Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-11-20

MARY Ross BANKS.
One Woman's Dress Album.
A dress album is now the popular
fad. / saw most interesting one
lately, one that had been kept for years
long before they became fashionable.
The owner is young bookkeeper, with
an artistic faculty, who Is always ex-
quisitely dressed on most moderate
salary.
Her album contains scraps Of nearly
every gown she has worn, from the
dainty baby dresses to her latest tailor
made gown.
my grandmother taught me when !
was a little thing to string pieces of my
dresses together with thread and needle"
she said, sand had always kept up the
custom till few years ago. when the
idea of lacking the scraps into an album
came into my mind, though l had never
heard of any ones doing So" and she
opened large scrap album to the first
page, where are pieces of the white baby
dresses, with scraps of delicate lace and
embroidery.
"Of course cannot remember these"
she said. my recollection begins with
this, which was favorite dress when a
child" pointing to pretty pink sprigged
lawn.
BY an odd blue and white plaid is
written: ''My first silk. Eighth birth
day." Then follows an array of school
girl dresses, each labeled with some
brief Renaissance or date.
One page is given up to scraps from
her wardrobe when she first went to
boarding school. Under light sum-
mer silk are the words, First trained
Dress" In pale blue wool she had her
First proposal. Declined" These sim
pie and pretty gowns eliminate in scraps
of india null and lace, which bear the
momentous date of Graduation"
The explanatory notes grow in inter
est after this. There are ball dresses
with initials Of senders Of bouquets; .
scrap from q riding habit with initials Of
escort; street and house dresses with
some piquant suggestion Of adventure or
interesting occurrence.
The dresses for q particular season
are grouped together under q heading,
Summer Tor winter) of 49," Then fol.
low the scraps with more elaborate notes.
Bits Of the trimming accompany each
gown, with brief descriptions of the style
in which it Is fashioned and name of
| modiste.
A violet strewn lawn has the simple
line: "June Is, 49,. n. L. accepted"
Under soft golden brown wool is writ
ten, Dearest of dresses, because H
loved It,"
Then comes a page of mourning gar
ments worn for the man whose wife she
was to have been, and for the father
whose dearest pleasure had been the
qualification of her every wish.
The dresses became less costly after
this, for she had been thrown upon her
own resources, like many petted child
of luxury, and by plain blue flannel
Is written, "First dress ! bought with
money had earned myself" The gowns
begin to be made over now. A seal brown
wool trimmed with velvet appears on
the next winters page in combination
with harmonizing stripe, while the vel
vet is used as collar, cuffs and revers on
lavender cashmere tea gown; but the
dresses are as tasteful and dainty as
when hundreds OF dollars were invested
in them.
A cheviot dress dates from the first
trip to the seashore; apale green evening
gown bears date Of a grand reception,
while here and there are noted names:
"Wore this when introduced to Mrs.
-" This to Sorosis dinner" 'sThis
when c. p. X. called"
There is more than one gown by which
Ia written the initials of some unfortu-
nate man with the terse legend, RE
jected"
"And when will you add the wedding
dressy l asked.
Never" she answered sadly, turning
back ten years to The dearest of dresses,
because H loved 1t"
JESSIE +. O'DoNNEIr.
Royal Persons Who Own Americas Land.
According TO the information and be-
lief of wide awake member Of the