The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-07-09
THE PEEK-A-BOO SKIRT.
transparent Dress Supersedes The
Hobble and The Draped Gown and
Causes Surprise.

baltimore, July 6.-Another crusade
IN Baltimore seems to be imminent
TINS time against the "transparent'
snir'' Marshal Farnan said YESTERDAY
that as far as he was concerned he
thought women should be permitted
10 wear what they pleased as long as
morality was not violated.
Men try to keep COOL" said the
Marshal, "and if women want to wear
thln dresses l think they have the
right TO do so. OF course, they should
wear stockings. 1t would be wronp
Tor them to appear in bare legs"
The astonishing part of the new
style is that no underskirts are being
worn with the thin skirts, or else the
undergarment is SO transparent it.
self that it affords no adequate pro.
lection to the wearer from the ewes
Of the curious.
In the lobby of the Belvedere Hotel
yesterday afternoon a woman stood i'm
the doorway wearing a linen suit with
underclothes so flmsy as TO make her
figure visible. The effect produced
was similar to that Of q vaudeville
actress appearing in tights beneath q
gauZe dress.
Yes, it is true that we are MAX
ing gowns to be worn without under
skirts or with those that reach only to
the Knees" said a fashionable dress
maker, "but most Baltimore women
are wearing such costumes only in the
evening or at dances"
Nevertheless, the style seems to be
spreading at a tremendous rate. the
manufacturers and trades in lingerie
noting the change and doing all
they can to put an end to the popular
ity of the custom, which threatens TO
hurt their business. Many women
have abandoned ordinary underskirts
for a form Of bloomers which. when
worn with the transparent outslirt,
gives bathing suit effect.
The first person to be seen wearing
such a costume in this city was a wo-
man who accompanied one OF the
Southern delegates to the National
democratic Convention last year. Not
until this summer were any more
"underskirtless" women seen on the
streets here.
AT fashionable wedding which
took place in the Green Spring Valley
a few weeks ago the maid of-honor. an
out OF town girl, wore a lace skirt
with silk petticoat, which reached as
far az her knees. She wore blue
stockings. Her skirt was tight fitting
and transparent.
THE best thing to do with a wo-
man who would wear such clothes"
said Mrs. Calvin n. Gabriel, suffra~
gist, "is to put her i'm the penitentiary.
would let her stay there about 10
days, just long enough to teach her to
use her brains. The police should be
Vigilant and arrest all such women as
soon as they appear in public
Rev. Herbert Parrish, a member of
the social service committee of the
Protestant Episcopal Church in the
Diocese Of Maryland, said he had not
seen any Baltimore women immodest-
ly dressed
But" he added, dress is a matter
or custom. l approve of divided rid
ing habit. If all whom decided to
dress as they do on the bathing beach
We should probably not think much
about it, l take broad view OF such
questions"
First, there was the hobble skirt
which was superseded by the skirt
which looked like parlor drapery
Then came the slit skirt, with or with
out underskirts. and next the clinging
silk skirts, which started the fash.
ION OF emitting the petticoat.