St. Landry democrat., 1892-04-16
WORTH. THE DREssMAKER.

Worth has made dresses not only for
the royal ladies of Europe, but Tor the
queens of society both in Europe and the
United States, and for the queens OF the
foot-lights as well. His first royal GUS
toner was Donna Maria de Gloria,
Queen Regnant of Portugal. There is
scarcely princess married IN all Europe
outside of the ladies of the imper-
ial family of Germany, whose principles
forbid them from ever ordering anything
to be made in Paris-that does not have
a group of Worth toilettes included In
her trousseau. The Empress OF Russia
and the Queens of Italy and of Portugal
are his constant customers. One OF the
rooms in his beautiful home at Suresnes
has been fitted up as small theatre,
with tiny stage, and there Mesdames
Fayart and Croizette, and Others OF the
great actresses of France, have come to
90 through before HIM the new roles that
thew were about to create, so that he
might design for them dresses suited to
the attitudes and the gestures requlrei
by the characters they were to imperson-
ate, The first to consult him in this
way was the great Rachel when she was
preparing to appear in the only modern
society play in which she ever acted
namely, Lady Tartuffe. The establish
ment of the republic in France has
wrought no change in the prosperity OF
his house. There are always courts to
be adorned aud queens and princesses to
be dressed throughout the rest of Europe.
Poor, commonplace, penurlous Madame
Grevy never dreamed, | suppose, OF such
an extravaganza as a Worth toilette IN
all her life, but the wives of all the other
Presidents of France-M esdames Theirs,
Macmahon, and Carnot-have all been
numbered among his clients.
Despite his long career, Mr.. Worth Is
now but little past middle age. He IS
stout, genial, pleasant-looking gentle
man, with peculiarly low-toned voice,
and very quiet manners. He has never
been known to lose his patience with
even the most exacting and unreasonable
of customers; but if pressed too hard by
the caprices of any one OF them, he VIII
glide quietly away and leave her to find
out what she wants before trying to salts
fy her. He is not only the head of that
vast establishment but its soul and brain
and sinews as well. He creates the pat
tern dresses, orders materials and TRIM
mines to be manufactured, very often
from his own designs, and superlntends
in person all the delicate finishing details
of toilette, such as the shape and TRIM
ming of corsage, the tying of scarts or
of ribbons, and the placing OF artl1lclai
| flowers on the skirt. He excels IN com
bining colors, sweeping aside piece after
piece of silk till the exact union OF hues
| that is at once the most effective and
| the most artistic has been reached. tic
! studies the portraits of beauties and cele'
brated female personages of by-gone ages
to CLEAN ideas for new styles, as he oo
serves the blending of colors in the
plumage of birds or the petals of flow
ers or the accidental combination OF the
pale green Of young grass in the sprln99
| with the warm red of the earth ID
freshly plowed field. This last-namet
union of tints furnished him with al
idea for d strikingly effective toilette
He comes to his establishment from HI;
home at nine o'clock in the morning ,ano
remains there always until six, seldom
leaving before seven n the height OF tia
season. He is ably seconded by hi
Younger son, John Worth, who has in
| herited much of his fathers talent. Th
eldest son, CASTOR Worth, is the busl
ness manager of the house.-Harper
Bazaar.