The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1882-03-17
WHOLE NO. 662
THE COST OF CLOTHES.
What IL Costs to Dress for the Stage--
Some "Star" Examples. ..
Washington Post.


Annie Louise Cary, modest in expendi-
ture, says that her wardrobe fer last year, al
though she Is not by any means the gorgeous
creature whom Worth dresses, cost $40, 900.
From that we might get starting point.
American actresses dress more extravagantly
than any women in the world. The foreign
ers who appear before the American public
usually come plainly dressed, but they are
made to understand that costuming Is part
of their art. Madame Gerster has been
wearing the same clothes ever since her first
appearance here; not that she is accused of
never having had a new dress, but she has
never had a new wardrobe. The cantatrice
and her husband are said to be prudent
pair, and Madame Etelke puts her money in
bank instead of wearing ii Oh her back.
At the Cincinnati opera festival Madame
Patti wore Nile green satin, embroidered
in Neil roses. She wore all of her diamonds,
and If she had been sold in lump, counting
the treasury Of her voice, she would have
been worth in the neighborhood of Sl,s00,-
600. Satin and diamonds were not always
the attire of Salvatore, PATHS daughter. In
days gone by when her voice, If not tech
nique, was as glorious as now, when she and
Vieuxtemps, who afterward reaped golden
harvests also, and reigned in Paris as the
greatest living violinist, with Amelia Patti
Strakosch, formed the little concert troupe
that travelled through provincial towns, poor
Adelina had but few gowns, and had to make
wore at her last appearance in Cincinnati
could not have cost less than $1,000, aud
stage wear is trying on clothes.
There is no more pathetic chapter in
Emma Abbott's early struggling career than
her efforts to make good stage appearance
with the poor muslins and cheap laces. There
has been silly attempt to cry down the
strong endeavors Of this artist whose work is
her conscience, but woman must have a
voice as well as will to face a concert room
as she has done in shabby clothes. Honor
the brave little singer!
Mrs. Florence is said to give carte blanche
are beautiful. The most thoroughly well
dressed woman on any stage was probably
the Polish actress, Madame Modjeska. She
had real genius for clothes. She had, in
deed, the delicate and striking beauty of Po-
lish women, and there were no defective
points to conceal. Her arms were long but
very beautiful. She dressed exquisitely in
public aud in private. Even during the dis
agreeableness of rough ocean voyage, she
was always marvelously well costumed. One
day, as she walked the deck when the wind
was blowing great guns-for she is notori-.
susly the best sailor on every ship on which
she travels-a gentleman remarked on the
serviceable simplicity of the dress she wore.
'' Mon Dieu," she said, "this seryiceable
cost me twelve hundred francs"
What the ornamental elegance cost her may
be left to the Imagination aud Worth.
Sara Bernhard, like Rachel, is extremely
difficult to dress, and no art in the world can
make her look we'll in full dress. The long,
rumpled Bernhardt gloves were invented to
COheSai bCf dLtChudJcu al LIS, VI ptdIlS
and diamonds cover her angular neck, but
her physical defects can not be CLOSED over
when she is in grand toilet.
As Sara Bernhard is too thin for full dress,
so Mile. Croizette, her rival, is too fat. Fan
ny Davenport, once the glory of the stage
has reached that point when
art has to be called in to make stout woman
look slim. She no longer wears the pretty
pale blue boys costume in "As You Like
It" that was so captivating ten years ago.
Now she is as sober as Jenny Wren herself;
but sombre browns and blacks do not alto
gether conceal her middle-aged embonpoint.
The inability to make over stage dresses is
one explanation of the excessive cost of
wardrobe for the boards. They are made
with double rows Of sewing and strong
seams. The various Paintings, fallings, and
get the waists out Of shape, the
trains become soiled and raveled, and at the
end Of the season thousand-dollar costume
is emily fit for the rag-bag.