New-York tribune., 1900-04-22

n
the English women of the early ffties ona
would have an apparition so extravagant as ~
invite mobhing on the part Of the populace +,
the street.
With all that. Queen Victoria is fond Of sea
ing pretty dresses around her. and is extrernalv
particular about the apparel Of her Iaales-in-
waiting and maids of honor. The latter in
deed. are forced to conform to strict rules and
regulations. and to be Invariably attired in keen
ing with the fashion of the hour If Victoria
sees the same dress too often or if it does no,
fit well if it is in the least degree extravagant
or dowdy the maid of honor will at once "a
ceive intimation to that effect from the
Mistress Of the Robes or in her absence. from
Her Majesty's chief Iady-in-waiting. usually
Jane. Lady Churchill In this way the women
of the Court are forced to spend every Bit NJ
their pay and often considerable amount q,
their own private means into the bargain in
keeping abreast Of fashion with regard 20 dress
THE PRINCESS OF WALES NO GUIDE
Nor can the Princess of Wa'es be said n
dominate fashion in England She dresses in
the most exquisite taste. and always looks
charming, differing from most other non-Pa-
rsian women in that her clothes seem to Dos
sess a species of individuality and sympathy
with their graceful wearer which is not the
case with the majority of English women The
Princess Of Wales dresses like one % those
Partisan great ladies' who consider themselves
above the fashion, rather than subject therein
Having ascertained the style Of coifu-e and
of toilet that suited her the best and that ID
the most conducive to her good looks she adj
heres thereto without according any attention
to the changes of the mode Thus she still
wears to-day her hair crimped and dressed in
the same way as twenty years ago. while the
so-caIled Princess" gowns and little "Prircassr
bonnets. which We're named after her quarter
Of century ago. still continue her favorite
gaTb- She is happiest, however. ll the most
plain and unadorned Of black serge tailor made
frocks short at the ankles the dress being Ut
terIy devoid of flounce or embroidery. in fact
without the slightest aGornment and fl Is a
curious fact that her taste in this respect seems
to be shared by her sisters the widowed En-
press of Russia and the Duchess OF Cumberland
as wei! as by her niece. the present Czariua.
1t is improbable. therefore. that either Queen
Victoria any Of the princesses Of her house
Will be able to carry out her intention Of revfv-
ing the fashion of Irish popIin True. Her
Majesty might decree that no lady should ap-
pear at any state function unless arrayed in
pOpln dress. in the same way that she insists
upon every woman attending a drawing room
at buckingham Palace being attired in a dtcoI-
lete dress, with bare shoulders and arms a
court train and a cOiffure consisting of a veil
and three ostrich feathers. but this would not
suffice to render poplin fashionable Ladies
would wear it at Court. that is to say, perhaps
two or three times a year at the most, and would
just as little dream of using it for ordinary
social functions for carriage or for street dresses
as they would think of dOnning Court train
and the Court coiffure of three ostrich feathers
for a small dinner party
may incidentally state that the Queen is ex-
tremely strict about this matter Of dress at her
drawing rooms. Gowns with long sleeves and
cut high in the neck are allowed to be worn only
which a doctors certificate has 10 be produced
stating that d6cOlletage would be in njurious to
the health, and one occasion when lady
asked permission not to wear the three
ostrich feathers the ground that her hair
had been cut short she was curtIy informed
that Her Majesty would dispense with her pres
ence al Court until her hair had grown again
The present Empress of Russia, brought I'd
either at the Court of England or among Eng
lish surroundings in Germany, is as Indifferent
as her mother-in-law and as the Princess Of
Wales to the ethics of fashion. makes no at
tempt to influence the latter and follows it only
in restricted sense.
THE GERMAN ENPRESS'S CRUDE TASTE
Neither the Empress of Germany be said
to lead the fashion in her husbands dominions.
For on the one hand her dresses ara Of TOO