Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-07-07
THE COURT DRESSMAKERS,
What II Costs to Run a Pretentious
Establishment.
TWO THOUSAND DOLLAR DRESS


LONDON. June rs.
What does a court dressmaker's es-
4 Enlistment cost to keep upg said
fashionable Bond street couturiere, re-
4 peating my question. Well, cases vary
4 notwithstanding to the class
of business done. There are many
and very heavy expenses. and some
OF the heaviest are incurrir~ from the
first moment of establishing bust
ness. and have to be met even II the
! dressmaker has not a single customer
Rent. for Instance. ranging from $1,000
to $4,000 a year.
Perhaps the best way 10 give you
an idea of the expenses is to state
the taets Of my own case. The rent
of these premises. about the best for
my purpose in Bond street. IS $500 a
year, To this you must add the rates
ana taxes. Then very important
( Item Is the filters salary. which may
De anything between $1,000 and $500 a
! year. You cannot get really compe-
tent woman for less than $500. NV
inter has been with me ever since 1
! started, and Is worth considerably
more to me than the $3.50 | pay her
can confidently say she is the best
| ntter IN London. 1t Is very great
thing IL couturicre can Mt well her
SELF, for In setting up her establish
| ment she can save the rtter's salary,
though she would have to have one
as soon as the business began TO ex-
tend, / confess cannot ut customers,
and the deficiency cost me, as | have
! said $3.50 for the first two years I
| was IN business, as all the orders /
had ! could very wen have managed
Bodice hands have to be competent
women, too, OF course. and you have to
pay well for competence nowadays
a good bodice hand receives from IS
| 10 $40 week, and / have four or five
IN constant employment Thon. the
| skirt hands get from 81 to 81 n week,
and In the season l have had "a many
as fourteen working for mo. There are
other girls who do odd Jobs, such as
trimming and button-sewing. they are
the most poorly paid-S3 TO S.
Besides all this, have To provide all
| the hands with dinner and tea, as they
all work on the promises This Is not
q matter too small FOR consideration,
| can tell you for those who work can
eat. and am sure they make their din
ner do for breakfast and dinner, and
their tea for tea and supper
There Is yet another detail. I fub-
scribe TO all the best Paris fashion
journals, and have an artist In that
gay city who draws for me special
sketches Of the very latest dresscs
These two small matters often cost me
$3.50 year; never less than $3.50
No, I've not done yet, ! frequently
run over TO Paris to buy models
| Models are very expensive articles. in
deed. Sometimes / sell them, some.
| times | do not. Even when | do pcll
them never realize the sum paid for
them, much less make a profit, And
my travelling expenses are not beneath
consideration.
Nearly all OF these expenses are in
CURED before one can 30 much as
dream of profit.
Yes. Of course. there is another side
TO the question. l am not crying down
my business, only giving you the facts.
Many OF my customers accuse me of
charging high prices for my dresses;
but. as 1 tell them, i am Obliged TO
pay my way and make a fair profit as
a return for the long credit l give, |
did not set up In business here as
philanthroplst but as u court dress
maker. / charge from S55 to s7b for II
walking costume, and $50 TO 500 for IA
dinner dress, unless II is elaborate.
then It is more. Ball dresses and pre-
lsentatiOn dresses cost anything.
The most expensive dress have
made was a ball dress made TO the
order OF one OF the best-known leaders
OF society, and It's price was a little
over $4,000, and the sum was nearly all
spent upon lace.
/ have, OF course made dresses ,hnt
We're worth more when finished For
instance, i made one for a drawing
| ROOM lNO 9thTh uBot winch nnu SlbU1
worth of pearls embroidered on the
front of the skirt and bodice. But the
dress itself was not worth more than
$3.50, and 1 frequently make dresses
at that price.
There are a hundred and one ways
by which woman may earn a living
for herself nowadays. One OF the most
recent is that of well-connected ladies'
running nurseries for children Of the
middle-class whose parents are COM
PEELED to live abroad A creche of this
kind in the West End Is said TO be
bringing In n good deal of money for
Its lucky inventor. Another lady earns
$3.50 n year by lecturing 10 the poor on
health and sanitary laws. while many
women are making good living by
keeping pets, etc.
Recently a number Of ladies' have
been engaged In decorating tine tables
OF wealthy people for dinners. suppers,
etc. To perform this work success
fully an artistic mind and eye are
necessary. as the proper fixing OF
flowers and lights on dinner table
is matter requiring Hone thought and
experience. one lady charges $3.50 a
table for this work. the customers, OF
course. providing all the flowers and
other accessories.
Two other ladies' not only arrange for
work such as table dressing, but also
do shopping by proxy" Possessing
an office In the West End. they ndver-
tlse that they are willing to Inspect
new houses, do shopping, and execute
all the many commissions which busy
women OF fashion find themselves un-
able to do. Frequently these two enter
prlslng ladies' make 50 n day In per-
forming this pleasant duty OF shopping
by proxy. Another lady lays herself
out In the direction OF "card-leaving"
Ia duty often found 10 great bore by
society folk. She charges a stated sum
for fifty calls, with carriage and other
expenses extra.
For several years lady guides have
been at work In showing the sights OF
London to strangers. and they are said
to be doing very well
The quickest courtship on record was
that OF Dr. --, who. driving along
the street In his carriage one day, saw
a beautiful girl standing at n window,
He Immediately stopped his horse. rang
the bell. inquired the lady's name. was
ushcred into the parlor. announced his
own name. said he was pleased with
her appearance. and wished to marry
her at orce."
Nothing but the knowledge that she
was actually In the presence of the
celebrated physician kept her from
falnting. To her plea OF surprise at
this unexpected announcement" he
only replied:
Now or neverw