Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1902-10-10
MORTGAGES FOR THE GOWNS.
How Some Women Get Their Most Sp!en
diG Apparel.

How Some Women Get Their Most Sp!el
die Apparel.
Dinner gown mortgages, or, to /
more accurate, mortgages because {
the dinner gown, are now include
among the financial transactions c
New York's fashionable women. 7
the fashionable dressmaker belongs th
distinction OF being primarily thei
protector and promoter.
The fact might never have been gen
ally known had it not been for a visit
ing Frenchman, who. thoroughly i'm
pressed with some interesting infor
nation on the subject, gained on
evening from lady whom he had tax
en- in to dinner, availed himself of ths
very first chance to talk it over at The
club. Then the interested members
hastened to parade their knowledge be
fore certain of their women friends
who in turn eagerly communicated the
ldCpS W OUACt WonCh uOp III puC SCGiCE
aud so the news spread.
Like some other foreign visitors, the
Frenchman. during his stay in New
York. marveled at the superb dinner
gowns which met his eye wherever he
went-marveled quite as much at the
variety of them, each more splendid
than the last, included in a society
woman's wardrobe, as at their appar-
ent costliness; and before long he was
ready to believe that in no other coun-
try of the world is money spent so
lavishly for women's clothes as in
America.
He noticed, of course, that in point
of magnificence the dinner gown leads
all the rest. and that. although the
ball gown might be almost passe and
comparatively inexpensive, the dinner
gown of woman in society invariably
reached high watermark of newness
of design, rich materials and costly
embellishments.
These reflections and others be con-
fided with enthusiasm and in bis best
manner to his partner at the afore-
mentioned dinner, at the same time
naively expressing surprise that SO
very many American women were able
to lavish such piles of money on one
particular article of apparel.
The lady at his side listened beam
ingly and at the end of the champagne
course became delightfully."- communica-
tive. Said she:
''If you will promise not to betray
me l think can let you into the secret
of how some of the less wealthy women
in the social swim manage sometimes
to get several thousands dollars worth
of dinner gowns in single season.
The reason is simply this: They give
their dressmaker mortgage On real
The Frenchman locked blank. The
lady proceeded;
1.-The American man, as perhaps
you know, has got into the habit of
deciding over to his wife some particu
lar bit of real estate, preferably a city
house, not so much from an impulse
of generosity as because the transac
ti0n may prove to be a safeguard
should financial disaster overtake him
later. For that reason there is host
of married women, as well as Of un-
married ones, who own valuable rea,-
ity both in and out of New York. /
myself own the house l live ina
which my dressmaker
seems to know as well as / do.
"At any rate, not long ago when |
went to her establishment to look at
q lot of new French gowns just
brought over, and liz consequence
found myself quite depressed because
[ could afford to order only one of
them sent home, she took me aside
and confidentially whispered that !
could order as many gowns as want
ed, and be in no hurry about paying
for them, provided gave her IN re-
turn mortgage to their value on my
house.
81 stared at her in amaZement, and
then, of course, refused her offeI point
blank, whereupon she cOolly remarked
that she was very particular to whom
she made such an offer, and that al
ready several of her best customers
had purchased q quantity of evening
gowns on those very terms.--N
York Sun.