SPORTING COSTUMES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 288, 29 August 1908, Page 11

SPORTING COSTUMES.

In a recent number of an.English magazine Several prominent women athletes give their opinions of the most suitablo attire for var'ious outdoor sports and pastimes. MisOl.; A; Julius, hon. secretary of the . 'All England 'Women's. Hockey Association, says in., regard to • hocKey-playing" Your skirt should be cut full, to'allow free play in junning.. . ' C ."The regulation length is at least six inches off the ground. In my-opinion, this might with advantage be increased to eight. It is much easier "to take a pass when it is not blocked'from view till the'last mo-

ment by intervening skirts; and for tho / proper use of -your feet-,, in stopping, a clear view is essential. Care -.should bo taken to see that the sldrt is . tho same length all the way round; nothing is„ more unsightly than a short skirt which has dropped at tho back. As to blouses, common sense will suggest a thin-.flannel as • being' tho most suitable. " " A padded glove should bo worn on tho right hand. "It is more protection than a rubber, ring on. the stick, which has the disadvantage of . upsetting the balance of a stick and making it too lieavy in tho head. "Give extra attention to the-doing of your hair. ' It should 1 be firmly secured., A hair-net is a great help. You cannot expect to .wield your stick with.easo if one hand is ' : required 'for ; the' arrangement of straying tresses. .. , " Abovo all, do not neglect tho precaution of taking, a change with you. If it is not always possible to do a complete chango, you can at least.- carry ' extra stockings, shoos, and a warm knitted jersey. By .those simple precautions you will .avoid all danger from chill." ' • . ... .. Mrs v Hillyard, twelve times winner of tho . South of i England Ladies' Championship at tenuis, says:—"The most suitable costume, I. think, for lawn tennis is a fairly short,' whito duck skirt,' or wbite; material of 'Eome sort, with a white blouse and white band. If any of your readers go and watch Miss Eastlake Smith playing tennis, they will see my ideal of what one would wish to -look like on a is neither overdressed nor too plainly, and her - ' tout ensemble ' is porfect. I have been trying to copy her for years, but have not suc- . coeded yet. There are 110 hard-and-fast rules to lay down, as it is always best for each individual to wear what sho can most easily and gracefully play in." Miss' Dorothy Levitt, who established a' woman's record in, 1906, driving a. 30-h.p. Napier at Blackpool races at a rate equal to close upon 100 miles an hour, writes on what to wear when motoring" For summer wear—in England, at any - rate—it is , never too warm for serge, of varying thickness. Cream serge always looks well, and does not crease in the same way as alpaca or tussore silk. These two latter look very nico the first time of wearing, but not after. For winter wear there is nothing like thick * tweed lined, if riding in" an open car. This "is warm, and does not easily spoil in bad y weather. As rogards head-gear for the open ! -fcar, tho ordinary round motor-cap is' most •Comfortable; ■ . Miss: F.IJ. Erskins, author of ".Bicycling for :Ladios,"., says:—"Tho best and most workbanlike dross for cycling" is' a w'ell-cu't tailormade coat and_skirt worn over aViyella blouse. The Nbrf6lk' jacket typo has much .'to rccommcnd it, as it is at once neat and not so tight in its lines as the three-quarter coat. Tho, coats with ultra-long sldrts, such as are much worn at present, aro not a success on a' cycle, as tho'long tails have a tendency to wrap round tho knees and cause considerable 'discomfort. After, the Norfolk jackct, the most useful type is the covert-' coat, with strappnd seams, concealed but* tons, and • a collar adapted to bo turned up and wlicn out in cold or stormy weather. 'For material, a good tweed of. a grey or tawny colour, or the.popular Lovat mixture, is-best for .not showing the dust. Before motors came in, navy serge was . consjdered ideal material for a cycling-suit, but with tho dust-raising, traffic of the present day it 13 utterly unsuitable. f s , to , hats, I am.not at all "in lovo with the fashionable motor-caps. In a hin-h wind nnless strapped down by aid of a motor-veil', they .are simply instruments of torture For• summer-wear I-am old-fashioned enough to think that nothing can beat a good • wellfitting sailor-hat. ' : But tho matter i's ono for each woman cyclist to decide for herself iho only essential thing is that it should be quiet and in keeping with tho tailor-mado dress.; Winter or , summer, the same rule ho ds good—that tho cycling underwear must be all wool. Tins is tho only way to ride-without getting chills. . ■ : For footgear the most comfortable things are shoes, and over them well-fittina spats. Stockings should bo light wool, preferably those sold by the Scotch Industries Depot. a ra„ afraid that many present-day cyclists will consider these ideals rather oldfashioned, but my ideal of a proper cycling kit has always been moulded on the severe type associated .with riding on horseback} U the , one. has a recognised uniform type why should not the wheel-costume follow