution of it
should be produced by the genius of
former savannahian. The genius In ques-
ton is that of the lady who until few
days ago was Miss Caroline Love Good
win, now Mrs. Daniel O'Day, Jr., OF New
York, well known all over the country as
a fashion artist and illustrator. Miss
Goodwin's work has long shown her to be
not only a delineator but a creator, in
sartorial as well as pictorial art Re-
alizing that the shirt waist problem has
to do with a condition and not a theory
and that solution of it was needed be-
fore the advent of the real warm days.
she brought her technical and artistic
knowledge and skill 10 bear upon 1t. with
the result that a compromise is offered
IN the shape of garment that combines
the GOODNESS and comfort of the shirt
waist and the dressiness of the long coat.
Writing of the matter in the chicago
Record Herald. Miss Goodwin says:
The great objection to the shirt waist
as proposed as a substitute for the mod
ern sack or walking coat or for the more
dignif1ed body COAT during our summer
season is the undeniabe fact that it is
not accompanied by a proper garment to
make up complete, decent and thorough
dnpnRn1txs %
all right so far as it goes, but 1t does not
go far enough Worn with the modern
and always tight-fitting trousers, it only
serves to accentuate their lack of dignity
and propriety. Possibly one cannot bet
ter explain this palpable absence of sar-
torial respect and non observance of that
rule of correct attire, Whatever you
wear. wear enough of it, than by calling
attention to the fact that from the start
there never has been any condemnation
of the shirt waist as worn by women.
for the simple reason that worn with
skirts it makes up a costume that is quite
as correct and complete as a princess
gown of black velvet or the tailor made
garb of fashionable women of to-day"
1t took years to popularize the trousers
of present cut, and only within a short
time has the sack coat been accepted as
proper dllHe. 10 away Win even the
little of skirt that remains on the coat
would be to still further "accentuate the
spindle growth of the dude or the Fai-
staff1an growth of the bon want" This
leads up to the point that some sort OF a
skirt is needed. as a curtain. below tbs
masculine waist line; and that is the sa.
lient feature OF Miss Goodwin's compro'
mise. which she illustrates in order Il
show that it makes very decorous anc
comfortable garment.
In describing the garment, il is stated
that the shirt waist stops al the belt line
where it is met by the skirt, which is at
tached to the trousers. The skirt resem
bles in appearance the lower half of thu
ordinary dress, cutaway or Prince Alder
coat. The skirt and trousers. in fact
constitute one garment" except tina
the skirt is made of coat material an(
Is held in place by an invisible belt.
Whether the compromise will prove &C
ceptable to those ultra -reformers who in
sist upon comfort at the cost of sightli
ness, remains 90 be seen. Should they in
sist that the coat must go, and it's tall
go with it, there would still be no peace
AT ell events, the lady has added to th'
! literature and art of the question a valu
able contribution. for which the conserv
ative reformers are in her debt.