The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-26

WORLD.


agent of manufacture, trade and com
merce,
It gives employment to millions Of men
and women, it distributes millions upon
millions of money. it feeds and clothes
thousands.
How many poor women and girls would
be out of employment the minute the de-
mands of feminine fashion were so modi-
TED that what is generally called fash
sonable extravaganza" no longer existed?
Many shops would close. What panic
there would be!
The most curious phenomenon In the
science of costume is what we call fash
ion. The facts of fashion and style have
always appeared mysterious OF course,
we ali understand the machinery of trade
by which the thing is kept going. but
the origin and utility of it are wonderful
and obscure.
Until within the last twelvemonth, the
whole system of dress depended upon
woman having a waist. To have put the
Venus de Milo into one of our smart
frocks of 1899 would have been TO make
her look fright. To-day a woman's
highest ambition is to obtain a waist the
girth OF the famous statue.
Fashion to-day seems to have run riot.
Extravaganza is the keynote. We read
of the richness of materials in the days
of the Rol Soliel, and the luxury and
rvastefulness of the court of the unfortu-
nate Marie Antoinette, and the reformer
points to the Reign of Terror as fitting
sequel.
II we look around and put on our
thinking caps" we will find that the
smart woman of to-day. Notwithstanding
the invention of machinery and labor
saving devices, spends more money in
one year on her clothes than any queen
or kings favorite who ever scandalized
a nation by her wilful and wasteful ex-
trava gance.
Not only have extravagances and lux
ury increased among the wealthy, but in
q proportionate ratio among the middle
class The factory girl and maidservant
ape the woman who rides in her landau.
A hat is no sooner made popular than
1t at once becomes so common in ITS
cheap limitations that madame must needs
discard it and purchase another to be
worn half a dozen times and cast aside
for the same reason.
Madames dinner and ball gowns are as
rich and elaborate in their material and
trimmings as those of the ladies of the
Louis XIV court in France or of Charles
II in England. But where the Queen pos
sessed at most three or four sumptuous
cloth of gold robes the American woman
of fashion to-day holds herself i'll used
IL she does not number her dinner and
ball gowns well up in the dozen.
At one OF our smart dressmaking es-
Establishments, says a writer in the New
York Herald the following list of articles
and figures were given me. 1t represents
the number of articles contained in and
the cost of a trousseau which was made
fot one of our spring brides.
Bridal gown of panne velvet, point
lace fiounces and veil, with elabo-
rate white silk pettieoat, under
garments hand-sewedl profusely
trimmed with Valenciennes lace,
white silk stockings, diamond
studded garter clasps, white satin
slippers, with diamond buckles. =. $40, 900
Gndergarments of finest lawn, trim
med with real lace; one dozen sets
of five pieces ........................ loo
Tea gowns
Irish point over slip, over white
chiffon .. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. lOO
BLACK net, chenille, at 81 ............,. 70
Pink silk under snip, to be worn with
both gowns OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 20
Pleated white chiffon, trimmed with
Dat1OS q 1eTSldit pdllilc minimum 4JV
Pale blue chiffon. over yellow. 125
Black Chantilly lace, over white,
turquoise blue chiffon sash and
rosettes =. ............................ 200
Bach gowns
White crepe. with pink silk bands. 10
Pink India silk, with yellow lace. Is
silk petticoats:-
Two white silk, deliberately ruffled
and edged with lace ................ $50
FT>u-r black silk ---------- 100
one yellow silk. lace trimmed ..... 40
Summer Skirts
White plque, with insertion ..,....... Is
White pique. with blue figure ...... 20
White cloth skirt ..................... rs
Shirt waists
Half dozen white ana colored
unen =. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. a.
Half a dozen sheerest lawns and all
overs ........................". $50
Fancy waists
White mousseleine. with gold thread
and gold yoke and cuffs .......... 80
Embroidered white crepe de Chine so
White tafretas shirt waist ........ 40
Heavy Iris point, over satin ........ 100
White chiffon black Chantily yoke
ana cuffs NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. so
yellow silk. under Arab lace ........ Is
Long COATS
Evening coat, pink silk mousseline,
embroidered in Jet seQuins, heavy
Irish point edging. full jabots OF
cream chiffon, large lace collar. $50
Driving coat of red cloth black
strapping$ large gilt buttons ...... 100
Opera wrap
White satin. pleated white chiffon,
with pearl trimming and border
OF ostrich tips Observation-Disclosures. 800
Storm Coat English macintosh. Is
House Frocks:-
Pieated, rose silk, white lace inser-
lions ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 200
White stitched cloth. stitched bodice,
Arabe bolero .......... ............... 200
Red foulard. large white figures
Chantlly insertion ................. 100
Pale blue foulard, Renaissance
yoke and cuffs ...................... $50
White serge morning gown, serge
Elton, full chiffon fronK ............. 1875
Violet nuns yelling. white stitched
taffeta bands ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. $50
Street Frocks-
Black cloth. tailor made. stitched
velvet bands ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 200
Pale blue cloth. stitched white
bands ........................... 200
Strawberry cloth. self trimmed .... 200
Tan cloth. Paquin skirt .............. $50
Dinner Frocks-
Pale gray crepe de Chine, Irish
point ..................... $50
White chiffon. black Chantilly ...... $50
White crepe de Chime. Iris point. $50
Oefted net over rose collar ....... 250