A short-lived fashion introduced itself in the spring of 1805. ‘Several of our young dames of distinction …’, reported the Salisbury and Winchester Journal of April 1805, ‘now sport muslin trousers, under a white petticoat, short enough to exhibit them to full view. It is, however, a moot point at present, whether this new fashion be intended to conceal indifferent legs or to draw the gazers eye more attentively to good ones.’
