The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-24
DRESS MAKER WORTH.
THE GREAT FRENCH GOWN DE-
SIGNER TAUGHT WOMEN THE
ART OF DRESS.

How VI. Worth ROBBED His Royal and
Artistic Patrons-tIis Essay ON
yellow aud His Ideas of blondes
and Beauties-why He DeSpised All
Black DresseS-The Famous stu
dent OF Harmony and CoIors Was
Admfrer of Bernhardt and
Langtry-Bab's Personal Expert
cnce with the Departed Man Mil
Iiner-rhe Way Popular Women
Wear Their Diamond Crowns.
New York, March 2S.-There is grief
among the women who know what it
means to dress artisticaly for the great
artist in gowns has Joined the majority.
and will never more have the exquisite
pleasure OF dressing a beautiful woman.
As Worth has grown older there have
come up numerous men dressmakers, who
were, perhaps, given greater vogue by
some. and who claimed to be more fash
ionable. But wise women knew that not
one Of them, no matter how great were
his successes. ever attained the position
held by him" Certainly he was an artist
in color as developed in fabrics, and so
thoroughly was he imbued with the artis-
tic spirit. that no amount of money could
induce him to even consider certain wo-
men. They could buy the ready-made
toilettes that were on exhibition in his
establishment but design gowns for them
he would not.
Mere ugliness had nothing to do with
far Dit
who doesn't hesitate to say herself that
she looks like a monkey, was one of
his favorites, and on her he put some of
the most exquisite costumes he ever made
However, she was living proof that there
is something else needed to make a wo-
man fascinating than mere beauty. In
| truth, she is the living proof that beau
! ty is not needed at all If that intangible
something. for which no better name than
style has ever been found is possessed.
/ This artist in gowns was the first one who
! had the courage to say that yellow could
be worn by a blonde. He argued in this
! way: yellow" said he sis the color
! Of sunshine. Every woman looks better
when she is framed in it, and so there
must be some special tone suited to each
woman. Sunshine brings a glow to her
| cheeks, to her eyes brightness and makes
! pronounced, in the most effective way,
| the perfect color of her hair" SO on
! Sarah Bernhardt he put a yellow velvet
| gown with which she wore creamy pearls,
and in It looked more beautiful than ever
in all her life.
Another color idea exploded by him
was that blue belonged to blondes and
was an impossible shade for a brunette.
A blonde is the cold expression of beauty.
! Blue is at once the coolest and purest
color In the rainbow. Consequently when
blonde wears blue she becomes ice
| Her skin is faded, her eyes are dulIed and
her hair is lusterless. The brunette with
her warmth Of color, her glossiness Of
hair, her brllliancy of eyes is suited to
| the blue which shares in the general
| warmth and becomes harm onlous. Then,
| too, Worth taught women the value of
| black with a distinction, and he dispised
making an all black dress He claimed
there was nothing entirely black in ma
ture except the crow and the black bird
! and they were birds not held in esteem
There were no black flowers, and as wo-
men are the walking flowers of the world
they should never wear black unless it
is relieved by bright tone.
Personally, l shall never forget my ex-
persence with Worth in regard to black.
| l had all a blondes love for a black
gown. / had all of the Quakeresses'
yearning for stiff silk. and / insisted
upon the two. ! was told that If wished
black gown it would be relieved by
rose color otherwise l could not have it,
1 persisted Worth was immovable. I
wanted the gown, consequently | had
to give in. When 1t came 10 me it was a
| dream. There was a heavy, lustrous
satin rich with jets, and decora ted with
knots of pink ribbon, shaded from the
faintest rose to the deepest crimson.
1t was a triumph of mind over matter.
| And it convinced very stubborn woman
that the man knew his trade, not only
as a good dressmaker, but as a student
in the harmony of colors. There existed
an idea that Worth approved of what
is known as the "hour-glass type" I
know that he refused to dress women of
this shape. If they expected him to de-
sign a gown, they must loosen their
stays, wear proper shoes and proper
gloves. His ideal figure was that of Mrs.
Langtry, and one look at her will prove
| to any woman that her magnificent fig
ure was never compressed by a corset.
although one is worn at all times, ex-
cept when the sleeping hour comes Still,
| it has always been the slave and not the
master.
Innumerable dresses came out of
Worth's establishment that he never saw,
that were never approved by him, and
that were simply made to sell. When he
would dress a woman, that is, design a
toilette for her, it was because he ap-
proved of her appearance. When there
grew at first to be rage for Worth
! gowns, there were women of all sorts and
conditions who longed to have his name
| on the belts of their bodices, and these
women knew as much about artistic
gowns as the proverbial cat does Of
! Christmas. They wanted that which
would announce itself. They wanted
frocks that told in every button in every
loop and in every bit of lace how expen-
sive they were. Worth could take linen
at IS cents a yard, trim it with Torchon
lace and make frock, not only fit for a
duchess, but yearned for by every duch-
ess on his list. But these gowns the joys
| of women of good taste, were not the
gowns wanted by the women who be-
lieved in making their money talk in their
| frocks and in their houses, and so they
were catered to by the establishment
alone. and were the horror of the artist
| himself.
He was the first man in this century
who reminded a great lady that. when
| Petrarch saw Laura as she came from
church, she wore a green velvet gown
looped with punches Of violets. and that
a knot of violets was never perfect unless
surrounded by its own green leaves. And