The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-03-13
THE APRON GIRL OF 1904
lLD5liai to the apron girl Of 1904!
! $s3ho docs not Belong TO that fra
.terrlty the members OF which
wAar aprons HIS a badge Of scr-s
v,tiido, Neither does she count

'-.tg
,-'.-'' M herself among those who nre
not Obliged 10 toll or spin for their liv-
Ing. but who wear dainty little aprons
wien they 3embroider Or do fancy work.
Just as they wear u glove handkerchief
4 for looks.
COMMUNICATED TO DO classcd with either
Of these s,ho Is q type by herself and
rrIdcs herself on her individuality. for
she belongs to tho cnnncipatcd guild OF
y bread winners whose work takes her into
big downtown offices.
Imprpviscd paper IFS or black satcen
4 oncs to match tho apron, have been tho
rcgalla OF the office girl ever since she
first became one. No wonder tho gail
luntry OF men wanca, when day after
day they wcrc Obliged 70 dictate to such
untldy specimens OF fcmininity. Is
54A All this Is changing under the nj " dis
rcnsution Of aprons. thanks to the girl
\ who originated tho idea and was coli-
rngcoiis enough to start tho new fash
Ton. She. too. had worn the stcrcotypc PC
blnck apron. which covered bio front
or her skirt. but failed TO protect her
sleeves or her waist. Moro than one
q si,Irt waist was sent to the laundry NJ.
n fer wearing once because Of soilcd
sleeves. which were In contrast to It's
otherwise immaculate appearance.
One day si,o thought Of her apron
scheme, something that would differ frcm
1hc apron Of tho waitress or n,lrsemaid.
on artist and yet prot ect her. gown and
d ia picturesque. sho was not Quite sure
whether her employer would approve Of
her new rcgalia but ior fears were dis
PEELED the morning OF lis Initiation. whcn
& he expressed admiration for the new
I garment. After that It was smooth sail
Ing and she insists that tho men IN
thc office have been more polite to her
ever silcc
IN days or yore the black SILK apron
vas tho acme OF elegance and 8propri-
i ntv II It had a fcw rows OF black vel
Vet ribbon upon IT. The defects OF any
nondcscript gown could BIO covered and
d!gnfied by such a garment. Ihat wa
under Inc old regime. however. rho apron
girl OF 1901 believes in being we'll gowncd
for business, and she does not save her
4 best dresses for home wear. She knows
it Is to her advantage to appear gmart,
+ but not oycrdresscd Il
IA Unfortunately. desk work Is hard on
sleeves. not only soilng. but wearing
them out quickly For this reason the
biz apron is welcomed as protector
= OF tho pretty gown underneath. which
will wear twice as long for the precau-
ton. 55
Then. too. many young women arc
obliged TO dress In the morning Tor
some evening recreation. as the distance
Is too great for them to return home
after office hours. The new apron helps
y out IN this direction also. and thus saves
time and tho gown as we'll 5
Ono OF the prettiest Of these aprons
= IL worn by a girl in an Office building
which Is we'll kept, and therefore ad-
mits OF the cxtrnyngance Of wearing
4 white 1t Is Of sheer white India linen
and is trimmed with embroidery, en-
q broIdered beading and white wash SILK.
ribbon. The girl who wears It is Petite,
so she chose the baby waist effect,
which Ia most becoming to her It has
long bishop sleeves. finished In n band
4 OF tho embroidered beading, and with
baby ribbon run through - This she
calls her "dress-up" apron. She also
wears pale blue. pink and Lavender dlm-5
ity, or lawn aprons for a change. +
4 more practical yonng woman SCI
lects for her Office aprons materials OF
a quality that will lend themselves to
tho washtnb. She knows that some
materials take on darker color when
washed. and that they starch In a
papery fashion. Her choice, therefore.
is for india linens, pcrcales. and even
prints.
A. pretty print apron, commonly called
calico. is not to DO despsed, II we'll made
and ruff!cd. Such n one Is especially
s desirable for tho typewriter girl and the
girl who copies, and thereby comes In
contact with ink. A simple way to make
ono of these Is to gore the front breadth.
inserting the cores to give width Mt
the bottom. Instead of armhoes. the
apron Is not Gscwed up all the way,
space being left for them In tho seam.
or it can be made sleeveless. II desired.