A Garment Worn Inside Out - The Slipping Down of a Petticoat

There are many superstitions concerning wearing apparel, and one which may be considered both amusing and consoling, informs us that it is lucky to put on any article of clothing, especially stockings, inside out. On no account, however, must they be changed to the right way until bedtime, or the good luck will be lost.

It is useless, however, to put things on inside out on purpose, we must have done so by mistake for the charm to prove efficacious.

An illustration of this belief occurred when William the Conqueror, in arming himself before the battle of Hastings, inadvertently put on his shirt of mail back to front. His attendants were horrified, but the resourceful Norman appeased their fears by declaring that wrong way round was the equivalent of wrong side out; and the omen was thus a lucky one, and indicated that from a duke he was to be changed to a king.

It is embarrassing if any part of one's clothing becomes unfastened and slips off, but folk-lore comforts one with the belief that if the apron-string comes untied, or a petticoat slips down, it is a sure sign a lover is thinking of one.

There is a rural saying to the effect that, if a girl's petticoats are longer than her frock, it is an indication that she is more beloved by her father than by her mother, probably owing to the idea that the mother is somewhat negligent, or she would pay more attention to her child's dress.