Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-08
LATE PARIS MODES
Ex-Queens of Fashion at Their Former
Shrines.
FINERY OF SEVENTY YEARS BACK
1880 Sleeves and Skirts With End
of the Century Changes.
WILHELMINA'S NEW FROCKS
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star

Special Correspondence OF The Evening Star.
PARIS, August %, 1000.
The recent visit 10 Paris of Maria Pa,
Dowager Queen of Portugal, was matter
Of great INSTRUMENTATION TO dressmakers
and mlliners. for Maria Pia is one of those
women who dress not wisely, but too much.
After one of her rare visits to the capital
the milliners' dummies and the dressmakers
wardrobes are likely TO be bare as Mother
Hubbard's cupboard.
In her day Maria Pia was one of the
most extravagantly dressed sovereigns IN
Europe, although she could III afford it, for
Portugal is a poverty-stricken little king
dom. always lowering perilously on the
brink of bankruptcy. OF course, all the
ladies of Maria Pas court initiated her.
Had their gowns and bonnets been bought
of the Lisbon dressmakers and ndlliners
all might have been WELL but, unfortunate
~ her majesty would have none of the
home modistes, but must post of to the
French capital for her garments, while the
PortugIlese growing poorer and poorer, saw
their debts increased with each new gown
of their queens. Fortunately. the present
queen, although French woman by birth.
and one would suppose predisposed TO the
frivolities OF dress. has mind set on more
serious things. While one of the handsom-
est women In Europe, she is very simple
In her tastes, is even something OF blue
stocking, for to understand better the hos
pital system of the capital and how to relieve
the sufferings OF her subjects. she took q
course in medicine and was awarded reg
ular degree.
on her last visit the Queen Dowager
Maria Pia is said TO have ordered no end
of pretty gowns. toques. frills. laces, lingerie
and other feminine frippery that she Ia none
too old to appreciate. On one OF her shop
ping expeditions of previous years the queen
Ia n ordered
pairs of shoes and seventy gowns from
Worth alone. One of her recent purchases
was very serviceable travelling coat. 1t
was made of waterproof cloth. with stitched
lapels and collar. the latter being faced with
velvet. Three large buttons fastened the
coat front, handkerchief pocket adjoining
one side Of the breast. with two larger
pockets below. The coat was cut with "A
loose shaped front and fitted back. The
long, wide sleeves were each in the center
buttoned together and thus rendered less
clumsy and ungraceful.
An Ex-Royalty Meeting.
During her stay in Paris the queen dow
ager was one of the guests of honor at a
dinner given by Princess Mathilde Bona
parte at the Chateau de st. Gratien. The
other guest Of honor was the ex-Empress
Eugene. who in her prime was another
of the royal ladies VIGOROUSLY extravagant
In dress. Eugene is said to have never
worn the same gown twice and to have
had In her wardrobe at one time as many
as LOCO gowns
II must have been interesting to the
dressy old lady Of Portugal eye the one
time arbiter of the French fashions with a
critical glance. for the one has kept up
with the fashions. while the other has
since the fortunes of the Bonapartes Jared
30 badly in 1870 and her only son kill
ed in South Africa, eschewed all frivolity
and is seldom seen in anything but the
simplest of widows weeds.
On tho occasion of the dinner Eugene
appeared In a rich but somber robe Of
black chantiliy lace over black mousseline
de sole. the costume being relieved by a
few magnificent diamonds. Princess Ma
thilde. who is much the senior Of either
of her royal guests. being well on to eighty
years of age. was attired in costume of
mauve brocade trimmed with black lace
and clusters of violets.
There is present craze for everything
pcEnected with the name OF Bonaparte
Sara Bernhardts play has aroused the
greatest enthusiasm for the family the
name OF the little conqueror being nightly
cheered to the echo Aiglon hats Aiglon
gloves and Aiglon gowns are seen in every
Fhop. There is, however no further effort
90 foist upon the public the fashions OF
Ihe period, If one may except a few re-
naming touches of the empire gown.
Back to 1880 Styles
me fashions OF 1880 are what we have 10
DO with now. The very latest skirt is of
the fitted bell shaped sort peculiar to that
period. The cloth is draped over the hin.
and is more or less plated IN the back, as
are all the skirts up to date.
Chinese and Japanese embroideres are