Bodice

This is a bodice, made from coarse butter-yellow wool and trimmed with thin nutmeg-brown braid. The bodice sports puffed sleeves which taper into narrow cuffs, trimmed with a narrow pleat of burgundy grosgrain silk. Tall standing collar is partially sewn in on the left-hand side, with two eyes sewn in with brown thread. The collar’s free end comes to a decorative point. A hook is sewn onto the pointed end, which tucks into the upper eye on the left-hand side. The collar is lined on its interior side with blue and brown plaid silk, with a thin pleat of burgundy grosgrain silk tucked behind it. The front of the bodice is fitted with four darts (two on either side of the false shirt front, see below). The back of the bodice is similarly fitted with darts.

The bodice closes down the front-center with hooks and eyes; this closure is hidden by a false “shirt front”, made of self material. The shirt front has two pointed lapels, each trimmed in braid; the narrow, triangular opening between the lapels is layered in horizontal bands of braid, giving the appearance of a striped garment underneath. The right-hand lapel is sewn into the bodice, while the left-hand lapel connects to the bottom eye of the collar. The undersides of both lapels are lined in burgundy-colored grosgrain silk, with pieces of blue and brown plaid silk here and there. Two small pockets are sewn under this left-hand lapel—one made of blue and brown plaid silk (directly on the lapel’s underside), and one made of the yellow wool (tacked to the main bodice beneath the lapel). The underside of the shirt front is also lined with stiff white fabric, possibly buckram. 

Inside, the bodice is lined with white or pale gray cotton fabric. Two loops, made of glazed linen (see Skirt), are sewn into the seams at the armscyes. Wide selvages of the yellow wool are visible in the seams.

Skirt

This is a skirt, made from coarse butter-yellow wool and trimmed along its hemline with thin nutmeg-brown braid; it is slightly longer at the back than at the front. Narrow waistband made of glazed linen. The skirt is bell-shaped and gored, with a large panel at the front and two panels which sweep around to the back. An interesting, triangular “reverse yoke” (if you will) is sewn at the back, where the opening to the skirt is. The skirt closes via a hook and eye at the waistband; a wide placket (sewn from the wide fabric selvages) covers the opening below.

The skirt is lined throughout with glazed linen, with additional stiffened linen at the hemline where the braided trim is. Large swathes of the yellow wool appear to have been taken in as selvages at the center back seam. A paper tag bearing the name “Edith Cowan Martin” is sewn at the front, within the interior lining.

It’s not often you get a name associated with a garment, especially one as well-loved as this suit clearly was. This walking suit was once owned (and possibly worn) by Edith Cowan Martin; according to the United States Census Records, she was born in October 1886 to parents J. Albert and Marian Cowan, and grew up in Sadsburyville, PA. Edith would have been around 11-years-old when this walking suit was made.

Edith passed away in November 1967. According to her obituary, “[Edith] was born on the Cowan homestead and lived in Sadsburyville all her life. She was graduated from Parkesburg High School and West Chester State Normal School.” She was an active member of the Sadsburyville chapel (Sunday school teacher and member of the choir), and was a member of the Octorara Historical Society. The same obituary states Edith was “the original custodian of the Upper Octorara Historical Museum…[her hobbies] included nature, buttons, genealogy, quilts, stamps, coins and stones.”

I purchased this suit from Malena’s Vintage Boutique, located in Philadelphia, PA, in July 2025.

Notes

This walking suit was originally sold to me in one piece—the bodice and skirt were sewn together with brown thread, with the skirt’s back opening positioned on the left-hand front side. I believe this was a much later alteration made to the suit. As seen in the original “as-is” photos, the left-hand side of the skirt appears longer and more unbalanced than the right-hand side. This is because the person who sewed the bodice and skirt together failed to take into account that the back of the skirt was cut to be about two-three inches longer than the front. While the reason the bodice and skirt were initially sewn together is unknown, I made the decision to separate the skirt and bodice into two pieces, as they were (most likely) originally intended to be.

Resources

The October 1897 edition of the Standard Designer features a pattern description and illustration for a bodice and “three-piece skirt” of yellow wool trimmed in brown braid. This is the closest match I have found to an extant garment in contemporary fashion magazines. You can find it here: 

https://archive.org/details/1897-october-standard-designer/page/26/mode/2up