The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-10-18
Expensive Night Robes.


hair turned to the other lady by her side
and said with pleased smile:
''Isn't it beautiful, mammal"
Every. But it is very expensive"
Eyes, it is little expensive, but Just
see how perfect everything is. See the
cunning little pocket and the delicate
blue cord running down the sides. Oh,
I must have one like that" and the
young lady held the marvel of lace and
insertion at arms length and with head
perched bird-like on one side contem-
plated garment fit for queen.-or for
an American girl.
To the uninitiated male spectator the
apparel on exhibition appeared to be
very ornate ball.dress except that there
was no train and the intricacies of lace
and ruching seemed rather formless. A
whispered inquiry of the saleslady il
waiting as to the nature of the dress on
exhibition brought the low reply:
ut is q nocturne in night-dresses."
IA what?"
"A symphony in evening wrappers.
In plain English, it is beautiful night
gown, designed for New York BRIDE"
SIS it expensive?" -
"Not very. That one cost $125. We
have ew more costly, and quite
number equally ornate, but lesss valu-
able. This one is used as sample only.
When lady purchases such robe, she
has it made to order, as it is just as
necessary to guarantee perfect fit in
this class of goods as in costumes de-
signed for more public wear.
I but who purchases such expensive
night dresses? At first sight it appears
to be useless extravaganza to waste so
much money on garment seen by but
one person and worn only at night"
"You would be surprised" she said
with smile, sat the number of expen.
sive gowns sold. Now here, taking down
satin lined box and exposing its con-
tents, "this robe alone is worth $500,
nearly half As much as Worth dress.
Our best purchasers are. of course,
brides-that is, young girls on the eve
of marriage. No I don't think van
ity has great deal to do with the selec.
ton of such expensive night-dresses.
Every woman likes to appear well in the
eyes of her lord and it is as much COM
pliment to him as to hersalf to dress her.
self we'll for him alone Then, too, the
mothers of the girls are always anxious
that their daughters undergarments and
night-robes should be of the finest ma
terial. If bride is difficult to satisfy
at this counter. her mother is always
found infinitely more difficult"
"Are the finer robes imported?"
"Oh, no, we tried that plan for some
time, but it failed. Foreign dressmakers
appear to have no idea of what is re-
quired in an American night-dress.
They are SO accustomed to fitting the
full forms of their English, French and
German customers that they have lost
all faculty for properly draping the 1.-the,
willowy figure of the average American
girl. So we have these costumes made
up here. Much of the material is I'M
ported, however. This real lace about
the sleeves and filled in around the neck
and down the corsage is from Belgium,
and this edging about the skirt proper is
from France. The material is of domes.
tic production, and is the finest OF its
kind. See."
She lifted the garment tenderly and
held it at arms length. the soft material
falling in clinging folds to the floor.
Creamy white percale formed the back
ground for the display of q profusion of
delicate lace. Cut very decollete, the
opening was half concealed by downy
draperies of hand. made lace, and down
the front breadth the same material was
carried in graceful curves. The narrow
bands across the shoulders were enriched
with elaborate rosettes. doing away with
the necessity for sleeves. A cord of pale
pink traced the outlines of the figure to
the waist.
"Some of the night. dresses" explained
the saleslady, "are made with loose,
Gov ing sleeves iilled in with tulle, but
the majority are made low-necked and
sleeveless as this one is. 1t depends. of
course, entirely upon the personal pref
erence of the purchaser. If the bride is
the fortunate possessor of white, rounded
arms and shoulders OF which she is
proud, her choice falls naturally upon
the garment which best reveals those
charms. I have noticed that while
younger ladies select the sleeveless robe,
nine.tsnths of tho widows ask that the
sleeves be sewed in and give minute di-
rections upon this point" and carefully
refolding the garment she replaced it in
its box.
A request TO look at different colored
night-r0bes was met with plying smile,
and the information was rendered that
white alono was used in their manu-.
facture. Why this was so the saleslady
wss unable to say, further than that
white vas symbolic Of purity and in
nocence. "Why." she continued, I've
would drive prospective bride away by
the mere suggestion of any other hued