To the Editor, “London Life.”
Dear Sir, – I beg to send you the following, culled from a journal called “Ladies’ Fashions,” which was published for a short period in 1886.
In the “Replies to Readers’ Queries” pages the fashion Editress discoursed on all manners relating to dress, and I chose the letter to “Mrs M-,” of Bath, as being most interesting. The Editress says to this lady:- “Your daughter’s lack of deportment and grace generally must, I am sure, be very distressing to you, but I hope you will forgive me if I say that your methods of training her are incorrect. As the young lady is fifteen, it is high time to lengthen her dresses, put up her hair and reduce her figure to more lady-like proportions.
“The latest coiffure of hair tightly drawn to the crown of the head and finished in one or two large knots is very becoming to young ladies with long, straight hair such as your daughter possesses. For special occasions, you should dress her hair round one of the newest conical wire frames, this style greatly adding to one’s height, should improve your daughters appearance.
“As to dresses, I am advised that whilst the new Spring walking suits for young ladies will be just short enough to clear the ground, evening creations will be long as ever, and more voluminous. Underclothes will be more heavily flounced.
“For walking your daughter should wear three petticoats, which should be attached to the hips on the usual stay hooks, and at the very least, four petticoats with her evening gowns should be worn. As regards shoes, the latest French heeled ones are delightful. The high curved heel gives the foot a very small appearance, whilst the very pointed and narrow toes are extremely smart. For her walks, I should advise three-inch heels for your daughter, and an inch higher for party wear. You are correct in insisting on her always wearing a veil outdoors, and as regards gloves, I have no hesitation in saying that the fashion of some young ladies I know in discarding their gloves is to be much deplored. Nothing looks worse than a lady, however beautiful her toilette, if she is ungloved, and this is especially the case at meals, when gloves should be worn invariably. The newest evening gloves by the way, end at the shoulder with delightful stiff little lace frills, and these frills will also be seen on the very high collars to be worn in the Spring. The vexed question of figure training I have purposely left till last. As your daughter is slim, I am rather at a loss to understand your difficulty in reducing her figure to fashionable proportions.
“For one thing, however, you were late in commencing her training. Early training is the secret of a good figure, and between the ages of ten and twelve is the best time to commence. Gradual reduction and the use of sleeping stays from the age of thirteen give very definite results. At fifteen, and being slim, your daughter should be able to reduce her waist easily to sixteen inches. An expert corsetiére tells me that the constant use of a good shoulder brace, especially during the lacing of stays, greatly assists in the reduction of the waist. As to your query – ‘To what size should the waist be reduced?’ -I can but say that it is simply a question of endurance. Georges Pilotelle, the famous French fashion plate artist once said:- ‘Women have always loved and will always love a small waist.’ His models are said to possess 10-inch waists, and although such a circumference is probably an exaggeration, I do know that 12-inch waists are possible. A friend of mine never allows her waist to exceed 15 inches in circumference, and both her pretty daughters, young ladies of 16 and 17 respectively, have 12-inch waists. I can but advise you to persevere with your daughter’s figure, and trust that in due course a dainty, lady-like waist will be attained.”
Yours truly,
“INTERESTED”