The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-15

darned in this way the stocking becomes
valuable piece of bric-a-brac.
For those interested in curious results
may add that the stockings worn by the
women in New York, If fastened together,
would make a row about 2. 900 miles lopg-a
row longer than the Atlantic cable. To
keep these 1000 miles of stockings in place
it requires about 400 miles Of garters
| The 500, 900 women and girls of the me-
! tropolis all wear garteIs, and il is not an
overestimate to allow two pairs each to
them in the year. Scores of thousands Of
them wear topsy garters. which is nothing
| more than torn strip OF cotton or flannel,
| and all those old ladies with antique no
tions. especially if they were born in the
country, tear the pink selveiRe off the fan
mol they buy for winter petticoats and other
| winter undergarments. A great many OF
them do not think that it is either lucky or
proper to wear any other kind of carriers
than those made from this selvedge.
| But this hardly affects the great garter
| trade now, which in the line of "notionsn Is
one Of the most important branches in Kew
| York city. Let me give what can be de-
duced from the actual commercial figures.
| Two pairs for each female, at the lowest
price, which is 10 cents, reaches the sum OF
| 100000 Nearly every female, big and
| little, with any preteusions to ''style" drops
into the notion store or ge eral dry goods
store and gets a pair of carriers, from 10
cents upward. The cheap ones are GEM
mon cotton elastic, but shop girls, factory
| girls and thousands of others fit up the
plain band with dainty bows and rosettes
of blue. pink, crimson and other colors CT
| silk ribbon.
While this general estimate holds good,
| there is to be counted at least z, 900 women,
including all varieties of actresses, who pay
from SO so to $50 and $50 pair for garters.
Average these at $40 each snd the bill be-
PYrk oS-fk Aaoo 20
not satisfied with mere gold buckles with
their many scores of designs and countless
monograms nor with the oxidiZed silver
| clasps at present 50 fashionable through the
| town for garter decoration, they must orna-
ment the clasps with diamonds, sapphires,
emeralds, rubies and even pearls. ] have
seen half a dozen pairs belonging to
favorite dancers and other actresses, the
clasps and setting ranging from $3.50 to
| $500 pair. Then great many of these
| women get the bands to match the colors of
their different suits Of underwear. Some
are primrose pink, turquoise blue, robin
egg blue, golden brown, seal brown and on
to ecru. All expensive garters are made of
| silk elastics, having on satin flowers or other
ornamentation, applique or raised work.
| Moreover, the fashion, in carriers is as
variable as in anything else Some are
| named after the different college colors and
worn by actresses and boarding school
misses alike according to their preferences
! for this or that college or this OF that tase
ball club.
| Another class of women with whom ex-
pensive and beautiful garters are fad are
the wives and daughters of some rich and
snowy folk, and even OF those not very
| snowy. Counting these thousands large
| garter dealer tells me that $50, COO Is a low
estimate to put to their account. In other
words. TO sum the total cost of carriers for
this city for one year the amount would not
be far short Of $250, 900. Tie them all to-
gether, the cotton and the flannel ones. the
plain elastic with the gorgeous bands, and
we have string about 400 miles long, that
is worth $25o,0O0I Why it would support
| 500 families of 1850 souls for yeari
Many thousands Of our New York women
will not wear elastic garters; it stops the
circulation and makes the lower part Of the
| leg unshapely. The same objection, though
in lesser degree. applies to elastic bands
Then the latter kind is constantly untying
or slipping down, which is the chief mark
| OF sloveniiness. For this reason the "sup-
| porter is largely used and is made at all
| prices, from the simple cotton band and
pendants TO the elaborate silk. with satin
applique and every ornaDentation that the
needle can devise The structure of these
conyeniences is belt passing around the
waist to which is attached V-shapad or other
kinds Of pendants, which grip the stocking
and hold it suugly up Ia place. Supporters
for children, without the belt, are sold for
10 cents, but those with the belt may run
from 30 cents to $50. With gold and silver
monogram clasps. and adorned with jewels.
they run up toprices almost fabulous. Just
to get an idea Of the garter rage in New
York it is only necessary to go into any
notion place from the little Bowery shop
up and you need but stop minute be-
fore the fashionable jewellers to have garters
staring you in the face.
There are hundreds of notices in use
among the wearers of expensive garters,
the most common being the device on the
English decoration of the Order Of the
Garter, Honi soft Qui naaI psnse.
| GYPSY ALCoTT.