The San Francisco call., 1898-12-04

omical I try to be this year the thing cannot be done.
 l took the girls the other day to get their winter hats. I want them to look well this year; it is necessary they should look well if they are go- ing to be any sort of a success. For street wear I could not buy a street hat for less than $25, and the hats in which they looked the best cost $130, and I was told these hats were a neces- sity. l think they must be, for I saw Mrs. -, whose income l know Is much less than mine, and she said she had just paid $75 for her hat-a very insignificant looking little affair it was, too. Fur is used to a degree that is appalling, and one must have at least one hat trimmed with sable or chin chilla.
 Buying for "The Dear 0ir1s''
 Then fur gowns are another neces- sity, particularly if woman goes in for skating, and my girls skate. I bought one of them gown of black Persian lamb, the entire gown of fur, and for the other I bought coat and skirt of mink; for one I paid s700, for the other $500, and they were nowhere remarkable gowns. It was an awful price, 1 know, but what could I do? However, they do look smart, and I consider the money well spent
 Then the muffs cost so much. The latest fad is to have sable muffs lined with the sable, and these cost from $500 to $500 apiece. Of course it is not necessary for everybody to wear sables, but one does feel awfully out of things when all ones friends go in for a fash ion of this sort
 Evening gowns are very expensive They are very smart and becoming. but do cost an awful lot of money. There were two that I set my heart on that Mrs. - will not give for penny less than SfOO each, and hate to put that amount of money in gown, particular iy when it is so effective that everybody will remember 1t next year if I try to wear 1t again. am sure you will know that economy is my watchword when l tell you only bought one of these gowns and then bought my four others Tor $500 apiece. She let me have them at that price because I bought so many and am a good customer of her, for I always pay my bills within year, and l know very few people do that
 Some "Trif1es" That Cost "Hundreds .,
 Evening cloaks and wraps are sim- ply hideous in price this year. What I wanted to buy for myself they asked me S600 for, and it did not amount to a. great deal, after all, no very valuable lace or fur. To be sure, the cut was everything, and the effect was excel lent but do think that's an exorbitant price Tor wrap. I was fortunate enough to get one for $400 that will an sWer all purposes, but had to go from Dan to Beersheba. I only paid s250 for the girls cloaks, and they were exceed lngly good, too, and very cheap for what they were. One was a pale blue miroir velvet and the other was yellow. trimmed with lace, with high fur col lar, but l had the lace, and that is the reason l was able to do so we'll Then we all had to have short wraps. but of course those cost very much less. think we got them all for $500; I'm not sure. Then I had my last years opera cioak done over, so am very we'll pro- vided for.
 It Helped Marry Her Off.
 find tea gowns cost 8 lot. but one must certainly have those if nothing else. You know it is the axiom of one oI the pest dressed women in New York that if a woman only has a small allowance at best she must spend half or It on her street clothes and the other nalf on one superb tea gown. This same woman has married off a most unattractfve daughter and four or five or her female relatives, none of whom nad any money to speak of and the be- ileI 1s-in fact she says so-that it is because they dressed according to her dictates.
 did very we'll with the girls street gowns. l only gave $95 apiece for the tailor suits-those severely plain three quarter length cloaks-but had to pay $l50 Tor more elaborate cloth gowns.