The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1911-02-16
HOBB[E SKIRT joke
Partisan Designers Got Idea
From c|everly Drawn Cartoon.
cartoonist Now Apologies, Declaring
Never Thought Such Mode Of
Dress PossibIe-lntended
to RidicuIe Low Waist.

LOndon.-Wh0 Is responsible Tor
the invention of the "hobble" skirt7
Some famous fashion creator Of Paris,
every one will say, by no means. w.
K. Haselden, the cartoonist, envolved
it out of his inner consciousness
many months before it was actually
created as a dress.
On Feb. IA, 1909, he thought of 1t
as hideous possibility which might
some day come true. The next day
his conception Of it appeared as car
toon, in company with other products
of his Imagination; later a Partisan
fashion expert saw the cartoon and
seized upon the idea.
Some months later the hobble skirt
appeared in Paris, and in December,
1909. was actually being worn in Lon.
don, and speedily became the rage
In one or two cases enthusiastic
adopters of it were so overzealous
that they had hobble skirts made for
them which were SO tight they pre-
vented their getting in or out Of We
hicles, and broken bones resulted.
Other wierd dress designs were "the
knee-and elbow-room Dress" quaint
conceit which showed balloons round
the knees and elbows; the "Punchin-
clio pattern" the woman in this case
wearing an artificial hump and very
voluminous skirt; "the donkey's ear
shoulder" an ordinary costume with a
trailing skirt and two long, pointed
projections rising from the shoulders
to distance of three feet above eth
er side of the head; and "the pyra-
mid" and the diamond" design.
These have not "come true" but Mr..
Haselden thinks it highly likely that
their day will dawn. Asked upon what
lines he worked when creating such
fashions, he said:
II think of all the most outlandish
things in the way of dress, being at
the same time assured that nothing IL
too impossible for women to wear.
Indeed, the real difficulty is to in
vent anything that looks impossible.
There was one really sensible thing
I invented. This will not, fear, come
true,' because 1t is sensible. refer
to the pneumatic hat for matinees a
drawing of which appeared on Aug.
20, 1908.
"It was a large hat blown up with
air and capable of being Debated
when the wearer had taken her seat
in the theater.
II am afraid that If designed a
really artistic and useful dress women
would not wear it.
"The very last thing on earth
wanted was to get women to wear
| hobble skirts, but had fear. did
not think it unlikely that they would
adopt it. It is so very silly, you
know.
"when 1 read of the lady, who, ow
ing to very hobb1e skirt, broke one
Of her legs in getting into a taxicab
felt Indirectly responsible. kept
silent about my invention because
did not wish to be found out.
II am very penitent. I know
ought to be broken on the wheel Il
any other man had done it I woulG
get up society to have him broker
on the wheel. But I will not get w
a society to have myself broken or
the wheel. That is for other people
to do.
"At present, you know, we are go
ing back to eastern dress fashions
The thing now is to hide the face ant
show the figure. You can't see more
of woman's face nowadays than hel
chin. Breaking on the wheels is quite
conformable with eastern IDEAS"