The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-14
IN BORROWED FTNERY.
Some Costumes Mt the BradIey-Mar-
tin Ball Were Secondhand.

a matter of social history, says the New
| York Tribune, many of the opinions that
were formed of it in advance win have
| to undergo considerable revision. 1t is GER
| tain that most of the estimates of its cost
| which were the basis of much of the hos
| tile criticism that was expressed, were
| greatly in excess of the real figures. This
| does not mean that Mrs. Martins bal
was not a lavish, even a sumptuous affair
| 1t was undoubtedly complete in all its ap-
| pointments, and nothing that could con-
I tribute to the comfort or the pleasure Of
the guests was lacking. But, for all that
the expenses of the affair were not IN
| precedented, nor, so far as appears wee
they enormously extravagant. The esti-
mates of the cost OF the ball which ap-
| peared in several newspapers were suffi-
| GENTLY large to reach the point of absurd
| ity One of these estimates was $500 go
another was 100000, still another was $780,
| OOO-a quarter OF "a million dollars. All of
these estimates are plainly so far beyond
| the truth as to make the contradiction
| scarcely worth while.
Various wild gueSseS have been made
at the cost of the use of the Waldorf for
the ball. AS a matter Of fact that cost
is known to have been less than 5000. 1t
had been predicted that the supper would
be more profuse and more varied than any
ever before provided for any social func-
ton in this city. A glance at the menu
will suffice to show that while 1t was of
an elaborate and expensive nature its
like is not unprecedented The wines used
at the bal were brought by Mr.. Martin
from Europe.
Another of the ineidentals of the ball,
whose costliness has been much overes-
tlmated, Is the costumes These were un-
doubtedly brilliant and appropriate but
their like in many cases at least has been
seen in this country before. 1t is known
that some of them were neither new nor
made especially for Wednesday nights af-
fair
Some of them were borrowed from the
singers of the Metropolitan opera house.
Others were lent by actors who had worn
them in various costume plays Still 9TH
ers had formed portion of the stock in
trade OF local costumers and were fur
bished UP and freshened for the Martin
ball. Others still had been worn for the
first time as long ago as at Mrs. William
X. Vanderbilts fancy dress ball in 1888.
Much has been said and printed about
the elegance of the costumes of the wo-
men and the marvellous display of jewels
at the ball, says the Sun. Elegant cos
tunes there were, and there we're some
wondrously beautiful jewels. In many
cases, however. paste jewels were worn.
The effectiveness of many of the costumes
depended upon having jewels to match
the gowns. Sapphres and rubes as large
as half-dollars were worn with some OF
the dresses. There is not a woman in
the world who owns a quantity of such
jewels But they had to be obtained to
go with the costume. The manufactures
Of paste jewels had to supply them HAD
all the jewels on many single costumes
been genuine, the wealth of a nation
could hardly have supplied them.
AS dazzling as the costumes Of the wo-
the men made the Drawer showing. They
do not often get a chance, and no such
dressing on the part Of men was eyer
seen in this country before. The dis
play of jewels by the men, genuine and
otherwise, was quite as marked as that
of the women. Take the costume of
Ilnfn De-. lou sr.a~H t1.4
costume of an oriental dignitary, FASH
Toned of the finest oriental silks and IA
brics, brought over by Mr.. Barlow from
his recent visit to the orient. From neck
to ankles the costume was studded with
jewels, many of which We're genuine dia
monds and rubies.
Another noticeable costume was that of
| Lispenard Stewart. He went as a cavalier
| of the time of Louis XIII. The costume
was almost entirely of green leather, ruff
| fles, ruchings, doublet, and breeches. Then
| there was the wonderful costume of Q. H
| =. Belmont, that of a notable of the court
| of Henry II. The armor of the costume,
part of Mr.. Belmont collection, was IN
| laid with gold. So heavy was the Co.'S
! tune that Mr.. Belmont was obliged to
| change ii for evening dress long before
| the ball was over. The costume of r.
| w. c. yelling, impersOnating the Indian
| chief Miantonomoh, was so perfect that
| those of his friends who did not know
what his costume was to be did not rec
| ogniZe him.
one of the men who was at the bah and
has seen three court balls in Europe saiG,
| in comparing them with the Bradley
4 Martin ball:
| "Of the three court balls that 1 have
seen, one eclipsed the one given by Mrs.
| Martin. The other two could not COM
pare with it. There might have, been in
| diVdual cases where costumes of menu
| bers of the royal families were finer than
| anything displayed at the Waldorf, but as
a whole, the costuming of the old world
! functions could not compare with that at
| this ball. l think the jewels worn by
Mrs. Aston were the finest | ever saw
| worn by any women in the old or new
! world. They were the finest worn by any
of the women at the Martin ball. 1t is
| the opinion OF only one person, and n
| man at that, but if l may say so, / con-
| slider that Mrs. Frederick Gerhard had
the most beautiful costume and was the
| most beautiful woman at the ball When
| she waltZed for the first time you heard
! EXPLANATIONS all over the ball room.
| cannot describe the costume further than
20 say that ii seemed to me like a French
| skating stume. There was light blue
| skirt and white Jacket, trimmed with err
| mine, and she carried an ermine mun. 1t
was beautiful woman. beautifully
| perhaps the most conspicuous costume
was that of Miss Brice, and next to that
| was the costume worn by her father
! don't know what the daughters costume
was, but l do know that the skirt was so
| large that when the young woman sat
! down il filed the entire sofa on which She
| sat. on Mrs Martins costume there was
| a studied absence of jewels. On her
head she wore only a half circle of dia-
3
| instead of a stomacher, she wore only one
| large sapphire, surrounded by sunburst
| of diamonds With the exception of Mrs.
! Astors jewels. the pearls of Mrs. Morton
! and Mrs. J. +. Kernochan were the most
| noticeable.
| Some persons who have estimated the
| cost of this ball will be surprised TO know
| what it really did cost. The Martins
] themselves expended only about $4,000
! The actual figures will fam below thar
amount, if anything When the cost Of
! all the costumes of every guest is count
! ed, together with what was spent i'm din
! ners given 10y guests before The ball
| don't believe the total cost of the affair
to everybody who attended will foot up
/ more than 100000
! Everybody knows that it took money
| TO give the ball. but IL Is not generally
| known that 1t took nerve on the part OF
| many Of the women to attend IL. There
/ was hardly a woman of great wealth In
| New York known TO be going to the ball
| from Mrs. Martin down, who did not re-
ceive before the ball a least one letter
| threatening her life IL she attended IT,
| Mrs Martin received a dozen. Two OF
! them were written In "A red liquid of some
! sort which the writer said was blood, but
| which seemed to be paint. Some OF these
| letters informed her that her house was
| to be blown 20 pieces on the afternoon Of
| hs hut IVA h4f huf