Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-05-06
A CHAT WITH WORTH.
HOW HE CREATES FASHIONS BY
DRAPiNG LIVING MODELS.

| The Man Miliiner Who Regulates the
! Ladies' and Those Who Are wise-reie-
| graphic Orders-Priccs-GoodT Taste.
Today called on a man who can do what
Bismarck or the pope would attempt in vain
that is, regulate the tournares Of the world.
Mr. Worth boasts neither crown nor scepter,
nut the feminine world cries Amen 10
whatever he may say As l entered his es-
| Enlistment he was busy with some new
| creation explaining it to half 8 dozen fair
ladies dressed like so many empresseS Worth
himself wore a short embroidered jacket,
capacious trousers, white flannel shirt
| fastened at the throat with loosely knotted
scarf and a brown Tam OShanter cap.
/ Taking me into private room, he submitted
/ 10 an interview most graciouSly.
These ladiesf' he said. in reply % 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 sec, mere than half the
time ladies who come here think they know
what they want, when they really do not.
/ There is where our saleswomen show their
!
lady comes in, sees certain gown and i'm
mediately goes into raptures over il Il want
one exactly like that, she 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 50
! large pattern, etc, and Is a crowning OBJ
7 lection, the wished for gown is put on q
model somewhat resembling herself This
last - lie l,af
I sometimes these obstinate lsdiesRersist, and
we have 10 make up an unbeocning costume.
LADIES WHO ARE WISE.
"You ask il green is difficult color To
handle Oh, no; no color is especially difIi-
cult if it is chosen IN the proper shade and
with proper trimmings However. that
choice is not always easy 60 make, and those
ladies are wisest who leave il entirely in our
hands. BY so doing they are always better
pleased in the end and the reputation Of thu
house is sustained CuriouSly enough the
persons who realize this fact most clearly ar
precisely those whom yea might fancy the
most difficult % please. For example, tele-
gram comes from the empress of Russia:
Send me a dinner dress Nothing more.
We are left absolute freedom as 10 style and
material
"Of course it is difficult 81 get up at one
time Sc many dresses and make them all dit
ferent | remember last winter receiving
letters FROM two New York society ladies
who were angry because we had chancod To
send them both the same dress for the same
event II was swell ball-perhaps coo ladies
present-and IN that number we had fur
nished certainly sixty dresses. Only think OF
it-sixty state dresses. all Ia be made at
Z = n -
uniquen
How long does it take to I'll these tele-
graphic ordersF'
why. usually want q week, but, IL
necessary, we can finish costume in twenty
four hours We have had French ladies
order a dress In the morning and dance in IL
at night. remember once making a gown
for the Empress Eugenie ia three hours and
half OF course such rapddity would bs
impossible IL elaborate work was required.
1t often takes sweeks TO complete an smbroid-
cred gown. At the time OF the coronation
OF the present emperor OF Russia wa had
girls working night and day for sin weeks
on a court train for the empress, which VIVA
covered with magnificent embroidery In real
silver That train alone cost 5000 francs,
| and viii be preserved in tie state MUSEUM ga
u nistOftCti SthfpAtl. Cplfio yFoIc az
Peruvian heirsss paid rs 10 900 francs for
single gown, IIs,ooo francs being the cost
Of the laces alone. A few weeks ago we sold
cloak for q, 900 francs, Of which 4, 90 vent
for the fur.
THE MAN MrLLISRR's PATRONS
"Oh, yes; We count among our patrons the
ladies of all tn. courts in the civilized world,
that is, all with a single exception Queen
Victoria has never honored us with her pat
ronage During the busy seasons We turn
out about $50 gowr.s and 10 cioaks a wesk.
We count two busy SEASONS a year, from
Feb. Is TO July, and from Aug. Is 10 Decern-
bcr August September and November aro
the great American months, particularly
September We set great store by oar Amer
ican trade, although your countrysomen ars
not always the eas,est TO please.
Yes, theirs are very decided differences IN
taste in different cities Of the United States.
This depends ON many things. The part Of
the country, the climate. the character ~
the people, etc. Ny sons have Travelled
all over Amorica, farniliaIiEing themselves
withfts varying conditions. - as 10 be abs
% adapt or work to-fhem. What would be
suitable inCalifornia-~ would be out OF place
IN Ohio. socisty women ia Ncw York would
not bs satssfied with the greater simplicity
which phrases Bostonisns, and 10 en-"
81 suppose pour great superiority lies I'm
the skiiI-vith which you pso tbess materials
after you hare got them" threw In
well" rsptssd Mr. Worth, laughing. "vs
think So Do YOU know ho~ mako our
stylesi There Is 10 designing IN paper or
wood, and there are no drawings You must
have living, breathing woman under Tho
cloth in order 90 get any god result We
simply take pieces u muslin ard dyape 1asn
about TIE models, turning and changing tic
folds for hours zuril we have voyksd out
something new. This soEDstt4ng Is q mode
Of the future-thss Ia, If = 'takes' For
merry, when W. bed TIE Enprsss EnTen8s
and tbs court ladies ar rshEtsd leaders II
fashion. !. vlS comparatively sa~y 70 intro
ducs q change. Wow !. sakes longer. About
ten year, ago, when vs created gowns with
puHed hlceyes ts1s fr~a season w- sold only
thTes OF four a them, sbs ssoond 80 sold
2,0oo, and The third they were manufactured
by the uayssins Gu Louvre. and we vers
obliged % stop ,ell;rg theEn- A-Cis Esl4ad
Noes.tz P&ris Letter.
C9rfu