Dear Sir,–May I be allowed a little further space in your most interesting paper to add to my letter of a week or so ago regarding tight-lacing?
I was much impressed with the letter “Elsie J.” in your issue of November 12th last (which I had not before me at the time I wrote my last letter), and I am glad to see it bears out all my statements. She is obviously a girl who has studied the subject deeply and trained herself severely to an extreme degree of tight-lacing. Yet she not only has no complaint to make against tight-lacing or figure training, but is high in her praise of the practice which proves, that, properly carried out, tight-lacing is not harmful in any way, but beneficial.
She has evidently taken great pleasure in training herself, and is now reaping the reward of her devotion to her purpose,. I fully agree with her in that I pity the modern girl for the way in which she is neglecting or misusing her figure in a way for which she will be sorry in years to come.
I am a great admirer of the wasp-waist when properly trained, as “Elsie J.,” has trained hers, but I am very sorry that she has not given us any particulars of her training or her ultimate measurements. I am sure it would be very interesting to your other correspondents as well as myself if she would consent to give us a detailed account of them.
I was very interested in the letter of “E. Boyd” of New York, regarding the “pipe-stem” waist or, to give it its proper name the “tube” or “stem” waist. Her account is most interesting, and I am familiar with the type she describes. It was in vogue from about 1900 to 1906 in this country; but, as she says, owing to its severity, was not attained by many nor seen much in public, this being largely due to the crude methods adopted to attain it.
It needs a long and strict training to attain the “stem” waist, but when once attained the effect is very striking and unique. I have known many cases of training to attain a “stem” waist, and in five of these, was enabled to follow closely the methods used and the progress made in each case.
The best method is, undoubtedly, the one described by “E. B.,” in your issue of June 2nd, which is far superior to that which she described in “London Life” of October 8th last. This latter was somewhat barbarous in its operation, consisting, as it did, of an ordinary corset of severe shape and very small size, applied to the unrestricted figure and laced in tightly, without preparation of any kind and is typical of the times.
The one described by her in “London Life” of June 2nd is the modern improvement, dictated by a much better knowledge of the art of corsetting, and reduces the severity of the training considerably. The “foundation” corset, being laced in four places, front, sides and back, allows the pressure of lacing-in to be evenly distributed, without injury or discomfort, the corset proper being laced over it to give the figure the necessary support.
With the older method, fainting was common because of the unreasonable means employed; but to-day, the “stem” corset is made with a due regard to anatomy and to the individual requirements of the wearer. Of the cases I have mentioned, two were trained under the old method and three under the new. In the former, fainting was frequent, both during and after training; but in the latter, fainting was entirely absent, except in the case of one girl, and then only on the first occasion, caused by the too sudden lacing-in of the foundation corset.
I see by “E. B.’s” letter in the same issue that one of her protegees has determined to train her figure to attain a “stem” waist. It will need care and patience, but is not difficult for a girl of her age, provided that the figure has been properly and carefully trained beforehand and the attainment of the “stem” waist is proceeded with the right way, and not, as in several cases I have known of, in the reverse way. There is only one method of attaining a “stem” waist successfully, without injury or discomfort, and “E. B.” should take great care that her protegee follows this method when the time arrives for her to commence her training. If this is done, I see no reason why her protegee should not be quite successful in attaining her desire.
If “E. B.” would like to communicate with me, I shall be only too happy to give her all the assistance I can, based upon my knowledge and experience of this subject, as too much care cannot be exercised in figure-training for a “stem” waist, and I am deeply interested in this case.
Trusting that you can see your way to publish this letter.