The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-03-15
A CHAT WITH WORTH.
HOW HE CREATES FASHIONS BY
CRAPlNG LIVING MODELS.

The Man MnI!ner Who Regulates the
Tournures of the World - Ob,tipate
Ladies' and Those who Are Wise-TeIe-
graphic Orders-Prices-Good Taste.
Today called on man who can do what
Bismarck or the pope would attempt in vain
that is, regulate the tournures of the world.
Mr.. Worth boasts neither crown nor sccpter.
but the feminine world cries amen to
whatever he may say. As | entered his es-
tablishment he was busy with some "new
creation explaining it TO half dozen fair
ladies dressed like 80 many enpresses. Worth
himself wore a short embroidered jacket,
capacious trousers, white flannel shirt
fastened at the throat with q loosely knotted
scarf and II brown Tam O'Shant'S cap.
Taking me into private room, he subs tilted
10 an interview most graciously.
"Those ladiesf he said, in reply to my
question. "They are some Of our dress
parade models. We have about ninety in
all who do nothing from morning till night
but try on fine clothes for the benefit Of
customers. You see, more than half the
time ladies who come here think they know
what they want, when they really do not.
There is where our saeSwomen show their
skill in convincing them Of their error. A
lady comes in, sees certain gown and i'm
mediately goes into raptures over IT, i want
one exactly lie that, shc will say. Perhaps
she Is told that the shade is unsuitable. that
her hair or complexion require something
quite different, that she could never wear so
large a pattern, etc, aud rs "A browning OBJ
iccton, the wished for gown is put ON a
model somewhat res, milling herself This
last argument is generally conclusive. But
sometimes these obstinate Indies persist, and
we have TO make upan unbecoming costume.
LADIES WHO ARE WISE.
"You ask if green is dilllcnlt color to
handle. Oh, no; no color is especially diff
cult if it is chosen in the proper shade and
with proper trimmings. However, that
choice is not always easy TO make, and taose
ladies arc wiscst who leave it entirely in our
hands By so doing they arc always better
pleased in the end, and the reputation Of the
house is sustained CAUTIOUSLY enough the
persons who realize this fact most clearly are
precisely those whom you might fancy the
most difficult to please. For example, IA tele-
gram comes from the empress of Russia:
Send mo dinner dress Nothing more.
We are left absolute freedom as TO style and
material.
"Of course it is difficult to get up at one
time 80 many dresses and make them all diff
ferent | remember 'qst winter receiving
letters from two New York society ladies
who we've angry because we had CHANGED to
send them both the same dress for the same
event It was a swell ball--perhaps 600 ladies
md "a TINT bnI f,,,.
nishcd certainly sixty dresses. Ouly think of
it--sixty state dresses, all TO be made Mt
short order and each one to be absolutely
uniquen
"Iow long does it take to fiji these tele-
graphic orders"
why, we usually want week, but, if
necessary, We can finish costume in twenty
four hours. We have had French ladies
order dress in the morning and dance in it
Mt night remember once making a gown
for the Empress Eugenie in three hours and
half. OF course such rapiditY would be
impossible if elaborate work was required
1t often takes weeks to complete an embroid-
cred gown. At the time of the coronation
OF the present emperor of Russia we had
girls working night and day for six weeks
on court train for the empress, which was
covered with magnificent embroidery in real
silver. That train alone cost ~, 900 francs,
and will be preserved in the state museum ms
u historical curiosity. Some years ago
Il Peruvian heiress paid us 40 900 francs for
n single gown, $4,000 francs being the cost
of the laccs alone, A few weeks ago we sold
II cloak for 5000 francs, of which 1000 went
for the fur
THE MAN MILLINER's PATRONS.
"Oh, yes; we count among our patrons the
ladies of all the courts in the civilized world,
that is, all with a single exception Queen
Victoria has never honored us with her pat
ronago, During the busy seasons we turn
out about 300 gowns and $50 cloaks a week.
We count two busy seasons year, from
Feb. Is 10 July, and from Aug Is to Decem- |
Der. August, September and November are |
the great American months, particularly |
September. We set great store by our Amer |
lean trade, although your countrywomen are |
not always the easiest to please.
Eyes, there are very decided differences in |
aste in different cities of the United States |
This depends ON many things, the part of
he country, the climate, the character of
he people, etc, My sons have Travelled
Ill over America, familiarizing themselves
With its varying conditions, so as to be able
10 adapt our work TO them. What would be
suitable in California would be out of place
in Ohio. Society women in New York would
not be satisfied with the greater simplicity
which peases Bostonans, and so on
~ suppose Your great superiority lies in
The skill with which you use these materials
after you have got Them" l threw in.
"Well, replied Mr. Worth, laughing, 1--WE
Ihink 50, Do you know how we make our
itylesi There is no designing in paper or
wood, and there are no drawings. You must
have living, breathing woman under the
10th in order TO get any good result. We
simply take pieces of muslin and drape them
about the models, turning and changing the
'olds for hours until we have worked ont
new. This something is a mode
If the future-that is, if it takes For
nerly, when we had the Empress Eugene
md tho court ladies as marked leaders of
ashton, II was comparatively easy TO intro
luce n change Now it takes longer. About
en- years ago, when We created gowns with
'uifed sleeves, the first season we sold only
hree or four of them, the second we sold
600 and the third they were manufactured
y the magasins du Louvre, and we were
bliged 10 stop selling them n-Clevela
iohett's Paris Letter.
The Latest Thing In Blinds.
4. q. |