Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-05

ladies are about to be brought Iortn- Dc
fore they are displayed to vulgar eyes VIII
give you peep at them as they hang in thell
mistresses' closets and chests of cedar. Tht
bic boxes fairly bulge out with velvets, satln:
and laces, for although the season Is Just De
ginning every woman here has her full Waro
robe. VelTets and diamopds seem to be the
ADMINISTRATIONS rule, and many distinguishes
dOwageF will dazzle a Worshiptul puOllo a.
WilIfe House and Cabinet house receptions.
Every gown Mrs Harrison or her daughter,
Mrs Mckee will wear has been made IN New
York by the man who composed thelf lhaus u
ration toilets. Not scrap will Mrs. vice fres
ident Morton OF Mrs Postmaster General wan
amaker put on that was not purchasedln IN farls
Even their boots, gloves and hosiery were
bought there. Mrs. Secretary Blame mas u'
yided her custom between Farls anu ,N... Nem
York, and she is described by a friend as always
buying the best no matter If the arucle Is .
kerchief. Mrs. Window, Mrs. Noble and Mrs
Wilmerding have done q pile OF shopping ~
New York and everything promises well Ior
the glory of the first season OF the HARRISON
social regime.
There Is more toggery worn at the capital of
winter than in any other city, but this year
every woman who will be prominent has al
least half a dozen new gowns.
Mrs. Benjamin Harrison was arranging 1or
her winters reception toilets when her sister
died and of course, then, she gave no more
thought TO them, but Mrs. Morton has ~ pTan
new ones Mrs. Blaine has half as many, and
Mrs. Wanamaker's wardrobe shows full
dozen. Some of the rich Senators wives have
more. Mrs. StOekbridge, OF Michigan has 70:
daY hanging up, wrapped In sheets, IS gowns, OF
which she has worn no more than SIX. Then
the diamonds-a 81 000, 600 could hardly buy the
Jewel cases that will be opened in W Washington
this winter. At diplomatic reception at the
White House. there will be $780, 600 represented
in gems. Take a group who will be apt to
stand together in any drawing room, Mrs. Nor
ton, Mrs R. r. Hit, Mrs. John Hay and Mrs.
Letter, why the four of them would sell Tor as
many hundred thousand dollars. If Mesdames
Senator Stamford and Stockbrldge should
stand opposite them they would just about bal
ance in worth, for the last two have as many
gems as the first four.
MRS. PRESIDENT HARRIsoN'S TOILETS.
Mrs. Benjamin Harrison has fancy for the
violet, heliotrope and mauve shades, and they
are the colors she Will wear this winter when
she resumes her place at the State receptions.
Not only is she fond Of violet and its lower
tones. but she especially demands that they be
executed in velvet or crepe fabrics, as she
claims that nothing else properly represents
the colors of the pansy. One marvellous gown
that she had made in New York before Mrs.
Scott-Lord's death is of silk velvet that has
lilac tint in the day and is rich helloTope at
night, She had intended TO chrlSten II by wear
ing it az the opening Of the Chicago Auditor
ium. but as she did not go il still lies sWaddled
in tissue papers in 6x4 foot cedar chest OF
which the White House boasts.
Few know how much a Presidents wife has
TO nav for her gowns. Mrs. Harrison arranged
for carriage and house dress the other day at
down town store. 1t was the simplest thing
in the world. Just dark blue cloth, with a mar
row pin stripe of black to be made up without
the slightest trimming. 1t came home fitted
like glove, was trim and taut, and gave her
the figure of q woman under 30 The bill that
came with it, if you please, was Sl25 for ma
teriai making and findings. The same sort Of
dress a woman of ordinary position would eX-
pect 10 get for $40 to So 1t is true that 1t was
made on the lightest Of silk and was boned so
disereetly that the body could be turned inside
out and not show sign of a make up. Every
thing else the Presidents wife purchases is of
the same high price. She must pay pretty
sum for gloves and shoes, as she is very fastid-
iOus about both. Her shoes are all made to
order, and. upon the honor of her maker the
last used is size 8, width c. A dainty foot. and
its owner will never have it encased in anything
but black shoes although for light wearing
costumes she follows the rad, and has her slip
per Of the color Of the gown.
