US377401A - Combined skirt and bustle - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

B. K. MILLER.

COMBINED SKIRT AND BUSTLE.

No. 377,401. Pgte'nted Feb. '7, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

EMORY K. MILLER, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

COMBINED SKIRT AND BUSTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,401, dated February 7, 1888.

Application filed June 20, 1887.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMORY K. MILLER, of Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in \Vomens \Vearing- Apparel; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in ladies wearing-apparel, the nature and object of my invention being the production of a light shapely undershirt for womens wear,that will, in conjunction with my attached and adjustable bustle or skirt supporter, afford a neat shapely skirt,which will properly support the outside apparel draped upon it, and that by its lightness and pliability will yield to pressure and permit the wearer to assume a sitting or reclining posture with ease, comfort, and no derangement of the supported clothing.

lVith these objects in view my invention consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts,that will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings, making a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a plan view of the bustle detached. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the detached bustle. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the complete skirt with a bustle secured in position on it. Fig. 4 exhibits a diagram showing method of construction of the skirt.

I will first describe the construction of the skirt.

In Fig. 4 one-half of the skirt is shown, and as the skirt is constructed having both sides of similar form the description of one-half will suffice for the entire garment.

The portion of the undershirt that is displayed in Fig. 4 is composed of four sections or pieces of material, A B (l D. Any suitable cloth or fibrous material may be employed, or, if desired, silk fabric may be utilized. The first piece, A, which, with a duplicate piece, composes the front of the skirt, is cut of proper length to have a fall from the waist toward the feet, and is cut tapering or slightly wedgeshaped, with the wider portion at the lower edge of the same. The upper ends of the two Serial No. 241,897. (No model.)

front breadths of fabric are notched to remove a gore or triangular-shaped piece of the material, (shown at a.) Pieces B are of relatively different widths to the front breadths,

.as shown in the drawings, which is simply given as a sample of preferred sizes for a skirt to suit a female of ordinary form and stature. They are also sloped from the bottom to the top ends upon the side edges. The upper ends of pieces B are cut from points I) b, to narrow the top end of the pieces in about the proportion given in the diagram. Pieces 0 are preferably made slightly wider at the bottom ends, with the upper ends narrowed in about the same proportion as shown in the diagram. The sloping to render the pieces 0 of less width at their upper than at their lower ends is made upon the rear edges, 0, of these pieces. The

rear sections or pieces of fabric, D, are made of equal width from the lower to the top edges of same, and the sections 0 D are given a gradually-increasing length, to suit the form of the wearer and permit the rear portion of the skirt to drape in proper form. The notching or goring of the front breadths and the sloping of the edges ofthese and otherbreadths, as shown, will allow the material of the skirt when joined on the side edges to be attached to a top band or besecured by acasing and tape inserted therein without an objectionable fullness or gathering of the stuff that is common to underskirts made in the usual manner.

I do not limit the construction of the skirt to the sizes marked on the diagram, as it is evident that these must be changed to suit the varying sizes ofindividuals. The proportions as given are correct for skirts adapted to fit women of correct proportions and ordinary height.

In order to facilitate the operation of placing the skirt upon the person of the wearer, a vent-slit, J, is made at one side of the skirt, which is extended downwardly from the top edge of the waistband of the skirt a suitable length to allow the skirt to readily pass over the bust and shoulders. Any proper means of closing this opening in the top band may be employed.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the bustle used in connection with the skirt is shown. This consists of a piece of cloth, preferably made of cotton, cut

ICO

into a rectangular strip of proper width and length. This strip of fibrous material, E, is plaited into shirs or casings adapted to receive strips of steel or other elastic durable material of suitable length in proportion to the length of the casing-strip E, into which they are inserted, so as to permit the fabric of which the casing-strip E is composed to project several inches beyond the steel or other elastic strips, which latter are secured by sewing the ends of the shirs shut, and thus closing them to retain the springs in place. Several of the springs f may be used. The shirs in the casing-strip E are made about parallel to each other and proper distances apart, the number being graded to the dimension of the bustle.

The bustle is given a rearward projection by bending the steel or other elastic springs f somewhat, when the free projecting ends E of the casing-strip E are attached to a skirt in proper position to give prominence to articles of dress placed over it, and it is evident that the bustle may be secured by safety-pins or sewed upon the skirt, as may be desired. The several springs f may be given different de-' grees of prominence of projection, depending I upon the set or curvature of their bodies,

and this curvature may be so graded that the skirts of a dress placed over the bustle and underskirt upon which the bustle is attached will be gracefully projected and draped and supported in that manner. Change of prominence may be given by bending the bustle more or less when it is secured by its ends to the skirt.

When my improved form of skirt is used in connection with the bustle just described, I prefer to employ an additional spring, G, which is inserted in a casing in the skirt below the bustle, which is placed in the position usual to such appliances.

The use of an additional spring will aid in the support of heavy dresses and give a more decided rearward projection of a dress-train when the wearer is in an evening costume that is cut for a train or flowing skirt; or the bustle may be worn with any ordinary underskirt by its attachment thereon in the manner herein before specified.

Having fully described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- The combinatiomwith a skirt having a rear wardly-bulging portion, of a bustle formed independently of the skirt, and consisting, essentially, of a casing of flexible material having pockets and springs secured in said pockets,

the said casing having end flaps by which the bustle is removably secured to the bulging portion of the skirt, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

E ORY K. MILLER.

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