Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-09-30
SOME COSTLY DRESSES
GOWNS THAT MAKE 4 LARGE toI1
IN TIE eAisk ACCOUNT

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TO- !, ,h;x b<,-,p.,~ r~u,arksd HtfsA
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anksd BY rhor Who nave vnes eAiso -
let trade
The fact Is, though, - went On, '.thAs
our profits are not % very gpeat Rich peopis
Do NOS throw their money away any mors
than poor people 6ouss who have unlimited
wealth squeeze the price down TO the lase
penny, and every one Of our customers wants
10 know where the cost Of everything CONES
In, and few Of them ars over gsosrous IN a.
loving the margin Of profit ve have TO d.
pend on for our livelihood
They seldom consider the great expense
We are Qutlcf III thAk0t24nkk1B S<A SReeSeA&s
merts II we don't have fne estAblishnsentA
including reception room. dressing room
and what not. they viii not patroniss N
The appointments Of the place, too, they ex-
pect 10 be - luxurious - thoss OF their own
homes, and things in general must Be tn vnAs
they consider exquisite taste.
''S4-s thn<e curtains there, said the spsAkH.
pointing TO the pink and blue hangings af toe
window, made Of some sort Of oriental STUN
Well. they cost over three hundred dolArs
and | got them at bargain at that, ana
there is rug In the reception room Tor ~n,cn
paid so II costs sometoinG 70 Keep up
that sort Of thing
yet We are often told oy our cussomes'
that the prices asked are '0mp'y ouusSG
Jus, and that dressmaken who 90 woeS
for one-tenth the sum We rece've ges aaooS
we'll enough
"Do rich people ever try to cut down your
prieesf Inquired the reporter
''Do tbeys ! should say they d,d," Wa
the answer "hy, nave one customer
who gives me neadache the way sne
wrangies every time sne comes mere 70 ave
Is or $40 on dress for which she pays tnree
hundred ana some odd doiarA
But that woman doesn't niaxe ahytnih
out OF me, added the pretty oressniAkef.
with a Hash OF her dark eyes anu toss Oh
her head, because l Always ASK ner at least
$40 more than no any OF tne res' OF my
customers
GOLD DOLLAR FRINGE
is $SO common price 70 10 pau 'o' .
dressf asked the reporter. VINO Is man
and not up In snch thngx
On my yesi mol many evening gowns
or those used prlncipoiiy Ior carriage ~ea1'
belonging to wealthy LADIES' cost less than
that. Of course, they get dresses Tor ordi
nary street, anywhere from tluo 70 wv,
but their house gowns. which some regard
as the cheapest article OF female azure, are
frequently more expensive than their even
Ing costumes
II once heard OF a gown that could %
worn onl y In the house. costing one Of the
New YORK society ianies $i,SO did not
see 1t, though, and could not attempt 70 De
scribe 1t, but l know OF great many ma
ter1ais that might pe USED 70 make IL that
expensive
The most expensive dress ever saw was
made at "A cost t" the owner OF <l2,5O. 1t
was for evening wear There was nothing
very remarkable looking about 1t, either.
that is to any one who could not appreciate
the va!de Of the materials used 1t was
made OF embossed brocade With sweeping
train, and had the most expensive Of steel
trimmings 1t was not half 80 pretty to my
eye. though, as oneL saw worn by lady at
musicale that cost only 500. all told. My,
but wasn't that lovely dressi The striking
part Of it was Mary Stuart collar which
was fringed with real gold American dollars.
There must have been fully 20J Of these gold
pieces hole had been punched in them
and they dangled from a slight gold chain
that was cleverly corded at the edge Of the
collar
THE dress itself was Of heliotrope satin and
pink, and was made after the pattern Of all
dinner dresses.
DO you earn much more from making
those fancy dresses than you do those that
are palmer and less expensiver the dress
maker WAS asked.
Il don't believe we make any more" she
replied I've expend ever 70 much more
labor upon them. for which We are not ade
quateiy paid in comparison We make lit.
tie more than the ordinary profit, perhaps,
from the endless materials used, but the
amount we receive for making alone above
the price that is paid for making q common
dress don't think sufficient to compensate u
lfor the extra time we spend on q fancy COS
tume.'
ART IN THE BUSINESS
I'VE seldom get more than SO for the &C
tual making OF any dress, no matter what it,
total cost may be. We cannot charge any
more for making dreS that costs altogether
S70U than We can for one that costa but 500,
and we can get about the same price for max
ing an expensive outing gown upon which
there is not half 70 much work to do
"For making up cheap dresses, by that
mean dresses that cost complete from 500 to
500, we charge for making from ~ to $50
according to the style, and aside from the ar
tistic pleasure the dressinaker has in getting
tho beautifully expensive costumes ready. she
or he, think. would prefer the ordinary class
Of work
Now, perhaps, you think there is no art
in this business. but there ia great deal
too Any one without the artistic sense
ought not to he a dressmaker We have all
sorts Of forms to fit, and a poorly shaped
woman must he made to look well or her
clothes will he wasted upon her
MANY Of the finely formed women you see
without the empIoyment of Objectionable
articles For instance, when a woman is
very slim and fiat across the bust we insist
upon making nothing hut fancy waist for
her This can he puffed or shirred and drawn
90 nicely from her shoulders that she can b
made to look real sweet
"Tlien il she is hollow between the shout
ders very little properly arranged padding
in the dress will make her look plump and
II. 81. -.