Elegant women have all sorts Of caprices
about their clothes. Mrs. Harrison is fastidious
about her foot gear. Mrs. Wan2maker would
wear print dress rather than dispense with
dainty, handmade under clothing, and Mrs.
Morton considers glorious costume wasted if
the gloves are off in tone or fit
AS a result of these views, the Vice Presi-
dents wife is always the best glOved woman in
any assembly. She has purchased boxes of
them each year from Paris firm who served
her when the Vice President was Minister to
France. They are suede and very light tan in
color
20 DRESSES AT $1,000 APIECE.
tits easy to tell why Mrs. Morton need give
no thought to her costumes, as NJ Worth is
their composer There is a seductive tale afioat
that she has 20 that have never been taken from
their wrappings, ten for carriages and day wear
and ten regal reception robes. 1t is said the
bill Worth rendered was so, 900, as he selected,
planned and made every one of them. One
thousand dollars per gown distances all compe-
tition IL modest Washington, and Mrs. Morton
will be the best-dressed as well as the hand
soonest woman in the administration. She is
not bit afraid of colors, and in many Of her
costumes she even touches on the startling
shades of red and daffodil yellow. She can do
it, as her arms aud throat are like snow; her
face has soft tinge Of pink at night, her
eyes are dark and her hair of an irOn-gray
color all of which features will suffer any color
In dress
Mrs. Morton has liking for furs. especially
seals and otter. and the two are introduced
into her evening as well as her day costumes.
One gown she has already worn was rich
venetian red brocade buried in masses Of silk
net of the same dazzling color. All her bodies
are cut heart-shaped and with straps that fol-
Low the line OF the BODY. thereby falling from
the shoulder point In this red gown the
heart-shaped effect was exquisitely produced
by close folds of the soft net. What jewels did
she wear with such dazzling costume? Pearls
OF course, As OldInO0QS WOuiQ make 1t TOO
flaming. Her fill throat was wound around
with necklace formed of six strands of
pearls. In Jewels Mrs. Morton deies omens,
and wears fire opals great deal. One opal
ring that she constantly wears is of the shape
and size of Lord Byron's famous thumb nail
and is surrounded with crest of diamonds
anyone of which would set solitaire ring for q
person Of modest tastes.
One of Mrs. Morton's opera cloaks is rayed
over as sweet thing. 1t is Of white broadcloth
very long, lined with rose pink. slashed up the
back and fairly embedded in crinkly Angora
fur Her gowns bring up the hustle question
Not one of them but has a roll or two of hair
tuffed cloth secreted IN the drapery at the
waist. 1t is true they slope some, but they are
tih bustes. 1t is only slim debutantes who can
10 without them, and every woman over 25 here
Itlll clings to the hustle. Mrs. Harrison never
IFopped them, although both her daughter and
aughter-in-law did for time.
BLACK SILK AND THREAD LACE.
Mrs Wanamaker likes thread lace. in text
ure, hlB like and in color, black. As she is a
woman OF few caprices she can afford TO satisfy
this one in full. She is a woman out of the or
dinary anyway. She likes engravings better
than oolor-paintings, shivers little at the too
white glare of diamonds and would rather don
black robe covered with cob-web of black
thread lace than all the superb gowns in her
wardrobe. Her nature is toned to fine issues
and no garish touch will be seen in any
thing Mrs. Wanamaker does or wears this
winter. Think of it, a woman with her
wealth does not like diamonds. She has them
by the peck but she never bought the smallest
stone for herself or her children. The strain of
Quaker in her blood makes all blazon and blare
distasteful to her. Her jewel case contains
necklace Of matched stones which Mr. Wana-
maker purchased when abroad. earrings formed
of gems exactly like those in the necklace and
bracelets butterflies, aigrettes and bonnet pins
galore. Only one piece does she often select
from her collection, and that is a superb pair of
earrings presented to her by her father shortly
before his death. Although she never wears
bracelets and rarely a necklace, she always
wears a finger ring formed of an immense
dusky sapphire buried in crown Of tiny dia-
monds. She has a fondness for the almost
translucent blne OF that stone
Everything about Mrs. Wanamaker's ward