Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-21

men with money or leisure. both. The
gown is what is known in the language of
the trade as tailored: that is pressed with
heavy tailorS irons, and the lining put in
as in mems coats. j can wear this coat and
skirt steadily for two winters. Now, make
rapid calculation 10 find out what l would
have TO charge for such gown.
The cloth a retail could not be had for
less than Sl.50. With all my discounts L
could not buy it for less than s1.23 The
lining for the skirt would cost me s1.25 and
cost you still more, were you to purchase
it. Six yards of ladies' cloth would cost me
81. so: add the lining and the skirt unmade,
with binding of velveteen allowed for, and
already the bill foots up to So included in
this is the cost of cloth for jacket. The
lining of the jacket would cost at least 10
cents a yard. / never put in silk that costs
me less than that. 1t does not wear well
enough to pay. Perhaps you could line 1t
with four yards of silk, but lit would be
close cutting. However, we will say s. for the
lining. Then there is that narrow black silk
fringe which is so simple, yet so effective
a trimming. There is at least 81 worth on
the dress Then we must count the steel
buckles and the little embroidered velvet
vest They would cost you at least 81. Pos
sihly l could get them for 81. So we will
say 81 for trimming.
Only $11 for Making.
Now, if you will count up my items you
will see our materials have cost US s1I. And
very reasonable a figure that is for the
quantity and quality of which We have in
mind for ou4 gown. That leaves $l1 for
making. There is not a living wage in
making heavy cloth gowns with the press
ing and finishing they require for S11. They
cannot be properly made by one woman in
three days.
"Of course, in measuring by the standard
of large dry goods houses, it may not seem
quite fair to take the cost of one gown
alone They could never produce them at
the price they do if they did not make them
in great numbers. But after all we dress
makers could never have orders for enough
gowns to make much of profit at that fig
ure. Nor have we their facilities for cutting
many gowns at one time on the same meas
ure.
1.-The time we take for fitting counts in
the making of our gowns and this great
item of expense is entirely eliminated by
the large shops. And when they do have
to alter these ready Jto-wear gowns for Gus
toners they usually charge good price for
it,
The time is surely coming when the wo-
man of moderate means will always get
at the large shops any gowns she does not
evolve at home for the simple reason that
nowhere else can she buy it SO reasonably,
nor get it well made for the same
price.
Soon there will be nothing between the
high priced modiste whose exclusive styles
are carefully guarded from the gaze of
the multitude and the hundreds of excel
lent If not ornate cloth gowns shown by the
large shops.
The Tailor Ready-Made.
I am speaking now of gowns which have
a tailor-made effect. The day will, think,
be long in coming when one can buy ready
made handsome gowns extensively trim
med at anything like the price for which
the materials can be purchased and the
gown put together outside of shop.
The coat and skirt gowns whose rapid
sale and great popularity was affecting so
mournfully the dressmaker aforesaid have
done a great deal to promote neat and APP
propriate gowning among women whose in
comes prohibit great expenditure in the
matter of cloth gowns and also among
women who earn their own bread-and
sometimes their butter.
The great sales of these gowns take
place in the fall, and for the very noder-
ate of S25 or $50 a woman can have
a coat and skirt suitable for any ordinary
occasion, which, with the addition of bit
of fur or a knot of lace over handsome
silk waist, rise to the dignity of reception
gown.
But if you are hunting for bargains IN
gowns now, you will find few of these
gowns left. Nor is it a good plan to get
one at this time of the year. They are all
made in the autumn, and, although made
according to the very latest models, yet,
as they are never ultra, there are now later
ideas in the realm of dress which should
be copied instead.
Decline in Hat Prices.
In dresses as in hats the best shops are
most anxious this month to dispose of their
model gowns, and model gown will be
wearable all next winter, as these French
gowns their counterparts made here,
always embody the coming as well as the
present ideas.
The two leading styles which are at pres
emit pitted against each other are the tunic
and princess effects. The former is delight
fully reminiscent of old pictures of guile
less maidens in pork pie hats, waterfalls
and hoped skirts The tunic skirts are
very slender, for all that. 1t is simply their
shape, not their size, which recalls the old
prints. They have taken the place of the
flounced skirts In the affections of women.