IN FAVOUR OF THE HAREM SKIRT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 83, 8 April 1911, Page 7

IN FAVOUR OF THE HAREM SKIRT.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — What is there objectionable, oi repugnant, in the harem skirt or dress? Is it from a moral point of view, ot that it does not become a woman to wear such a dress? on' is ut repellent because it is wanting in hygiene? or arc wo ignorant of what is really the htueni skirt or dress? I am of opinion that the objections raised are from jumped-at conclusions and impressions without reason. It is well within memory that tlie man who evolved the first silk hat created such a sensation by appearing in the streets of London that he was arrested for causing a riot and disturbing the peace Also the man who invented the umbrella had bricks hurled at him when he was first seen under this ingenious canopy. Who created this disturbance in London streets? Was it the man in the silk hat, or the silk hat itself, or the umbrella? Iso, certainly not; it was the " hobbledehoys " whose craniums contain naming but a rattle, and who would noisily dispute the right of tlieir own shadow. Have not the silk hat and the umbrella been a boon to humanity since their inception? And so will the. harem skirt or dree 6 when rightly understood. But the liarem skirt is no new invention. It is an innovation here, perhaps, and certainly not without its charms and facilities. The harem dress, as it is called, is the most hygienic dress possible to wear, as well as the most becoming. Let us make v, few comparis6ns, which. 1 hough odious, are justified by right reason. What is becoming in the- Scotch kilts? I assure you, many a bare shank would be better covered than exposed. On many an ankle the socks"require lo be stuffed with hay or chaff for their calves to come down , and feed, or wear the " bveeks and trews " proper and not the skirt. Do we not go down by the hundreds to eeo the mixed bathers in their qualified costumes on Lyall Bay and other beaches, without stint of appreciation? We prepare most elaborately for the theatres, and recline in blissful contentedhessj and admire to the fullest extent dres& thaL would not stand comparison with the liarem skirt. Even at balls and parties, other engagements, and pleaiures you will see. admire, and pronounce a3 good dicss that is indeed questionable. Yet it is allowable, entertained, and appreciated. To those pleasures and places we go, not to be taken by surprise, but qitieiiy prepaied for the occasion. What about the hobble skirt? iSome are certainly an abortion, whilst others are most becoming and have many appreciable- advantages. The harem skirt, or dress, is of Oriental fashion, and can be made moat exquisite and pleasingly attractive and becoming. It has many appreciable and acceptable advantages over the present skirt. It does not require the attention of the lady's hand on a wet or dirty day to be a- perpetunl lever, or grip, on a mass of clothing, much to her disadvantage. It does not sweep and collect the filthy chewed cud, tobacco, and other spittle from the streets and bring such contagious matter to our homes. It is not embarrassed with the constant and vexing uncertainty of the safetvpin. which, in a moment of need, fails in security. It is pleasantly impervious against the eccentricities of windy or boisterous weather. In conclusion, the harem skirt calls for no alarm, except from those who have not a right knowledge of this particular Oriental dress. —I am, etc., NINORC. Wellington, 7th April. 1911.