LADIES' DRESS REFORM.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3563, 9 December 1882, Page 4

LADIES' DRESS REFORM.

Apropos of ladies' dress reform, ' a boon to tbe scraggy and stout' is suggested by an 'Englishwoman* in the Standard. It is an extremely simple boon, to combine the pantaloons of a sultana with an upper garment of Greek form fastened at the shoulder and confined by a girdle at the waist. Whether there should be the turban of thirty ears ago she does not expressly say, but any unexaggerated head-dress will be in keeping with it. Whether, too, sandals or slippers are to be worn is not mentioned, but as it is clear that high-heeled boots would be hopelessly incongruous with this congruous whole the rage for wearing them will die a natural death. Added to this costume the 'scraggy and stout' may carry an Ulster or Newmarket, or Mother Bubbard, and an umbrella if necessary, and the boon is complete. As example is better than precept, perhaps the lady would show herself in Kegent-streefc or Oxford-street some afternoon for half an hour. She is sure to make converts, for as the weight of clothes is divided between the shoulders and the hips, what more can thoughtful women want? But they cannot be expected to dress from a written description any more than they do now. ' A great anti-bang crusade' in Canada is announced by the American papers. ''Bang,' we;(Pall Mall Budget) believe, is the horrid and expressive American word for the frizzly front that ladies wear. Ifc appears that the Roman Catholic clergy of Canada have been lately alarmed at the progressive frivolity and extraordinary dress of their flock, and, having communicated with Rome, have commenced energetic repressive measures. ' Wearers of dainty costumes, it seems, are to be declared sinners,' and ' extravagance in dress and tresses is to be ruthlessly put down.' Already Bishop Lafloche, at Three Rivers, has launched his thunderbolt at the heads of his fair sinners, and Bishop Eabre, at Montreal, is about to do the same, the former, however, going so far as to denouce all light music. The example has spread to other congregations. A well-known elder of the church at Montreal has expressed himself in the following tvords of wisdom : ' There is such extravagance in dress nowadays that we cannot tell tho difference between mistress and maid.' The prospects of the crusade at present are said to be excellent. The ' bangs ' are disapearing, and the ' pull-backs ' are being loosened. After the success of the experiment made on the corpus vile of Canada, who knows how soon the cruzade may extend to our shores ?