St. Paul daily globe., 1893-02-27

'If took care of my clothes as many
people do" said self-supporting
yovng woman, IL should never baye a
thing fit to go out in. Here | am with
no more than one quarter as much
means to dress on as the most OF my
associates have, and l not only fiatter
myself, but know that L dress better
than any one of the number. To Go this
found it necessary to adopt special
course and follow it out uullinehngly.
and that often whether L really liked it
Dr. not.
''ln the first place, my everyday and
business dresses are almost all black.
buy about one dress year of some
really high-class black material. pre-
ferabIy Prlestley Henrietta cloth,
which is the most seryiceable OF all
black fabrics. | have this made hand
sOmely and i'll some rather conservative
way. This keep iOr Il sort Of second
best; then the last years dress Is made
over or reyamped in some way 10 make
it serviceaole. If it is well and care
fully done, it is to all intentS and pur-
poses as good as new dress, and the
number of lectures that | have had for
wearing such eXtraYagant clothes to
business is legion.
81 have arrived at that condition
where have a third Henrietta that [
call my Stormy-day dress. This always
goes on in bad weuther,or in spring and
fall when there is likelihood OF showers.
or danger Of mud splashes.
For dreSSy occasions | usually have
bengaline brOcade or some COlOred
goods of fine quality; and have just fin
ished a really elegant dress of black
satin-inished silk, with jet and en-
brOldery. | DO not average over two
dresses a year that cost above So.
81 am an enthusiastic advocate of
bargain counters-that is, respectable
ones. There are half dozen first class
stores in the city. in any one Of which
an intelligent purchaser may tiEd the
most admirable bargains. A pretty
batSte. gingham or chambray costs but
trihe, if judiciously bought; and to
do this do not rush into the store
on first exhibition day and select the
first one that takes my fancy. paving
the novelty price for it. but | wait
little, and when there is juStone pattern
left, or when the odd pieces are put
upon the bargain counter, to make room
III lllC IICAG III hOiNNs L lli'N S-At'NOAb hII0O
! want at about one-third of novelty
figures. These | make up with some
thing good and durable.
This is the beginning Of my pros
perity. Then take care of my clothes.
II il is dull or there are signs Of rain. |
make my calculations accordingly. and
wear what just looks as we'll for the Oc-
casiOn as my best dress, and, | feel sure.
commands more respect from those for
whose opinion i care. l know from my
own experience that when ! see WOm-
an caught in storm, with her best dress
ON, | feel Il sort of compacent pity for
her, and always find myself i'll self
cungratulatOry mood that, if my dress is
wet, it isn't my good dress.
Then, if ! am caught in storm, |
take care OF my garments as soon as |
get home. bang up my dress by the
braid, pinnng it out carefully in the
correct shane. smoothing the folds anu
rutiles, then pat out most Of the water
with Bit Of Old linen. When the skirt
is only partly dry, press the lining.
holding it in my hands instead OF rest
ing it on the board. When the lining
is all ironeu out, turn it over, then
press the outside by laying a thick cloth
over. A black dress that was dripping
wet tWo-tiiirds of the length Of the skirt
was restored to almost its first beauty
by little care IN pinning out and an
hours rather hard work, | must confess,
with the iron: but it paid.
Wraps that have been wet | button
up around a pillow or cushion, hanging
them up by the bar, such us tallOrs use
for hanging up coats. My millinery is
usually made of the very best materials
that | can buy. | have a bIack-velvet
bonnet that has been absolutely soaked
two or three times, but the velvet is so
thick and fine that | can shake the
water off and hang it up top-side down
with the feeling that it will come out
almost as good as new. My gloves put
on and allow them to dry on my hands,
carefully smoothing every portion Of
them, moving the fingers very gently,
so as not to stretch the kid, and patting
them until thoroughly dry. In dark
cOl0rs or tans one would never know
that they had been wet.
"And it is SO with almost every gar
ment. In the first place it is impera-
lively necessary that the material is
good; then it must be cared for immedi-
ately it is taken off. Don't put away
until the next day. 1t is altogether too
late then to do anything with them.
1--WE read pages and pages of talk
about economy in dress, but this, as a
rule, seems 10 be confined to buying
goods at low prices and getting them
made by inexperienced dreSsmakers.
THIS is not true economy in any sense.
and the sooner the averge woman learns
this the better it will be for her pocket
book"