The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-03-05
THE MAN MlLLINER.

A lady writing recently from Paris
rants something after the following fash
ion. Let it not be forgotten" she says,
1T the rsnovations that have recently
taken place in the costume of women
were not begun by women, but by men
whose names deserve to be attached to
that renovation; three men-three artists
in this sense-namely Worth, Aurelly,
Pingat. The first particularly, in open
ing to Paris special studios consecrated
to female dress, has done more III few
years to direct fashion, taste and comfort
com ined that the most renowned female
artists could do in century. Worth is
celebrated the world over, and he merits
to be. Nothing is wanted to his repata-
ton. He has been cut up, riaiculed and
envied-as many other inventors and men
of genius have wished to be. Of an in
vcntive mind, and, above all, careful of
grace and beauty, he has not allowed that
goddess, Fashion, ever inconstant, some
times ridiculous, to become absurd, as she
often is, in the sense of ugliness and de-
formity. With form before him and a
few yards of uff chosen with discretion,
and paper of pins, he invents, composes
and draws from his inspiration"
Now, no one will deny that Worth Mas
succeeded In producing some remarkable
costumes, but he certainly has not ex-
celled to such an extent as to call forth
such nauseatiRg praise. Nor is this
writer exceptional in her generosity. She
is only one of the great deludcd mass,
although it must he confessed that Worth
is more popular with the foreigner than
with the native-the deluded mass being
composed chiefly of Americans. The
American goes to him and is fleeced with
out the semblance of a protest. The
American has unbound faith. She will
receive from Worth with the most
gracious smile that which she would toss
aside with contempt were it offered hor
at the hands of Madame Demorest. The
way in which the American is cheated by
Worth is pitiful, and cheated more or less
she unavoidably is. In the first place
she is only transient, and in the second
place the time allotted for the making of
her dresses is necessarily limited. Where
one patron may return to make things
even with the gentleman dressmaker
there are hundreds of others who never
find it possible to do 80. They have will
fully and blindly squandered their money
and there is nothing else for them to do
but to bear their modification in silence.
It is an undeniable fact that American
ladies spend more money in the remak-
ing of garments which they bring home
from abroad than it would cost them to
buy especially beautiful Homogeneous.
The alterations to be made in the import
ed dress are without number. Worth
may be, indeed, world renowned, but
from "a few yards of stuff and paper of
pins'' it is no more possible for him to
accomplish wonderful feats than other
modistes. He may invent, compose
and draw from inspiration, out his dresses
are no more perfect than those made by
his less inspired sister dressmakers. Nor
is this gentleman modiste confined to
France. It prevails the world over wher.
ever the object exists. In every Instance
where man has donned the needle and
thimble, selected his few yards of stuff
and his paper OF pins, and turned his at
tention to turbelows of every description
he finds himself the object of unbounded
admiration and patronage. With cruel
ty and GOODNESS that is incomprehensible
the most sensible and kind-hearted of
women will withdraw their custom from
Mrs. Smith and transfer it to him. They
flock to him and are abused by him in a
way that is sufficient to destroy ones
faith in their soundness of mind. While
he grows rich from the proceeds of his
daily impositions, his sister dressmaker
grows poor. The failures of women
struggling for an honest livelihood
through the fundamentally of the needle
that have taken place Of late years owing
to the attachment Of dressmaking apart
ments to all our dry goods emporiums
have been without number, and the at
tendans misery beyond compute. And
the worst feature of the affair is that the
patronage of dressmaking establishments
is on the increase. Here and there,
scattered through this great city, are
fashionable lady dressmakers who are, if
not in an absolutely flourishing condition,
at least able to clear their way and live