The first mention of made-to-measure clothes in Eaton's mail-order catalogue was in 1893. They had "reached a high degree of excellence" by 1897, according to the caption on this page of fashions for spring and summer of that year. Dresses could be ordered with details of the required measurements. Several other pages were devoted to fabrics, many with a range of colours to chose from. Only the number of yards required is given here.
The costumes shown are for girls (number 10), for misses (number 21), and for ladies (numbers 5-8). The styles are all rather similar but note the difference in lengths for the different age groups.
The most interesting is the bicycling outfit. It consists of a blazer, a calf-length skirt which conceals a pair of matching breeches with attached gaiters, and a peaked cap. One could order the entire outfit or just the blazer and skirt. Not all women took to breeches for cycling and only the most daring wore them without a skirt, certainly not the ladies of the Peterborough (Ontario) Cycling Club. A photograph, taken in the 1890s, shows them all wearing skirts. There is a cotton bicycling skirt and matching breeches in the Royal Ontario Museum. It was worn in Toronto in the 18905. A mannish shirt-waist with bow tie, and a little straw hat would complete the outfit.
