104 RIDING DRESS. 



the "hang "of such a garment will be hideous if its 

 cutter be not a true artist at his business, for a loose coat 

 is nothing if not graceful in outline. It is impossible 

 to tell, when seated on a wooden horse, how a loose 

 coat will hang w^hen ridden in, so the finishing touches, 

 such as pockets, &c., should never be made until the 

 wearer has tried the coat on her own horse, with a 

 critical friend to ride with her and tell her if any- 

 thing is amiss with it. The little extra trouble this 

 precaution may involve, is nothing as compared with 

 the disappointment of having to "put up" with an 

 ill-fitting garment. Some tailors have a Mayhew 

 saddle on their block horse for fitting skirts ; because 

 in that kind of saddle, the crutches give them no 

 trouble as regards " poking up " ; but if a lady uses a 

 saddle with ordinary crutches, she should be wary and 

 take her own saddle for the fitting of her skirt. There 

 are habit makers who recommend tight-fitting coats for 

 stout figures, because, they argue, the bulk is there and 

 must go somewhere ; but a deaf ear should be turned 

 to such arguments, as an ample figure should be 

 concealed ; not accentuated. Naturally these gentle- 

 men are prejudiced against loose coats, for apart from 

 the difficulty in making them, they cut into a much 

 larger amount of valuable cloth than tight-fitting 

 ones. Tailors will readily admit that this shaped 

 coat is the best for young girls, because tight-fitting 

 ones would give them too much of a "grown-up 

 appearance," but not for the stout girl, who has far 

 more need to conceal her " grown-up appearance " ! 



