The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-07-04

It is interesting to see how different
countries view the behavior that should
accompany such departure from the
usual conventional costume in public
as the bathing dress illustrates.
In England, which permits decol-
lete gown in the evening exceeded by
no other country, the modest bather
is carried out into the water in a
bathhouse on wheels, from which, seen
by no profane eye, the bather may des-
cend into the water. Here the bath
house waits until she is ready to climb
| in again and be drawn back to the
shore. Meanwhile, the bather disrobes,
and putting on her walking costume,
reappears, as if nothing more important
had happened than closer view of the
| sea. This seclusion is probably why
I the English bathing dress has never
| been the attractive garment we know.
In France the etiquette of the beach
is infinitely described. The bathhouse
| on the level beaches of the channel, as
at Trouville, are some distance back
an enveloping burnous of Turkish
toweling. On the brink of the surf she
casts aside the wrap, to be taken care
of by maid, some member of her family
or friend, and plunges in.
When one sees the French bathing
dress it becomes apparent why its wear,
er does not wish to be seen. Imagine
short basque, below long, full trousers
to the ankle, ending in a frill. The
bath shoes. For weeks before you have
probably noticed posters imploring you
not to go to the beach "sans Amelie. -
These bath shoes are known as
I" Amelies, - the form Of the advertise
ment being enthusiastically French.
The basque has a very short. skirt,
and is frequently lavishly trimmed
However, it is not attached to the
trousers, and in the water it is apt to
turn up over the back and reveal that
it's relation to the trousers is purely
formal. Meanwhile, in the. water the
conventionalities are strictly prescribed
by ropes. Between certain ropes the
family battles. On one side of this
slender partition is the bathing ground
of the DANES seules. = On the other
side, as far removed as possible, is the
bathing ground of the men, When com
ing out of the water, the maid or fe-
male friend stands ready with the
wrap, and the bather is immediately
enveloped and runs for her bathhouse.
To show how different we regard what
is and what is not essential, at Etretat,
on the Norman coast, group of Amer.
lean girls sailed down to the beach in
the attractive bathing costumes which
this country alone has evolved. Excite
ment rlppled the length of the beach. The
Americans had on stockings. Such
excess of modesty! On the other hand,
their trousers scarcely showed. How
immodesti The French. however, have
an eve for all the attractive qualities
of dress, and it was finally agreed that
the short dress, with its peeping trous.
ers, the well clad ankles and feet with
out q Amelies, and the hair tied
coquettishly in red and blue handker-
chiefs, concealing the ugly oiled silk
caps, made very pretty diversion on
the beach, and was after all perfectly
"convenable"
To the freedom which our country al
lows its daughters we may certainly at
tribute the development of the at
tractive bathing dress worn in this
country The fact that the beach is
one of the public places on which all
may meet on equal terms is one of the
reasons that we must all do one another
the honor of looking as well as possible
It is also a reason that the etiquette
of the beach in this country is more
relaxed than elsewhere.
It is pity that this freedom is some
times abused. The very fact that the
bathing dress differs so materially from
the ordinary costume is one reason why
it should De accompanied by little |
more formality, just as evening dress
requires a little more formality than a
day gown. Because a young woman is
permitted to shorten her skirts and go
abroad in her stocking feet, as she
might have done when she wore pig
tails. is not a reason why her behavior |
should be as unrestrained as when she
wore pig tails. One may illustrate this
by the ballet costume, to which the
bathing dress bears some relation. How
shocked one would be in ballet to see
any unconventional behavior. So in a
bathing dress one should practice a
little more decorum than elsewhere.
Rightly, it seems. the bath wrap is
not obligatory, as in France. Nobody
feels like concealing or apologizing for
our bathing dresses. On the contrary.
they are made to look pretty in. and
we should say. made TO behave prettily
in. Coming out of the water is some
times a test of good looks, and at spch
times the protecting folds of the Bath
wrap are very welcome,
At different resorts the etiquette of
the beach differs. At the fashionable
resorts it is much more strict. Of all
the Atlantic beaches Narragansett Pier
leads in popularity and attractiveness
There everybody bathes. and the bath
ing hour presents one of the prettiest
sights on the continent. Nowhere does
one see 20 many pretty bathing dresses.