Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-22
How French Girls Take Ocean Baths

~ iris wear one of two sorts OF
7 bathing costume on these
| beaches. One is a sleeveless
clinging jersey, also skirtless. When a
pretty girl is in it and you see it in the
sunlight of the beach instead of the
discreet shade of the bathing wagon,
it proclaims the girl is married-or a
flirt.
With this costume goes a "marmotte"
to protect her hair-a waterproof silk
handkerchief with two long ends for
tying like a turban-and a pair of little
canvas shoes. No stockings.
The second type of costume is exactly
like the first, except that it is made of
serge or taffeta. 1t may have a skirtlet;
but it does not call for stockings.
Stockings for Frivolity
Stockings are mark of high frivolity
on the Norman coast. They proclaim
the fair one wishes to attract attention.
Jersey tights or serge or taffeta knick-
ers all end at white and shining knee.
Discreetly yelled in great peignoirs of
white, pale blue or rose, the femininity
of France trips to the waves in fair
bare legs.
And I will tell you why. They fear
the English. While this statement
may seem contradictory, its eXplana-
ton is not complicated. The English
come here in enormous numbers. AS
everywhere in the world, they have the
poor natives frightened helpless. The
French girl breads the English girl S
cold criticism. Therefore she tries to
bathe like an English girl.
Voilal To the sour English old maid
the beach is betraying bit of sand
between the bath house and the ocean.
Therefore she has invented for herself,
her pretty sisters. and the world in
general the bathing wagon-to suppress
the beach.
Bathing From a Desert Isle
1t is a bath house on wheels The
girl gets in it. A horse is made to pull
1t out until the sea is all around hui
| high. And then the girl undresses, in
it's waVe-surrounded solitude, opens
the door on a horizon of limitless blue
and steps down it's three steps into the
water. 1t is like bathing from a desert
isle. No wonder she bathes stocking
less.
Now the French girl attempting to
conform to English ideas rolled out al
first in the bath wagon. Naturally she
bathed bare legged. That she could not
stand. for the ugly and impeding Eng
| lish costume was nothing. Not ever
! the English criticised her nice serge
knickers or her jersey tights. Was she
not bathing from her desert isle?
All this was fifty years ago, when the
| English (as they now claim) Were
teaching the French TO take sea baths
And today bath wagons flourish still
upon these Norman beaches. They are
for the Englsh-if they want them
The French long ago hit on a simpler
manner to suppress the beach Th'
! bath wagon rolled and scared them
was slow and cumbersome and eXpen
sive. In its place they set up the peig
noir!
All! the Peignoirs
1t may be a great white sheet or SIX!
blue or pale rose. or it may be a batl
robe of fine toweling, The Englisl
could not criticise a French girls muf
fled up in 1t, on her way to the wave
let's Those who lived in villas close I,
the water began II. They dressed an,
undressed luxuriously in their owl
bath rooms. Those who lived in hotel
clase TO the water took it up. And nov
for long years past the rented peignoi
has gone with the rented bathing sui
in the stationary bath house. The fai
one. followed by her maid, friend or at
tendant, strolls up 10 the very water
edge enveloped In her peignoir. Sh
drops ii. The attendant picks II up
and madame disappears into the rain
bow mist
or mademoiselle. You can regula