Improvements in or connected with Ladies' Evening Dresses.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd June, 1894
Comalata Cannifinatio
L
001
4005
0212 A
005
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Ladies' Evening Dresses.
I HENRIETTA SUSAN MALET, of 27, Eardley Crescent, Earl's Court,
London W., Lady do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in, or connected with, ladies' evening
dresses, and has for its object to provide means for preventing the short sleeves
of evening dress bodices, exposing the under part of the arms, or arm-pits, when
the arms are raised.
According to my invention, I provide a piece of card-board or other suitable
material, preferably of oblong form, rounded at one end and somewhat narrowed
or diminished at the other, to the smaller end of which piece I hinge by any
suitable flexible hinge a narrow strip of similar material to that which constitutes
the main portion, the whole being covered with any suitable waterproof material.
The device so fashioned is sewn or otherwise secured to the under part of the
arin-hole of the bodice and also to the under-sleeve, whereby when the arm is
raised, the said under-sleeve is caused to be drawn up or raised with it and so hide
the under-side of the arm, or arm-pit.
A strip of elastic material is secured longitudinally to both the hinged parts
of the device, so that the larger portion of same will be caused to rise and fall
with the movement of the arm.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1894
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Ladies' Evening Dresses.
I HENRIETTA SUSAN MALET, of 27, Eardley Crescent, Earl's Court,
London, W., Lady, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in, or connected with, ladies' evening
dresses, and has for object to provide means for preventing the short sleeved,
or sleeveless evening dress bodices, exposing the under part or arm-pits of the
wearer's arms, when the latter are raised.
And in order that this the said invention may be the more readily understood
and carried into effect I have shewn same upon the accompanying sheet of illus-
trative drawings, wherein :-
Fig. 1 is a front view of my device for concealing the arm-pit when the arm
is raised, shewn separate, and
Fig. 2 a view of a portion of the inside of an evening dress bodice, with the
invention applied thereto.

page_text: Referring to the drawings, a is a plate formed of a piece of card-board or other
suitable material, preferably of oblong form and rounded at one extremity, to the
other extremity of which plate a. is hinged by suitable flexible or other hinges b,
a second plate a', preferably smaller in size than the first plate a. If desirable
these hinged pieces or plates a a' may be strengthened by ribs of whale-bone,
split cane or other suitable material, not shewn upon the drawings.
Both of the hinged plates a al are covered with any suitable waterproof material,
which may be extended us at e to form a perspiration shield, to protect the bodice.
A strip (or strips) of elastic material d, is secured at its respective ends, to the
plates a a', so that the two said plates will be normally kept closed or folded
together as in Fig. 2.
In operation, the plate a' is sewn or otherwise secured to the inner side of the
bodice immediately below the sleeve or arm-hole, the portion a of the device
being similarly secured to the under-sleeve of the bodice, or (by means of
a hook and eye or their equivalent, not shown upon the drawings) to the sleeve
or shoulder-strap of the chemise, or under bodice, the action of the wearer raising
her arm, causing the upper portion a of the device, to be raised from the position
shown in Fig. 2, to that shewn in Fig. 1, thereby drawing up the said under-sleeve
and completely concealing from view, the wearer's arm-pit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my snid inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improvements in, or connected with, ladies' evening dresses, substantially
as described and illustrated.
2. In a device for use with sleeveless or short-sleeved evening dress bodices, to
conceal the wearer's arm-pits when the arms are raised, the employment of two
hinged plates, normally kept closed or folded together by a connecting strip of
elastic material, substantially as specified, and as illustrated by the drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of March 1895.
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
36, Chancery Lane, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.