The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-05-11
ECONOMY IN SWELL APPAREL

How 1t May BE Practiced and None BE
the Wiser.
"If you will promise never under any
circumstances to give me away | will
tell you great secret" said one of her
most fashionable friends to fashion
writer the other day.
Hope 1 may die, as the small boy
says" was the rejoinder.
well, then, only two of the gowns
have brought back from Paris were
really made by Worth. The rest are all
counterfeits"
Goodness! What do you mean?"
at is all the doing of my French
maid, Annette. She is awfullv sharp,
you know, and 1t was lucky thing for
me that l picked her up across the
water. There isn't any sharp dodge
that she is not up to, believe. But
the one l am going to tell you about
was really worth great deal of money
to me-"
81 am breathlesS"
"Well, you see, 1 had made up my
mind to get a number of real handsome
dresses but my husband declared that
the bill must not exceed one thousand
dollars, which he thought was very
liberal But, of course, as You know
very we'll, such a sum would not go
very far at the shop of a Partisan artist.
So had to try and figure things out
pretty closely. Annette came to the
rescue"
"With an idea?'
with a most valuable idea. She
suggested that should take her with
me when went to the dresSmakers
l decided to order two gowns, and
for that purpose l was going to the
shop to look at a number of sample
dresses These pattern gowns rs
they are called. are kept in stock to
show to customers, in order that the
latter may determine what they want
Preliminarily Annette put me through
a regular course of instruction. Said
she:
MADAME, there is way to manage
this sort of thing which is adopted BY
the most fashionable ladies. 1t is I'M
derstood that you bring your maid
with you in order that she may help
you with anything that has to be tried
on, and that you never allow any other
woman to assist with your apparel.
Now, you must be sure to look at as
many gowns as possible before coming
to decision, and when anything
strikes you favorably you must tell me.
Ofcourse it would not be possible that
you should do this openly, because the
dressmaker would perceive that we
nj fnr N
which to construct costumes at home.
That. you see, is the object we have in
view
"'But how can / tell you without
speaking?" 1 asked.
est is very simple, madame said
Annette. we must have a code of sig
mails. When you drop your handker-
chief it is to call my attention to the
hang of skirt You cough, and 1 un-
derstand that am to take notice of
sleeve You rub your nose, and that
conveys an order to ME that l shall fix
in my mind the trimming of a waist.
You may be very sure that l will for
get nothing. In this way 1 shall have
mental memoranda of everything that
pleases you most in the stock of the
costumer. As soon as we get home l
will put it all down on paper. You
know that am a skillful dressmaker,
and, being able to initiate whatever 1
see, l can make for you number of
gowns which will be admirable You
buy two costumes and you get dozen
or more. You have the benefit of all
the artists best suggestions and it will
do no harm to permit your friends to
suppose that all of the dresses are from
his atelier.'
well, my dear, 1 carried out the
plan in detail, and all the beautiful
gowns which you have just examined
were made at home by Annette and
myself, with the exception of the blua
and the gray. They are originals -
Washington Star.