Morning journal and courier., 1886-12-28
The Dofngs of Women.


 In 8 recent letter upon the sristocracy of England, writer said that the English wom- en would be surprised to know that the Americans, whose taste in dress is so greatly admired over there, pay as high as e20 or e25 for bonnet. That statement aroused the curiosity of many female Sun readers. Who pays $100 or $125 for bennett They did not know anyone who did, and yet it might be true. But it seems it is not true. The most fashionable milliner in New York says so. She gets more for hats and bon nets than anyone else in town, so that her word on the subject is final.
 ssIt is absurd" :" she said. s'We could easi- ly make hats and bonnets that would be worth that price, but no one would buy them. Do you know how much the most fashionable and wealthy ladies in town want to get their bonnets for? Twenty-Five dol lars Weget $35 and sometimes $40 for 8 bonnet, but those prices are mainly for inn ported ones. There's not much money in an imported bonnet at those figures. Take one that costs 100 francs in RNis; that's SEQ. Add fifty per cent. duty; that's $10, or $50 in all, So that when you take ths risk of it's not pleasing and your help and rent into consideration, your profit is small. Of course, all our imported goods are from Paris. There's nothing tasteful or pretty made for women in London. They dress the men we'll there, but women are obliged to look to Paris for styles.
 ''When a woman pays S35 or S40 for a bonnet she expects to get everything-the whole store She pretends shs can get the same thing for less money in Sixth avenue, when even a man can see the difference be- tween bonnets there. What makes the costl Oh, the quality of the velvet, the expensive r;, and "a love- from Paris (holding up a jaunty bon net of chocolate-colored plush trimmed with 6 row of heavy jet beads and half of the rus set-red tail feathers of bird of Paradise). I've refused $35 for it. It is as good and as showy and as expensive as sny woman on the continent has or can get. And it is too expensive for most of them. They don't like to go above $25."
 "I see all your hats and bonnets are trim med with feathers. Don't you feel the effect of the Audubon movement for the protection of birdsg I thought the ladies were going to get along without causing the slaughter of birds for their adornment."
 Do feel the movement? Guess I do. But what geese the women are. Now, this very hat will be put aside by half dozen women in succession because it has got the head of the beak of bird of paradise among it's trimmings. Oh, we can't buy that, with head of a poor little bird on it, they say. AnO then they buTn around dnu uuy Hat with pair of wings birds back or g breast on it. Just as if & bird might not just as well lose his head as his tail or back or breast But ther9's never any reason in any of these crazes. These Audubon women won't buy a hat not trimmed with feathers, but they insist that they shall have nothing else-no claws, beaks or heads"
 This milliner said that women are very ecemical. They compare favorably with the men in this respect. They may pay S25 for bonnet, but they insist on getting the worth of their money. "Give a man $10d and woman $100," said she, land see what each will do The woman will bring ap cigars, drink wine, and get up dinner for his friends He will have nothing left but headache for his money" Whether this comparison be true or not, the suns recent researches into the fashions adopted by the ladies this winter has revealed the fact that it takes enormous amount of money to satisfy woman of fashion. It has been found that bonnets come as high as $40, sealskin sacques are bought every day for $500 or $500, and coats of Russian sable are worn, by ladies whose husbands paid 1000 for them. The tailor-made cloth walking suits average $100 in cost and only form one in the series of four dresses needed for ladys daily changes. Her af- ternoon home dress is like to cost S75 or s100, her evening dress, if in the height of fashion. will cost $400 to $500, and she needs $25 wrapper to wear at her toilet before break fast and a wrapper worth $35 to S60 to wear at breakfast The Broadway shopping estab- lishments now keep on hand silk undercloth- ing at S35 suit, ehemises at S60, skirts at $50 to S60, drawers at S35 to $50, stockings at s12 a pair, and corsets.
 eff Goal Oil Johnny were to come to life again and try to throw fortune away, he could not spend one-half so much in dress, :" said storekeeper the other day, 'sas it is deemed necessary for a rich woman to spend if she wants to keep up to the standard set by other wealthy women."