The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-25
DRESSING FOR THE JURY.
Shrewd Women Know the Influence
of Pretty Gowns.

New york commercial Advertiser.
Dressing for the jury? Oh, yes. women
who have money always do it; rs quite
as important as a good lawyer and far
more important than clear conscience"
said the successful dressmaker, as she
stood off and looked between half-closed
eyelids at the effect of the last pleat she
had arranged. The woman on the fitting
platform forgot to look at her own rehec-
ton in the long mirror as she asked Have
you ever dressed anyone for-for a jury?''
The successful dressmaker smiled. She
makes beautiful clothes, and her clients
are many and well TO do, but they are of
the four hundred. Yes, / have made
clothes for women who had to so to court"
case of Mrs X, who wanted to break her
fathers will, don't you? Well, / dressed
her. She really had no case at all. She
married a man the old gentleman dis
approved of, and she had been warned
what would happen II she insisted upon
marrying hum. But she eloped and the
family disowned her-or, at least thought
they did. The courts decided that they
couldn't, and she got share of the old
gentleman's money in spite of the will.
Before the case came up she came to Ire
and we planned the costume she was to
wear. She thought purple trimmed with
fur would be becoming, but / vetoed that
at once. No jury would sympathize With
a woman in purple and sable, even II shr
had been cut off with the customary Shil'-
ing. / designed a black frock for her
and a hat all soft, white and gray that
made her look young and sweet and in
jured and interesting. The gown wasn't
plain, severe, oldmaidish black, you may
be sure. 1t was soft and trailing and very
becoming, and she wore gray feather
boa instead of fur. The boa cost just as
much, but the jury didn't know that. She
won her case, as you know l say IT was
the costume. All the papers alluded 10
her modest bearing 'unostantctiods ap-
pearance,' sweet, winning ways. ETC.
Now. listen to this description in this
mornings paper OF woman who only
took the stand to say few words:
She wore a black-tailor-made gown of
cheviot, stylishly cut The jacket was but
toned almost up to her neck with innumer-
able black buttons, just revealing a bit of
the white stock which circled softly around
her full, dimpled neck.
.'Dimpled neck, Think of it! 1 suppose
that reporter really thought he was paying
that woman a compliment.
"a few months ago, when very sensa-
tional trial was going on, the woman who
was the chief witness against her own hus-
band, in whose crimes she was very much
mixed up wrote TO me from the Tombs
asking me to make her some clothes. She
had been q customer of mine years before.
/ didn't think she could need clothes very
badly in prison, and didn't care TO go TO
prison unless I had to, so / refused the
order. She sent for tailor. who went at
once, and he made her two gowns and
Jacket trimmed with ermine. just TO wear
in court She simply daZzled the jury, and
her beauty and her clothes made as much
of a sensation as the scandalous case it
self.
Another woman for whom 1 made
clothes wore them to court but they were
not made by me with that in view She
ran up a bill OF $500 / had brought
things from Europe to her and made her
frocks innumerable and the bin was really
very small, but she wouldn't pay it. L
sued her for IL, and the bold creature came
to court with those gowns on that were not
paid for won the case, but have never
been able to collect the money. But those
gowns had their effect on the jury. They
were so very pretty-even those stupid
men knew they were worth what 1 said
they were. Had she been clever she would
have worn something ill-htting and plain"