The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-08-16
GOTHAM'S STYLES.
A Talk With the Woman Who Has Il
Reputation of Molding Them.

A Talk with the Woman Who Has the |
Reputation of Molding Them.
I have been talking dress this week
with a dressmaker. Don't be fright
ened. am not going to write a chap
ter on the styles, but I'm going to say
something about somebody who can
sway the fashion in feminine fabrics
and fancies by scratch of her head.
She's little old maid of a French
woman, and she has garretat the top
of house on Fifth avenue. She has
but few patrons for whom she makes
gowns, two of her best customers being
Fanny Davenport and Ada Rehan; but
there are several great New York
houses which receive their new ideas
of feminine wearing apparel from this
hard-featured little foreigner, and she
is an artist of acknowledged ability.
1t is treat to see her when she is
evolving new drapery or new effect
of some kind or other. Mademoiselle
has her models, the same as any other
artist, and they are flesh and blood, too,
mind you, and no dummy figures. She
| will stand one of the models in the mid
| die of her garret, arrayed in the gown
which is, perhaps, to inaugurate an en-
tirely new style in fashions realm, and
as she circles around the figure, just as
Indians in dime novels dance around
a victim tied to the stake, mademoi-
selle looks sharply at every portion
of her dress, and at the same
time scratches her head vigorously
with her fore-fnger. Ever and
anon she darts at the figure as eagles
are supposed to dart at their prey, and
with q little poke here, a little pinch
there, and small yank in several
places at once the drapery is arranged
in different way, and mademoiselle
begins her war dance anew and scratches
her head more vigorously than ever.
When the draperies and things are
finally arranged to her entire satisfac-
ton, the model must do the walking
about, while mademoiselle sits still on
a high stool, watches things closely,
and scratches her head. The model
must initiate lady walking on a rainy
day, getting into a cab, bending, bow
ing, and sometimes dancing; she must
manipulate a fan, arrange her coiffure
at the back of her head, and go through
other movements that display to ma
demoiselle the effect of her arrange
ment in every particular. Mademoi-
selle complained to me that she could
not copyright her new designs in dress
She sells them outright to two or three
, large establishments which make from
: fifty to five thousand or more gown:
from the design, which, if successful
} is copied by hundreds of other houses
without the formality of even asking
permission. Mademoiselle believes sh,
could retire in five years if dress de
sign copyright law was passed which
would allow her a royalty out of eacl
pattern sold of her inventions.
5 The little French lady remarked t.
me that the women of Washington
, dress in better taste than their sister
of New York and Boston. In New
York, she says, the women dres
, .'loud,n in Boston they are ''dowdies,
but in Washington they have notions Q
!, harmony and artistic elegance whic
l do them much credit. She also toll
l me that she is now making design
4 which contemplate the abolition of tha
S mysterious piece of impedimento, tn
1 hustle, at which announcement / al
v sure every body should rejoice and b
: glad.-N. Y. Letter.
The forest area of the island c
d Cuba, consisting of oak cedars, REQ