Improvements in the Skirts of Ladies' Riding Habits.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 1st June, 1893-Accepted, 1st July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Skirts of Ladies' Riding Habits.
in
I, WILLIAM FLETCHER, of No. 10, Princes Street, Hanover Square, W.,
the Administrative County of London, and also of Windsor, in the County of
Berks, Ladies' Tailor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in the skirts of ladies' riding habits, and
the object of it is to provide for the skirt being held comfortably to the wearer's
person when she is in the saddle, and also for the ripping up of the seam as soon as
the weight of the falling rider pulls on the skirt, thereby preventing her being
dragged along the ground in consequence of the skirt being caught and held to the
saddle.
In carrying the invention into effect, I cut a flap in the right side of the skirt
and this is shaped and fitted with suitable fastening devices to adapt it to serve as
a strap to be passed round the right leg above the knee and buttoned to the skirt.
When the rider dismounts, the strap is unbuttoned and buttoned to the edge of the
hole in the skirt so as to close it.
The seam from the hole above mentioned down to the bottom of the skirt is
made as follows:-The two edges are finished so as to present, after they have
been brought together, the appearance of an ordinary seam, but they are joined
together by being sewn to a narrow strip of thin and weak material which is let
into them edgewise. If the skirt catches, the seam rips at once and the rider falls
clear.
Dated this 31st day of October 1892.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Skirts of Ladies' Riding Habits.
I, WILLIAM FLETCHER, of No. 10, Princes Street, Hanover Square, W., in the
Administrative County of London, and also of No. 42, Thames Street, Windsor,
in the County of Berks, Ladies' Tailor, do hereby declare the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in the skirts of ladies' riding habits, and
the object of it is to provide for the skirt being held comfortably to the wearer's
person when she is in the saddle. It also provides for the prompt ripping open of
the seam as soon as the rider's weight-should she be so unfortunate as to be
thrown-pulls on the skirt. This prompt ripping open will make it impossible for
the skirt to be caught by the saddle, so that the rider will fall clear of the latter
instead of being dragged.
In carrying the invention into effect, I cut a flap in the right side of the skirt
and this is shaped and fitted with suitable fastening devices to adapt it to serve as
a strap to be passed round the right leg at or near the knee and buttoned to the
skirt. When the rider dismounts, the strap is unbuttoned and buttoned to the
edge of the hole in the skirt so as to close it.
The seam from the hole above mentioned down to the bottom of the skirt is
made as follows:-The two edges are finished so as to present after they have
been brought together, the appearance of an ordinary seam, but they are joined

page_text: together by being sewn to a narrow strip of thin and weak material. If the skirt
catches, the seam rips at once and the rider falls clear.
In order that the invention and the means by which it is to be carried into effect
may be thoroughly understood, I will now describe it and them in detail referring
in so doing to the accompanying drawing which is to be taken as part of this
Specification and read therewith.
Fig. 1 illustrates the position and extent of the safety seam, the hole and knee
band, as well as the effect of the latter in closing the hole.
Fig. 2 illustrates the set of the safety seam with respect to the pommel, and the
use of the knee band.
Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.
a is the flap hereinafter called a band. It is shewn as produced by being cut
as to one half of it with the upper portion b, and as to the other half of it with the
lower portion of the skirt. I do not confine myself to this method of cutting the
skirt as far as the production of the band is concerned, inasmuch as it may be an
independent piece sewn to the habit along a line from d to e, although I prefer
the method illustrated. The position as well as the size of the band are of
importance. It is connected to the skirt along a line on the front side of the hole
next described. The line de defines its hinge so to speak. It is lower than quite
opposite to the kneef of the skirt, and the bottom end of it stands to the front of
the top end. Consequently when it is turned inwards and passed round the right leg
to be made fast by its loose and rear edge g to the skirt, it fits comfortably and
evenly to the contour of the limb, which it evidently would not do if the direction
of the line de were not settled so as to satisfy the requirements of the case. h is
the counter band. It is shaped and sewn to the skirt front so as to hold the band
after it has been buttoned to it, in the operative position described above. The
devices by which the two are made fast to each other may be of any suitable type.
I have shewn the use of buttons and button holes but any other suitable fastening
device may be made use of.
The band may be set to fit round the leg above the knee, round the knee as
illustrated, or above it. The former position is for many reasons the most
comfortable one.
When the wearer of the skirt is out of the saddle, either before or after her ride,
the band may be buttoned to the opposite side of the hole, as shewn in Figure 1.
i is the hole. It is cut large enough for the wearer of the skirt to pass her right:
hand through to fasten or unfasten the band a to or from the counter band h.
The relative positions of the band and the counter band may be reversed without
going outside the scope of my invention, but I prefer that the band should be
hinged to the skirt where illustrated, i.e., on the off side, because it can then be
used to partially close the hole i when the wearer is out of the saddle.
It must be pointed out that the band is fast to the skirt on each side of the leg
when the wearer is in the saddle, and that it is this band, and not a portion of the
flowing skirt, that is passed over the pommel and held thereupon by the rider. The
pommel does not, according to my invention, make a pocket in the skirt, but
passes through a hole much larger than itself.
4
The sides of the hole converge in the direction of the hem of the skirt and meet
in an acute angle at which point the safety seam commences and extends to the
bottom of the skirt through the hem. The construction of the seam is fully illus-
trated in Figure 3. jj are the two edges, each fully finished independently of the
other, in order that they shall, when they are brought close up to each other, have 5
all the appearance of an ordinary seam. jis a strip of weak material. It is sewn
to both edges j, j from the inside, and care is to be taken that the strength of this
strip shall not be appreciably more than will suffice to hold the two edges together.
k is a strap from the skirt on one side of the seam across it to the skirt on the
other side of it. It is provided to prevent the safety seam being ripped by any 5
strain to which it may be subjected by the right knee of the rider as she seats
berself in the saddle.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of skirt and band, as set forth.
2. The combination of skirt, band, counter band, and devices by which the band
can be made fast round the wearer's leg to the latter, as set forth.
3. The combination of skirt, band, counter band, devices by which the band
can be made fast to the counter band, a hold in the off side of the skirt adapted
to afford access to the said counter band and devices by which the loose edge of
the said band can be made fast to the opposite edge of the hole, as set forth.
4. The combination in the skirt of a riding habit of two adjacent edges held
together by a strip of weak material together constituting the side seam from the
hole mentioned in some of the preceding claims to the bottom of the seam through
the hem, as set forth.
5. The hereinbefore described construction of safety seam and combination of it
with the skirt in respect of its position therein in view of a fall from the saddle,
as set forth.
6. The combination with the skirt of a riding habit, of band and safety seam,
as and for the purpose set forth.
7. The combination of the hole in the off side of the skirt adapted in respect
of position to go over the pommel of the saddle, and the safety seam extending
downwards from it through the bottom hem of the skirt, as set forth.
Dated this 1st day of June 1893
PHILLIPS & LEIGH.
22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.