, 1885-02-05
WOMAN AND HOME.
eREviTIEs, ITEMS AND PARAGRAPHS
CONCERNING THE FAIR SEX.
Beauty and Drszs-F Foreign Maid serv-
Enthusiastically Of ForsettinG Ar
tistic suecc@s-"An Understandings
DESERVING the costumsr.
IBAihmom AmeFicanl

|"AANNAA .ANAHNN &AAAHN i
"A romans street dress nowadays Is 20
near akin to the dress Of tho stage that the
business OF the costume establishments has
nearly died out remarked q prominent cos
tumer. You soc, the plain and simple
street dressing that characterized both men
and women Is no longer m ox~fstsnca, and the
establishments Chat warn cnco relied upon
10 furnish fancy costumes aro slowly but
surely becoming things Of the past Fashion
has done much TO bring this about. AZ
fashion demands q more gaudy or fAshy
dress, the business Of the costumer neoes-
snrily decreases. The Legitimate work
Of the costumer Is TO step In
between the plain and modest dross Of
everyday life and the magnificent apparel OF
the stage. Since. however. the plain style
Of street dress has boon swallowed up In a
more fnncifui and attractive habit, this work
has been on the decline. and tho costumor
has boon the loser. There are many street
dresses to-day that years ago would have
boen considered magnificent ball dressean
DO you attribute his decline In your
business simply TO a change in fashionf'
swell, as a general thing 1 do. The change
In fashion from a simple to Al extravngant
dress implies q more lavish expenditure OF
money on the part OF those who's purses pro
vide the dresses II thero should occur an
event that demands an extra dress, the
purse-strings, drawn already 10 their utmost
tension, cannot DO relied upon 70 meet the
now damand. Tho dresses worn by some
women In tho streets cost quite as much As
tho richest costumes that could DO selected
from my establishment A brilliant gathsr-
ing u today, where flock many woman gayly
and richly dressed Is but an ordinary occur
renee, where, years ago, the common folk
would stand on tiptoe 20 get even a peep
through the koyhole nt n ~richly-dr1sssd
woman. Even women themselves who move
In the highest circles OF society, are less
envious in this regard than were the women.
say, Of ten years ngo. Then a woman would
strive 70 do hcr utmost TO outshino her RIVAL.
Hence an appeal would be made 10 tho kkill
Of the costuner. Now. hat the magnificent
dressing of tho woman has become a matter
even Of street observation, the rivalry has
died out. and to DO in the fashion on the
street Is almost 10 be IN the fashion al the
most brilliant gathering OF society.
TO give an illustration OF the decrease in
business; To-day I am called upon to pro
pare fivu dresses, whore eight or ten years
ago l would think business dull II not called
upon 70 al orders for at least q dozen. It
used 10 be that every fashionable wedding
would furnish us many customers, but oven
this has run Its race, and the most brilliant
and exclusive weddings in Baltimore will
not send a single customer 20 the costumer.
Our main reliance Is pom the private par
tios that take place in high life. The men
and women who are permitted 10 attend
these must Of necessity mako some special
provisions Being naturally and daily
associated with rich dressing. they will
on a special occasion strive 10 appear In
some othor drees than the one worn in the
usual routine OF life. Hero Is whore the co.,
tuner comes in. The parties aro rich. and
no question about the price OF the dress Is
raised, and the costumer has things his own
way. Even this branch OF tho business Is
not as nourishing M II once was"
upon those occasions who generally arc
the best customersf'
why, they come from the very best so
ciety in the city. Bankers, lawyers, msr-
chants and professional mon in general
patronizo the costumer. The biggest bust
ness done In Baltimore in the way OF costum-
Ing was upon the occasion OF the Martha
Washington ton party some years ago.
Since thon tho more legitimate businss has
been fat 1891 -H Ri rIn4It