The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-05-11
FASHIONABLE DRESSMAKER.
NH, OPENING DAY OF A GREAT
MODESTO AN EXCITING SOCIAL
FUNCTION.

for Her GueSIS-Ihe D O'Clock Tea,
the satoriaI Lecture With Other
attractions Have Been Added to
the social Delights of These Smart
Openings.
New York. May 9.-Opening day,
chen her imported models and her
arm designs are first put on view be-
are important customers, means every
ming TO a fashionable dressmaker. Lit
do dressmakers, who don't import and
amt run over to Paris and Vienna
and London twice year, don't have
onenings, but the big ones do, and,
until last year, an opening day was
raparded by them as a necessary but
perfectly informal sort of an affair.
announcement cards were sent around
n patrons, French model gowns were
mt on wax headed mannikins, and
Madam, the head of the establishment
was within call in case special patrons
i csme or big orders were to be received.
Last spring this peaceful state of
\ affairs was sadly altered by a Partisan
dressmaker, who came over with sew
4 eraI boxes of models, and in one after
\ noon this shrewd stranger took orders
4 enough to keep her tearing busy all
season. She did it with her opening.
She made a delightful function of that
occasion, she diverted, and entertained
and fed her possible customers: she
. soothed them with music, she tickled
their nostrils with the odor of roses,
i and this spring the native talent have
all copied her lead.
4 This spring the we'll dressed, and
rich and fashionable women who buy
and wear good hats and gowns have
derived no end of diversion from the
4 openings. First they received cards
| Of invitation engraved affairs, on
cream laid paper, stamped with the
/ dressmakers device. That device is
4 sometimes three roses on a silver
shield, gilt bees lowering about a clover
blossom rising sun and opening lily,
or whatever seems to gracefully sug-
gest taste and industry and beauty
combined, while a Latin French. or
German motto indicates the dress
makers high business or artistic prin-
Ciples.
The engraving on the sheet of fine
paper does not boldly announce an
opening, but it begs the honor of Mrs.
So and Sos presence at an exhibition.
to be held on such and such a date,
between certain hours, and in one cor
ler is music and in the other the pleas
antly suggestive sentence tea at five"
or luncheon at O'clock" 1t isn't
every. and any woman in the city or
even in society who gets these cards
You must enjoy the reputation of one
who is always smartly costumed, and
you must be known as one who has
money to spend and a fondness for
spending it on dress.
Enjoying these qualifications you
drive to Madame Sidonie's, or to Alix,
and, if it is an early afternoon luncheon
a oFr
ance will be there, taking in the latest
Parisian furbelows and a light mixed
meal at the same time. A whole suite
rooms is given up to the dress show
and at one of the very brilliant dis
plays made before Easter of this year,
the rooms were deliberately decorated
with flowers and the most coquettish,
high heeled, lace aproned, ribbon cap
ped French maids were in attendance
to open plate glass doors, tenderly re-
move wraps, and serve the most savory
little buffet lunch of salad, coffee, pas
Try surprises, and ices moulded in the
lorm OF Faster bonnets, spring para
SoIs, etc. In one of the
show rooms, furnished as an
elegant salon, a half a dozen pretty
models moved gracefully about in ex-
quiSlte costumes, complete even to the
bows on their colonial walking slippers.
NA4~ AOOAAl lltAI " lIllSt all natural
ASht was excluded, electricity shed
rosy glow through pink shaded globes
and gorgeous display of evening
gowns was made, by the exceedingly
handsome girls especially hired for the
occasion from the chorus in a popular
vaudeville show.
Tableaux and Teas.
The women who came to see this ex-
hlpltlon were thoroughly appreciative
ana enthusiastic and though it cost
Madam a pretty penny her entertain
Ihent repaid her in the orders she got.
one was not, however, the only one
VINO protitably offered the hospitality
VI ner establishment to her valuable
patrons. Some weeks ago a far-sighted
woman, who deals in tea gowns, silk
petticoats, forty dollar negligees.
breakfast jackets and such CONNECTIONS
el the rich woman's wardrobe, gave a
HVe clock tea. Her rooms We're pack
ca with the flower of fashionable So
Clety' famous stringed band dis
couIsed sweet music; agile maids
served taultless tea and every ten min
ulss me green velvet portieres, di-
elulhg her first drawing room from the
second, were drawn aside and disclosed
Tue most artistic tableaux Vivant, of
pletly girls in chiffon and Irish lace
PNihg at tea table; of belle in hand
ttHoLoldered lawn and real lace having
-'O1 Hdlr combed before a dressing
IN ~ or charming invalid swathed in
aDeIly tissue and Venetian lace re-
oslEIhg her family arrayed in fasci-
ttt'@OAs and gorgeous lounging robes.
1Hsle We're twelve tableaux in all and
W some of them the curtain had to be
1aISed six and eight times before the
audience could be satisfied.
II A nraos
mere was still another dressmaker,
lo came up-to-date with tea and
music and a lecture. 1t was a talk
\ vi vi ufess, given by Madam herself in
noNAiS and agreeable style. She ap
4 9edred before her audience in a won
asi4uI panne gown and told them, with
~ accompaniment of humor and anec-
Ne OF the real facts in the fashions.
""3h she would arrive at a good point
~ "a Idce' a pretty model would appear
~ gown that emphasized her re-
10 ms, and when the use of lace had
zen Illustrated in would walk sweet
ou lure in a spring calling gown and
a. tut invaluable information on un-
ttrvIsIeeNes, stocks, cores, length of
""n' ETC. would become as luminous
NJ possible. 1t was this contouriere
Wy WY temporarily got ahead of her ri
Il , ols TINS spring by first sending home
tg'Hpleted wedding gowns in sump-
,uouS boxes of light wood, enameled
me outside and with the owners
Ia I1'idls in raised silver letters on the
s,c inside the wedding gown box is
~.Seu III white satin and it IS fastened
~ Two silVered locks and straps o.