Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-31
THE DOINGs OF WOMEN.
What Bonnets Cost-The Wants of
a Woman of Fashion.

Woman of Fashion.
From the Neao York Sun.
In recent letter upon the aristocracy
OF England, writer said that the English
women would be surprised to know that
the Americans, whose taste in dress is so
greatly admired over there, pay as high
as EGO or G25 for bonnet. That state
ment aroused the curiosity of many femi-
nine Sun readers. Who pays 500 or $l25
Tor bonnet? They did not know any
one who did, and yet it might be true.
But 1T seems it is not true. The most
fashionable milliner in New York says
so. She gets more for hats and bonnets
than any one else in town, so that her
word on the subject is final.
sit is absurd" she said. "We could
easily 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 dollars. We get $35 and sometimes
$40 for bonnet, but those prices are
mainly for imported ones. There's not
much money In an imported bonnet at
those figures. Take one that costs 100
francs in Paris; THAT'S $40. Add so per
cent duty; that's $40, or $50 in all. So that
when you take the risk OF its not pleasing
and your help and rent into consideration,
your profit is small. or course, all our
imported goods are from Paris. There's
nothing tasteful or pretty made for
women in London. They dress the men
well there, but women are obliged TO look
to Paris for styles.
"When woman pays $35 or $40 for a
bonnet she expects to get everything
the whole store. She pretends that she
ran get the ca ma thing FIR iaaa y1ouau in,
Sixth avenue, when even a man can see
the difference between bonnets here and
bonnets there. What makes the cost?
Oh, the quality of the velvet, the expen-
sive trimmings and feathers. Now here's
"a love- from Paris holding up a jaunty
bonnet of chocolate coored plush
trimmed with row of heavy jet beads
and with half of the russet-red tail feaih-
s eFs Of five re,n bird s 9t fd Para
1t is as good and as snowy, and as eX-
pensive as. any woman on the continent
has or can get. And it is too expensive
for most of them. They don't like to 60
above $25."
'I see all your hats and bonnets are
trimmed with feathers. Don't you feel
the effect of the Audubon movement for
the protection OF birds? l thought the
ladies were gong to get along without
causing the slaughter of birds for their
adOrnment."
''Do feel the movement? Guess do.
But what geese the women are. Now,
this very hat will be put aside by half q
dozen women in succession because it has
got the head and beak Of bird of para
disc among Its trimmings. ooh, we can't
buy that, with head OF poor little bird
on it, they say. And then they turn
around and buy hat with pair OF wings
or birds back or a breast ON it; just as
If bird might not just as well lose his
head as his tail or back or breast. But
there's never any reason in any of these
crazes. These Audubon women won't
bay 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
economical. They compare favorably
with the men in this respect. They may
pay $50 for bonnet, but they insist on
getting the worth of their money. s'Give
a man 500 and woman $780," said she,
sand see what each will do. The woman
will bring home a lot OF things. The man
will smoke up cigars, drink wine and get
up dinner for his friends. He will have
nothing left but a headache for bis
money" Whether this comparison be
true or not, the SUMS recent researches
into the fashions adopted by the ladies
this winter has revealed the fact that it
takes an enormous amount of money to
satisfy woman of fashion. 1t has been
found that bonnets come as high as $40,
sealskin sacques are bought every day for
$500 or 5000, and coats of Russian sable
are worn by ladies whose husbands paid
$4,000 for them. The tailor-made cloth
walking suits average 500 IN cost and
only form one in the series of four dresses
needed for a lady's daily changes. Her
afternoon home dress is likely to cost $75
or 800, her evening dress il in the height
OF fashion will cost $500 to $500, and she
needs a $25 wrapper to wear at her toilet
before breakfast, and wrapper
worth $50 to $50 to wear at break
fast. The Broadway shopping
establishments now keep on hand
silk underclothing at $35 a suit, chemises
at $50, skirts at $50 to $60,drawers at $35 to
$50, stockings at $l2 pair, and corsets.
"If Coal-0il Johnny were to come to life
again and try to throw fortune away, he
could not spend one half so much In Dress"
said a storekeeper the other day, "as it is
deemed necessary for rich woman TO
spend IL she wants to keep up to the
standard set by other wealthy women"