Show A WOMANS BUSINESS DRESS baltor mary r seymours idea of a co tume that any woman wear the resolution in regard to suggestions for a business costume for women adopted by the recent national council of women at washington has created a deal of discussion among women in all parts of the country miss mary F seymour editor of the business comans womans journal in an interview with a reporter of the new york ann expressed herself on the subject aa follows laying aside the question whether such a costume would be advisable or not there is no doubt that women who are engaged in business are greatly hampered by the style of dress now in vogue it takes twice as much exertion in a woman to walk as in a man and you know when women are compelled to work for their living they cannot afford to expend their strength recklessly the greatest dim culty which business women have today is to select the right kind of dress now my suggestion would be in the first place to wear a short skirt one that would reach to the tops of the shoes one of the greatest drawbacks of the long skirt winch business women wear at present next to its weight and clumsiness is its tendency to drag in and catch hold of the land in the streets and the dust on the floor the short skirt would do away with this A woman with both arms full of papers ar packages could step boldly across a street no matter how wet or dirty it might ie without being compelled to top transfer her burden to one arm or hold some of it between her teeth in order to lift her skirts this skirt should not be of heavy material cashmere or silk is preferable to heavy woolen goods the weight of heavy garments distributed as it is in the skirts of comans womans dress today exhausts the vitality instead of having the many undershirts underskirts under skirts women are wont to have 1 would suggest heavy j turkish trousers these would be a great deal lighter than the number of skirts which would be necessary to give tha same warmth and besides would leave the limbs free to move the skirt would then dp nothing but conceal these trousers the objection win probably be raised that finch a short skirt will expose tha foot in an undesirable way it is true that women have big feet and nothing makes them look bigger than a skirt which exposes the entire shoo and nothing more to remedy this I 1 would suggest that fancy leggings which extend from just above the toes to tareo or four inches above the shoe tops these would conceal the line between the shoe and the stocking and besides having a pretty effect would make the foot look smaller than it really is The waist should be as simple and as comfortable aa the dressmakers skill can make it I 1 once designed a dress for myself which embodied all my ideas of comfort and convenience the waist consisted of a jacket and a vest in one piece the jacket was in reality nothing anfe two long lapels which covered a part of the body of the waist in the vest were four pockets arranged just as they are in a mans waistcoat two in the upper and two in the lower part on the outside of the two lapels were two pockets similar to those on a mans coat in the back drapery were inserted two oblong pockets the openings of which were drawn together by elastic cord under one of the panels on the right and tho left rides I 1 had long pockets the reporter next lillie devereax blake what she thought of tho idea of a business comans womans costume 1 I think she said that one of tho greatest strains that business women i could put themselves under would be to dress out of the fashion of the day I 1 shrink from any suggestion of a dress for women that would make the wearer conspicuous and an object of ridicule business women more than all others are dependent upon the favor of the public and forth em to wear a garment that would make them ridiculous would be almost suicidal 1 I believe that comfortable dresses can be made within the lines of fashion they should be perfectly loose and easy and not too long three or four inches above the ground would be plenty the most disagreeable and uncomfortable part af a comans womans dresa is the band around the haiat thia can be obviated in a degree by wearing the waist and the skirt 0 one piece that is the lining of the dress is all one piece and the drapery is put on that according to the fashion of the day or the taste of the wearer |