The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-04-12

surrounding ueighborhood Is now essen
italy the home Of the lady dressznaker.
~Nme. Ills" house in Grafton street Is
quite magnificent and the spacious draw
ing-rocns. where costumes and every vari-
ETY. of headgear are on show, are the envy
Of many London hostess. Nine. Noel
exhibits her dainty gowns and takes your
orders in q pretty little house in Davies
street, while Mrs. Cooper Oakley, Miss
Wilson Barrett and several others have
taken up their abodes in Bond street itself.
Some Of these ladies' provide their custom
ers with fragrant cups OF afternoon tea,
but against this innovation Lady Gran
vile Gordon resolutely set her face. For
one reason her rooms were not large, and
besides, from hints she dropped. imagine
she found il not entirely conducive 10 the
responsibility Of the business, IS the Wis
itors are frequently not confined 70 the
feminine gender
Would-be aristocratic dressmakers are
Obliged to take into consideration the fact
of many social privileges. The midday
ride or stroll in the park, the afternoon re-
ception. luncheon party, cosy chat at 5
O'Clock tea must perfOrce be given up,
while last, but not least, she must foreg0
the JOY Of attending her majesty's draw
ing-rooms. When told that the bonnet
shop would debar her from making her
to inquire into the truth Of the report and
received confirmation, softened. however,
by the assurance that as she was persons
any acquainted with royalty, If she made
. formal request she would probably re-
ceive the desired permission to attend.
But hitherto she has been too occupied to
avail herself of this exception in her favor,
a. - u \ Il g. r. -
time, be old enough TO be presented to her
sovereign, she win, if she still remains in
business, doubtless make the necessary
plea.
BY no means the least attractive win
dow in our most attractive of streets, is
that of Mrs. Cooper Oakley, who was
formerly known a. NINE. Estelle,n but
who in finding that this appellafion was .
very common one decided on trading in
her own name. She Is, / believe, the only
lady who does not use nom de plume, or,
Is l should more appropriately say, anon
d. aiguille. In spite of the fascination of
her window, however, fancy she has
not done too well, although she reports
herself as very successful, and attributes
the fortune she makes, not to her skill in
designing costumes, to her powers of crea-
ton. nor to her aptitude for business, but
TO her extreme mental culture. Mrs.
Cooper Oakley was for time an ardent
esoteric Buddhist and under this ire
violation" her business prospered
marvellously, though whether from
the benign influence of her Mahatma. or
from the fact that all other feminine dis
ciples of Mime. Blavatsky felt it their duty
lever, cannot tell. Certainly for while
things went very smoothly for the theo-
sophist dressmaker, but am afraid that
If We were TO attribute her success to the
workings of her Mahatma his power must
have failed, for internal squabbles in the
cult soon broke up these amicable rela-
tons, and the esoteric patronage was, at
any rate to some extent, Withdrawn.
Partners have come and gone in this BUSH
meas, the partnerships being usually of but
short duration. Indeed, gossip runners
that one lasted for less than week, at
the end of which time the fair miliiners
had stand-up fight with the ledgers.
In . pilgrimage down Bond street to the
numerous shrines of these devotees to the
art OF dressmaking. yo1 viii find door
you ascend to the resting place of these
latest recruits, you will be received by the
fair daughters of Wilson Barrett. A SUI
preme desire for occupation and love of
Independence have led these young ladies
to adopt the signlsof . needle and
thread. Until year or two ago, they
found their vocation in nursing an
invalid mother, the celebrated actress.
and their work was taken from them, idle
ness proved intolerable to their energetic
spirits, and they decided that they must
have something to do. and although they
have. only been in business for six months,
they have already as much work as they
can manage. It is q responsible position
for such young girls to take, and Miss
DA~ Dc. H. L. 4 -. 4
fore 10 O'Clock, while she is seldom able to
leave it before halfpast 6. But she de-
clares she does not mind the strain,
and glories In having her hands
full. One of her first efforts was
the dresses for 1.-THE Peoples Idol" the
piece with which Wilson Barrett opened
his new theater, and she also made the
costume for Miss Winifred Emery, as
Pauline, but she did not find. as / should
have imagined, that this was paying form
of advertisement, for In spite Of all the
complimentary notices which the papers
gave her, they have brought her no new
customers. .'Elita" complains that her
chief difficulty is with filters, who are as
hard to get as they are to keep. They
seem to be an independent race. and by no
means moderate in their demands. for
they are always sure of finding a situa-
ton. The young dressmaker, when m
search of q new hand, was told that
madame's terms were no less than six
guineas per week, in addition to which she
required her meals and wine, and on Miss
Barrett remarking that this was q great
deal to ask, she received the reply: "Not
at all. when you can get it,
But Notwithstanding the difficulties that
beset them, lady dressmakers are steadily
on the increase, and if they succeed, it Is
no longer on account of the novelty of the
notion, for that is now no inducement to
the would-be purchaser, but solely on ac-
count of the tastefulness of their designs
and the excellence OF their personally
superintended work.
ETHEL MACKENZIE McKKNSA.
THE MORTGAGE.
He hnafshf in 1865 r farm Of sx,anxs ana .Ae~..