The times., 1899-07-02

made with the old-fashioned court bodice
the shoulder strap dropping on to the arm.
The Princess Beatrice's attire is apt to
be of the simplest description upon ordi-
nary occasions. One travelling the Cont
nent who had a peep at Queen Victoria
and the Princess Beatrice, wrote home,
nothing could be palmer than their
gowns
The German Empress, too, has we'll de-
fined ideas about dress, and once organized
a dress reform order. which counted
among its members many high and mighty
danes. The Empress. however, is too fond
of fine dressing to carry these reforms
very far Twelve dressmakers are kept
constantly employed in the Empress tall
oring department, as 1t is called, under
the superintendent of a lady of the court.
The staff is increased to forty at certain
seasons, when court festivities are going
on. or the Empress is preparing for a
journey. Blue and white are, by the way,
the favorite colors.
The Empress buys yearly cne hundred
evening and state dresses, twice as many
carriage and visiting costumes and about
one hundred and fifty demi- -toilettes and
house dresses-four hundred and fifty
frocks all told. The sewing machine is
an unknown quantity In the Empress tai
Ior shop. From SIS TO $50 a yard is paid
for the silks and satins OF which her
dresses are made
The Empress of Russia spends more on
her wardrobe than any royal lady in Eu
rope. Until. and for a short time after.
her marriage, she dressed with almost Sc,
we're simplicity, but the grand ladies of
the Russian court took no pains to con-
ceal their disapproval of the Empress in.
difference TO regal splendor of attire, and
the result is that her majesty is gorgeous
now in raiment which might be likened
to wrought gold Shoes are an impor-
tant item. for the lady has a pretty foot
with a high instep and her size is No.
2 B.
Queen Margherita has a passion for
dainty handkerchiefs and the costliest lace
handkerchief in the world belongs to her.
II is valued at $50 900. a not exorbitant
sum, when one considers that three artists
worked at it for twenty years. 1t is so
filmy, that II can be folded up and placed
in a gold sheath about the size of a lima
bean.
The favorite dress of Queen Olga of
Greece is Of blue and white striped or
checked domestic silk, these being the
national colors. and besides the makers
OF silk in her realm have not learned to
dye 1t any other colors.
The cast of demi-toilettes of royalty
and carriage and house dresses are the
perquisites of the head woman of the bed
chamber" who. after making a selection
for -ner own use, in some cases, she either
sells them to private parties or to an ''old
clothes" establishment Here they are not
allowed to be sold, as they are received
but in all cases, they must be remodeed
so as to obliterate their special features
Actresses are among the principal custom
ers OF these shops.
The Countess of Warwick, whose wit
beauty. and philanthropy are often para
graphed, is magnified at times in her at
tire-like unto royalty itself. She is a
woman with exquisite golden hair. deep
blue eyes. finely marked brows, and a
graceful, elegant figure. An American
lady who recently met her at an outdoor
function says that the countess wore on
that occasion a French blue cloth dress,
trimmed with silver passementerie, and
she trailed her handsome skirt about the
yard with a nonchalance that showed
there were plenty more where that came
from.
Consuelo, the Duchess of Marlborough :
ball gowns are beautifully soft. white and
fluffy. and she invariably wears strings
of pearls as ornaments, and keeps her dia-
monds for gowns OF more imposing mate
rial. With "Lothair,' she thinks that
there is reserve about pearls, which
makes them best fitted for white dresses.
One of her pearl necklaces consists OF six
teen rows OF magnificent pearls. Another
one has ten rows of pearls, with great dia-
mond slides-this seems almost too heavy
for her tiny throat.
Another grand dame whom we can claim
as one of our countrywomen, the Countess
Castellane, has a large and magnificent
wardrobe; she seldom wears a gown more
than three times at most.
Black-but black of the arrest and most
sparkling descripticn-is Lady Randolph
Churchiil's favorite material for gowns,
while white moire embroidered In silver
is chosen invariably by Mrs. Joseph
Chanherlai for her ball dresses.
The woman who has more gowns than
any other of this or any other age-two
thousand, it is said with five hundred