Improvements in Ladies' Wearing Apparel for Athletic Purposes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 28th Sept., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ladies' Wearing Apparel for Athletic Purposes.
I, IDA MAY REW, of 124 West 23rd Street, New York, County of New York,
State of New York, United States of America, Manufacturer, 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 specification :-
My invention relates to a new and useful improvements in ladies' wearing
apparel for athletic purposes and consists in the garment hereinafter fully set forth
and described.
The objects of my invention are to provide a safe, reliable and easy ladies'
suit, graceful in outline, hygienic in construction, light in weight and of handsome
and modest appearance, and, while constructed mainly with reference to producing
a perfect garment for lady cyclists, it may be, nevertheless, admirably adapted to
general athletic use.
These objects accomplish by means of the construction illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved suit, as it appears on the wearer,
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the garment as detached from the rider a
portion of the skirt being broken away to reveal the inner construction of the
garment,
Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the garment on the line 3-3 Fig. 2 looking in the
direction of the arrow indicated thereon,
Fig. 4 is a view of the under side of the suit, and
Fig. 5 is a slightly enlarged cross-sectional detail view of the construction of the
garment.
A is the skirt. B is the bodice or waist portion of the garment. D D are
shoulder straps. By preference, the skirt A. and the bodice B are made in one
piece, the seams running from the upper edge of the bodice to the lower edge
of the skirt. E is a waist-flap. The waist line is substantially parallel and in
the same plane with the section line 3-3 in Fig. 2, and the flap E by preference
extends below this line. The bodice B, being open in front, is cut and fitted so
that by drawing in the two front edges of the said bodice portion, the adjacent
side edges of the flap E may be buttoned or otherwise attached thereto. perfecting
the fit of the garment and giving graceful and easy lines to the figure of the
wearer. The purpose of extending the flap E below the waist line is to afford
sufficient space, when the said flap is loosened as in Fig. 2, to permit the putting
on or taking off of the garment. F is the trousers portion, the upper edge of
which is adapted to encircle the wearer at a point preferably below the waist line,
so that the weight of the said garment F will not bear upon the hips, but will be
supported by the lining G of the bodice B to which lining the said trousers
portion is by preference attached. This lining G is by preference loosely attached
to the inner side of the bodice B and extends preferably up over the shoulders.
By preference only the front portion of the band at the upper edge of the
trousers F is secured to the outer garment, as shown in Fig. 5, while the rear
upper edge of the trousers portion F is gathered around an elastic band or other
suitable draw-string H. The outside edges of the trousers portion F are connected
with the inner sides of the skirt A adjacent thereto by means of strips II which may
be separate pieces, or may be formed by extending the material of each trousers leg,
or by an extension of a gore in each side of the skirt. If desirable, each trousers

page_text: leg may be attached to the said skirt by one or more of these strips II, which by
preference extend from the upper end of the trousers portion to a point near the
lower edge of the skirt, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. The width of the strips II
is sufficiently great so that in walking or in the ordinary movement of the leg the
skirt will not be thrown thereby, yet in an attempt to mount a bicycle it materially
aids in perfectly adjusting the skirt obviating to a large degree, if not entirely,
adjustment by hand. Furthermore, in riding a bicycle the skirt is prevented from
either blowing up or swinging back sufficiently far to catch between the wheel and
the rear fork of the bicycle-a common tendency in the loose skirt which_not
only may soil or tear the garment but too often is the cause of accidents. This
side attachment of the trousers also ensures sufficient fulness of the skirt in front
to permit unimpaired knee action, a particularly desirable feature in cycling. An
advantage of attaching the trousers band to the bodice lining as previously
described is that the weight of the trousers will not when so attached sag or draw
the outer garment in such a way as to impair the fit of the same.
It is obvious that the waist flap might extend only to the waist line, and the
trousers F be attached on that line. The connecting strips II might also consist
of short strips located one above the other and attached in the manner above
indicated, instead of the continuous strip illustrated. If desirable, the bodice and
the trousers may be made integral and the skirt portion attached on the outside.
The rear portion of the trousers band could also if desirable be fastened to the
inner lining and provided with the draw-string or not, as desired. All of these
modifications, it will be seen, are within the spirit of my invention. The means of
attaching the trousers leg to the skirt by the strips II is the important feature of
the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
claim is,
First. In an athletic or bicycle suit for ladies, a skirt and a trousers portion
enveloped by said skirt, each leg of the said trousers portion being loosely
connected to the said skirt by connecting strips between the outside of the
trousers and the inside of the skirt, substantially as described.
Second. An athletic suit for ladies consisting of a bodice or waist portion
lined as described, a skirt extending therefrom, means for suspending the skirt
and bodice from the shoulders, and trousers secured to the lining, each trousers
leg being loosely connected to the skirt portion of the garment by means of one
or more suitable strips.
Third. An athletic suit for ladies consisting of a bodice or waist portion,
lined as described, a skirt extending therefrom, means for suspending the bodice
aud skirt from the shoulders, and trousers secured to the front portion of the
bodice lining, and a draw-string in the rear upper edge of said trousers, each
trousers leg being loosely connected to the skirt portion of the suit by means
of one or more independent upright strips.
Fourth. An athletic suit for ladies consisting of a bodice and skirt portion
integrally formed, means for suspending the same from the shoulders, trousers
attached to the front portion of the said bodice, the rear edge of said trousers
band being provided with a suitable draw-string, the legs of said trousers being
loosely connected to the inside of the skirt by strips extending longitudinally
with the said trousers legs, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Fifth. An athletic suit for ladies comprising a bodice and skirt portion, a
waist flap adapted to be detachably fastened to the front edges of the open
bodice to adjust the same to the figure of the wearer, means for suspending the
said bodice and skirt from the shoulders, a trousers portion attached to the front
portion of the bodice lining and provided with a draw-string, said trousers being
loosely connected with the inside of the skirt by independent upright strips,
substantially as described.

page_text: Sixth. An athletic suit for ladies comprising a bodice and skirt portion, the
front of said bodice being open, a waist flap extending below the waist line and
adapted to be detachably fastened to the front edges of the open bodice for the
purpose described, means for suspending the bodice from the shoulders, trousers
attached below the waist line and connected loosely to the inside of the skirt
by independent strips extending longitudinally with the trousers leg.
Seventh. A ladies athletic or bicycle suit comprising a bodice suspended
from the shoulders, a skirt depending from said bodice, said bodice being open
in front to a point below the waist line, a flap adapted to partially close said
opening in the bodice to adjust the garment to the figure of the wearer, trousers
attached below the waist line to the front portion of the lining of the garment,
a suitable draw-string elastic or non-elastic for the rear portion of the trousers
band, the outside edges of each trousers leg being loosely connected to the
adjacent inner side of the skirt by continuous strips extending from near the
lower edge of the skirt to a point near the upper end of the trousers, all
substantially as and for the purpose described.
August 1905
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.