And be quick about it! The leg of mutton sleeve began in the 1892/93 season and was all but exhausted by '96, so it was not in fashion for long; stories are told of women needing to pivot the upper torso to pass through doorways.

These four young ladies are at the Marsh studio on Tontine Street, Folkestone, England, c. 1896, and they are, as we might put it, pretty hot stuff!

The photographer has grouped them in an appropriately stylish triangular form, though he has gotten a little carried away in seating one in an unflatteringly low sitting position. He also failed to notice that the woman on the far right has her lace trim out of position (I'm sure she was not pleased); she and the one on the far left sport the more extreme cut – virtually the same pattern with very different trim but precisely the same embossed material (they may be sisters but it is not certain they are twins); the one in the center has already opted for the more feminine style that succeeded it. They all wear wide-brimmed hats piled with all the milliner had to offer. They did not buy either their dresses or hats off a rack – don't even suggest such a thing!