The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-04-27
WHAT the Wives at Washington
Love to Wear.
TROUSERS ARE WORN ON THE SLY
How Dresses are Ruined at White House Re.
ceptions-The Opera CIoaks Affected
by Washington Bellies.

Mrs. President Harrison likes all the
shades of mauve and heliotrope, although
she looks prett:er in white than in anything
else. The richest toilet in her wardrobe is
of heliotrope velvet its heavy gorgecIsness
relieved by front of white silk covered
with pearl strands and outlined against the
velvet with closely -curled ostrich feathers
The front Of the bodice is wonderfully
pretty with its folds of velvet brought from
the right shoulder, meeting similar folds of
faille from the left, which have garniture
OF the ostrich tips, two of which are inter
twlned on the left shoulder into French
knot. On the right shoulder is knot of
velvet, for the mode demands two shoulder
knots of entirely different material. The
gown is made with half-sleeves and is so
arranged in the front that it can be worn
either for afternoon or evening. For the
afternoon Mrs. Harrison puts in masses of
white silk tulle, while for dinner and even
Ing she wears 1t semi decollette.
HOW WHITE HOUSE RECEPTIONS RUIN
DRESSES.
Few people guess the effect that one
evenings wearing has on handsome toilet
They see the mistress of the White House
standing IN line for an hour or two, her
rich dress fresh and elegant and never
dream that when she takes it off her maid
will raise her hands in horror at the ruin
of that one short evening From hem
fully half yard up the back, dirt is in
grained so that the train has either to be
turned or sent TO the cleaners whence in
comes spotless but with soft fuzz on its
surface that makes it all the more suscep-
tlble to dust. State dinners are the most
rulnous on clothes, for in spite of every pre-
caution the floors in the East room are lit
orally loaded with dust from the plants
which I'LL the room at that time. As
there is only day and half given to the
work of decoration the dust has no time to
settle before the last sweeping, and it Ger
talnly is sight TO see the handsome
dresses after they trail through the big par
Tor down the corridor to the dining room.
Many woman has shed barrel of tears
over the havoc wrought by her first state
dinner. Mrs Harrison's maid Josephine
takes entire charge of her wardrobe. She
stays up to undress her mistress after any
entertainment and if it is apt to be very
Late lies down and takes a nap with her
clothes on, being ready for her duties as
soon as her mistress appears She hangs
the gowns in the press for the night, and
about the first sight one sees in the morn
ing is Josephine busting through the rooms
with the dress slung over her arm lament
ing its ruin. She takes it to her little room,
goes over the ground with the skill of
veteran and always does one of three
things. If not past hope she gives it dry
cleaning. Ii that is futile she shows it to
Mrs Harrison and asks her advice about
sending it to the cleaner, and if it has al
ready been TO that worthy she sits down at
once and turns the train which is usually the
only part the least bit soiled Fortunately
ha IS . ne Ia hafo
tress of the White House took her for
maid she sewed in the Harrison family in
Indianapolis for dozen years.
THE TASTES OF MRS. MORTON AND MRS.
wASAMAKER.
That glorious color, Venetian red, seems
TO please Mrs. Morton's eye above all other
shades in the spectrum, and she wears it in
dinner and reception gowns. One sees it
IN her parlor carpets, in her buffers west
cut, and i'll the wheels of her carbriolet
her landau and her daughters T cart
That she has always fancied it is shown by
the Bonnat portrait of her which hangs in
her library and which was painted several
years ago when she was IN Paris. She is
here represented in robe of this same
color and the texture Of the velvet which
is the material of the gown is warmly re-
produced against the white skin That her
taste Tor dress is as permanent as her love
for certain color is proved by the fact
that the gown in the picture is almost ex-
actly OF the style worn this winter, cut
grounded from shoulder TO shoulder, the
narrow sleeves falling below the shoulder
points, very little trimming being used
the whole thing depending for its peculiarly
elegant effect on the richness OF the color
ana the material. 1t is hard to say which
is the prettiest gown in her wardrobe, al
though toilet OF lusterless white silk
heavily garnished with pearl embroidery,
has eceived highest praise.
Mrs. Wanamaker likes the Quaker shades
while her winsome daughter Minnie has a
leaning toward the fairly tintiess art
shades OF blue and pink. The toilet which
s the sweetest in her whole wardrobe is
also the least expensive. Any girl in the
land could have it although her whole in
come might not be equal TO Miss Wanna
makers months pin money. 1t is white
French foulard with little sprigs of pale
blue for get me nots and is made just like a
d bahy's dress. The skirts are long and
straight and the waist, which is not quite
as short as fashionable girls have lately
been wearing them, had bib or yoke back
and front of genuine Irish point lace, which
doubtless cost ten tunes as much as the
material o, the dress and which the girl
with 50 dollars to spend for the whole gown
might initiate with any soft creamy EN-
broidery. Miss Wanamaker wore this
breakfast, which connoisseurs pronounce
the prettiest thing ever given in Washing
ton.
Heliotrope might almost be called the
administration color, for besides the Presi-
dents wife, i have noticed violet gowns
on Mrs. Window, Mrs. Wanamal1er. Mrs
Miller and Mrs. Noble although tie last
artistic lady wears ruby red so often that
one might easily conclude that it was her
favorite color. She has wonderfully rich
carriage toilets and one that she wore at
Mrs. Harrison's last Saturday afternoon
reception was of mahogany led broadcloth,
lightest weight, embroidered from hem to
waist in gold threads as fine and close as
one sees in Cloisonne vase. 1t was made
longer than street dress and lay for a
quarter of az inch on the ground. The bon
net was modish one of fine straw, the
color of the gown, and had nothing on it
but an Alsatian bow Of velvet.
NOTED TOILET IN BLACK
The quaintest frocl1 OF this whole winter
OF gaieties was worn by Mrs. John King, of
Philadelphia, who was a guest of Mrs.
Eugene Hale for month. She is widow
and perhaps people admired her the more
because her life covered most touching
tragedy. Six years ago she was one of the
Quaker City most admired young married
women. She lived with her husband and
three lovely little daughters in fashion
able hotel, the destruction of which by fire
startled the weird few years ago. Her
departments were in the fourth story and
when she was awakened her room had
already filed with smoke. Calling her
husband to follow she snatched her baby
from its cradle, ran TO the window and
leaped to the ground When she recovered
she found that her husband and two child
rem had been burned and that all that was
left to her was the child whom she had sa