Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-12-17
IN AINTEEs DRESSING ROOM.
what an Alleged Lady Reporter Was
able to See During an Interview

us Nine, Aimee imp said the Cbioago
Netcs female reporter at the door of f6e
star IN Haverly's Theatre, Friday,
am NINE. Aimee" she answered in a
PHEASANT but very hOarse voice. with an
inquiring glance at the scribe.
Indeed" she continued. when tho
proper explanation had been made. 81
no not dislike reporters. Please to come
IN and take seat, and if YOU will not
thlnk me rude l will make my toilet and
conversation together.v
When the interview took place Nine.
aimee was In neglgee, with long cameo
PINK cnlne SILK wrapper on, Her hair
was combed back from her forehead
ana hXed in tight coil at the back. She
mas round, full face, with pronounced
features, strong, white teeth. cold gray
eyes, clear, smooth complexion and a
clean, wholesome, healthy, Jersey Lily
kind of skin, suggestive of careful toilet.
temperance and repOse. She looks more
like German than a French woman. has
managed to keep wrinkles and crows feet
away and can pass for 80 any day. I'm
ike most actresses and singers, she keeps
no maid.
81 find them more of hindrance than
help. 1t is quite impossible to keep a
girl In good humOr, and when she is other
wise she is hot coal on my head. Be-
sides, can make my changes myself; |
Ill. L
know best what l ought to wear and how
l ought to wear it. l have man-servant
who has been with me eight years, who
tends TO my wants, looks after nv bills
and luggage, and can pack a trunk in ten
minutes better than dozen maids. Look
at those dresses hanging there; you see
they are not creased, and he knows Just
what want for every role, even down to
my fan and handkerchief"
There was only Onp chair in tho room,
and that being occupied by the writer,
she sat down in the top story of an open
trunk. Throwing her right foot over the
LETT knee she took off No. 3 shoe and a
crimson garter, ornamented with a big
bow of satin ribbon, and the loveliest rose
pink silk stocking eyes ever rested on.
And there was the irresistible Aimee in a
bare foOt-a foot as pink and soft as
an infants. She reached over for a bottle
OF lavender water, and, saturating one
end of towel, bathed her foot with the
fragrant toilet water and rubbed it dry
till the flesh was all aglOw, using her
bare hands to accelerate the circulation.
The pretty pink hose was replaced by a
navy blue silk, trimmed up the front,
from the toe halfway, with a crossbar
pattern done in the American colOrs; a
garter, the same color, secured it over
the knee, and the yellow French kid
slipper that she pulled over her foot di-
minished its apparent length One-fourth.
The left foot was then put through the
same treatment.
sob, always give my feet cologne
bath after l have been walking, and al
ways when L change my stockings. At
night | take a hot foot bath, which not
| only keeps the blood from my hands, but
| preserves the feet soft. Then you can i'm
agine how well l treat them when tell
| you that l change my stockings with
every change of costume, and each time l
| battle them with lavender"
"Oh yes; they are sensitive-so much
so that l cannot wear darned stockings or
rough shOes.''
"What do do with my stockings? At
| the first hole / give them to some chorus
| girl. Cost? Thirty francs pair-that is
/ So in your money-and | wear out five
dozen pairs every year"
Here she pulled off her pink silk wrap
| per and stood arrayed in a suit of white
| linen, looking for all the world like big
! French doll in dimity. 1t may interest
| the ladies to know that her pantalettes,
which scarcely covered her knees, We're
very tight and trimmed at the bottom with
eight inches of lace, headed with an in
serted band. Her chemse was long,
| straight and the very shape of parallel
ogram, with two little semicircles, for her
arms and a hole at the top for her neck.
! The garment was woven in one piece
armhOles, neck, embroidery and all. The
corset she put on would make modiste's
eyes dance, so superbly did it fit; nor was
it any ordinary bodice, either. The body
of cream-tinted satin was stiffened with
| 5000 bones, and as nicely made as a Gus
tom dress-coat, for not a stitch was visi-
BILE. Inside the top and bottom was faced
with narrow band of white plush and
an immense hook placed in front puzzled
the writer until she said: ''Oh, this is in
valuable; 1t keeps my skirts from run
ming up"
The next garment was an orange broad
cloth skirt, cut short and scant. over
which she gracefully draped a red flannel
shawl, using nothing but one common
safety-pin Tor the looping. On went a
blouse waist of white pressed flannel.
over which she buttOned a zouave Jacket
of red. A dilapidated yellow wig was
| pulled into shape, and pinned down over
a superior crop of hair; big, red cabbage
| rose was pinned on the front of a fiaring,
| brimmed hat, which, minus another yes
| tige of trimming, was fastened on her
! head with couple of yellow pins, and
| ''Bettina" was ready for the "MascOt."
While waiting for the curtain to go up,
Aimee was good enough to tell the re-
| porter how she manages to keep her youth
and health:
81 battle every morning in the year,
using cold water shower. diet princi-
| pally on rare beef and brown bread, avoid
| all pastries and hot bread, and care very
| little for fruits. l have bottle of claret
every day and take black coffee after each
meal. For supper L take crackers and
milk"
The dressing of Nine. Aimee is certainly
remarkable, as eacn costume is matched
with undertaking, stockings, CATERS
| and shoes. She is partial to plain cOlors,
/ and in a suit of blue brOadclOth wore
/ navy-blue petticoats, merines, stockings
| and garters. Her petticOats are made of
| surah lined with satin, and there is not
an inch of sham about one of them. One
/ black underskirt. worn with a fine
! brocaded velvet dress, was laid in knit
| pleats trimmed with two fine pleatings
and a ruffle of black Spanish lace, the
/ whole costing SIS. A peep into her trunk
| revealed glimpses of not less that seven
| teen suits of underclothes, each made
| of the finest kind of satin, and trimmed
as nicely as though intended for a short
party dress. Her corsets are countless,
| and include red, blue, green, yellow,
| violet, indigo, black, and all the fashion
/ able tintS in which a toilet might be made.
! Some were decorated with floss, fancy
stitching and hand embroidery, others
edged with lace, plush or chenille fringe,
| and the long silk lace in any one of them
was worth probably as much as the corset
1
| ject of stays Aimee seems to be thoroughly
| posted, for she is not only able to wear a
| $40 corset with every dress, but has a
man servant to lace them up.
Her night robes are in keeping with the
rest of her trousseau, being made of pom
gee, oil-boiled, surah silks, or crushable
satins, trimmed with shells of lace or
bands of swans down, and closed down
the front with bows of soft ribbon. All
are made with yoke and vatican pleat,
and many are supplemented with dainty
| little hood.
When she returned to the green-rOom to
dress for the third act she jumped out of
| her flannel skirts, dOnned a suit of white
satin, and after Jacques had laced her in
satin corset, he handed her a very novel
| little hustle, made of satin, filled with
feathers, highly perfumed with magnolia
rose, and tied with white cords. Mr..
Jacques assisted her in lacing up her
basque, and, man like, broke the string,
but quickly replaced it with a new lace.