The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-25
MRS. BURNETI'S CLOTHES.
HOW THIS AUTHORIZES EXPIRES
SEES HER SURROUNDINGS.
What She illustrates In Her Heroines
She Practices on Herself.

washington or London home, in hotel,
summer cottage or on board ship she is
always surrounded by an atmosphere OF
refined luxury. Call upon her within an
hour or TWO after fler arrival at a house
where she is to remain for only few
days, and you viii find thar already
rare bits Of tapestry have been hung
and pictures arranged; that numerous
cushions comfortably disposed invite
TO rest, and that the omnipresence Of
new magazines and fresh flowers mas
put 10 flight the unWelcome sense Of
hotel splendor. Nor are her swathings
the least salient feature of this neces-
sary encourage. Gowns have always
been with MIS-. Burnett a distinct ex-
preston of her mentality, and have
been made to play no insignificant role
in a harmonious whole. 1t is not SO
much what they may mean 10 others
as their reflex influence upon herself.
Perhaps no character in her novels
has so strong a flavor of Mrs. Burnetts
personality as Bertha Amory in
Through One Administration and
one cannot have failed TO observe the
dominant note of Bertha'S gowns
throughout the story. Indeed, we find
her one day confiding TO her husband:
I am not really pretty or clever at all,
and il has been the object of my life to
prevent its being detected You
know how particular l am about my
gowns? Well, this is my secret.
haven't an attraction, really, but my
gowns and my spirit and my specious-
ness. The solitary thing l do feel [
have reason to pride myself on is that
L am bold enough to adapt my gowns
in sucn a way as to persuade you that
1 am physically responsible for the
color and shape of them. You fancy
you are pleased with me when you are
simply pleased with some color of
which 1 exist on the reflection or glow.
In nine cases out of ten it is merely a
matter of pale blue or pink and silk or
crepe or cashmere"
And later in one of her hooking
moods, she says TO Tredennis:
do you see how her sleeves fit? 1t
was her sleeves which first attracted
my attention. l saw them at lun-
cheon il New York, and they gave
me new theories of life. When a woman
can accomplish sleeves like those. So
CieIy need ask nothing further of ner.
In moments of rashness and folly, l
have occasionally been betrayed into
being proud OF my sleeves; but now /
realize that the feeling was simply i'm
pious.'
Mrs. Burnett was born with as pro-
nounced an instinct for inventing
gowns as inventing stories, and it de-
Veloped at as early an age. There was
never anything Of the proVerbial liter
airy SLOUGH about her. In her very poor
days, as in those of her early successes,
she made diligent use of her fingers as
well as brains in the creation of pretty |
costumes. a curious proof of their |
effectiveness came TO her but recently, |
when she was addressed as queen of |
Hearts by one who had not seen her |
since she masQueraded in this costume |
when only IL years old. She then lived /
in a little southern town where 1t was |
difficult to obtain anything desirable |
even if one had money, and her means
were exceedingly limited. On this par
ticular occasion, however, with sim
pie bit of white muslin and a few sheets
of gilt paper. she succeeded lin making
as II appears, a -be-forgotten
impression. Over the skirt OF her cos
tune she had scattered myriads of lit
tie hearts, and for the remainder mad
ingeaiously devised heart-shaped over
skirt. snort sleeves and bodice. She
gilded her own little boots, and finding
nothing that could be made to serve
as a, necklace, with infinite patience,
cut out tiny pasteboard hearts, which
she pasted over with gilt paper and
on gold braid. A large gilded
heart shone Respondent in her red
brown hair, and in her hands she car
RED a gilded stick surmounted by a
heart.
The young authoress really brought
as great earnestness OF purpose to the
of this unique little costume
which, by the way, won her the first
prize, as to her next story for Peter
sons Magazine, and doubtless viewed
he result with equal satisfaction.
With the coming OF afiuencs Mrs.
Burnett did not cease 10 invent her
gowns. Like Beau Brummel she has !
Ter failures, which fact, however, is not ]
half bad thing for her friends, as she s
folds that a woman Who wears a gown i
TO herself that might be- I
ome some one else is guilty of a '
bubble crime; rather than SO jeopardize &
Ter soul, she turns over the most eX-
'ensive experiment TO the first chance |
omer, to which it belongs by divine
light of fitness. /
The carrying out Of her designs is t
oW, however, a matter of easy delega- f
ion, as she always retains a maid who |
at the same time a skilled dreSsEna- h
er, and who is kept constantly en- t
loyed making, altering and remodel i
lg, for Mrs. Burnett requires unlimited n
hange of costume, never, indeed, wear d
lg the same gown twice at the same \
lace Even at her own at homes" she
Oes not wish TO appear twice alike t.
throughout the season. she says simply e
hat the thought of putting on the F
anne frock over and over again tires a
er and takes away all sense of mental h
In each Of her homes. there E
IRE, she is obliged 10 devote a good o
zed room TO the exclusive keeping Of d
er numerous toilets. Y
Mrs. Burnett, in her costumes, affects y
mOsF wholly long lines and soft fab Y
cs, using quantities of crepe de chine, N
berty silks, gauzes, brocades, etc. She Y.
also extremely fond of lace, seldom W
ling seen without furnishings of this
elicate ma rial in one form or an 81
her. Her underwear is always of the p
nest muslin sumptuously trimmed L
it'll laces. Once when very i'll she said o.
lite pathetically to friend who came II,
see her, You may know how i'll 1 a,
i've been when ! tell you that l have 81
zen Indifferent TO my ribbons and Ct
ces" She has also a great liking for hi
re and beautiful furs. Indeed, so
onounced is her penchant for all soft m
Id fluffy effects that it is responsible on
T the very name by which she is m
Town among her intimate friends. id
While at work Mrs. Burnett wears a or
city negligee, usually of India silk, sh
AT falls from the shoulders TO the N,
or, entirely unconfined at the waist, w
d ends in long train. These charm hi
2 little CONNECTIONS abound in falls of III
&c, and are always of black, white or 70
llet. as since the death Of her oldest on
n Mrs. Burnett has never worn colors, no
e cares nothing whatever for jewelry, M
d though she has had many valuable on
d interesting pieces presented her We
ver wears anything in the way of or he
ment but rather ugly mOonstone ha
IL given her several years ago by the
lighter OF Mrs Harriet Beecher on
ave. The stone was never of pretty ins