I think it represents the seamstresses, the dressers, and then the laundry women who would have maintained clothes like this, who had tremendous amounts of work to do.
STEP 4 Shorten it to a cocktail dress or alter it into a blouse or simple skirt. If these projects are beyond your skill, hire a seamstress to do the alterations.
The signs along the road spoke of " The Oldest Centre for Abacus Classes" and " Glorious Ladies Tailors" , leaving me to wonder whether the glory lay with the ladies or their stitching.