The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1903-12-22

AT cost OF Sl,0VU a young WOIildll III
| Chicago has been fitted out with a
coming out y gown and outfit con-
sisting entirely of the castoff clothing
of royalty.
From her head to her feet she is at
| tired in clothing that queens have
| worn. She is not the only one with
| desire to appear attired in clothes
| that queens have worn. So great is
| the demand that certain agents, es-
pecially in England, make a business
| of supplying it, and most of their trade
is in America.
| The father of this Chicago girl either
| conceived the idea of an entire royal
| outfit or else he ably seconded his
/ daughter in her demands. He gave the
order to the English woman who acted
as the agent.
The shoes were white satin, beauti-
fully embroidered with gold thread and
seed pearls. They cost $11O. The
stockings cost s25, the gloves SIS, the
lingerie. of the finest lawn trimmed
with lace, $175, corset $50, two under
skirts of silk and lace 5000, and the
! dress $500.
limited authority and unlimited money.
He expressed himself well satisfied at
being able to secure the outfit at the
price.
Stockings and garters of royalty are
in good demand. One of the English
women who make a business of col
lecting and selling the castoff clothing
said:
ST have a good many agents, who
purchase for me all the articles OF
clothing belonging to royalty and other
celebrated persons which come into the
market obtain great deal OF stock
from the Continent, and always dis
pose of it at good profit to persons
who buy or collect such things.
ST have client in the Midlands from
whom I have a standing commission to
obtain for her castoff shoes and corsets
and those of modern make which have
been worn by royal or celebrated per-
sonages.
"She has one of the finest collections
of old corsets in Europe, though it is
probably excelled as regards variety
by that Of an American woman who is
also a customer of mine. In it are ex-
amples once worn by our own princes
ses; an exquisite Viennese corset or
the late Empress of Austria, measur-
ing, although stretched by wear, bare
Iy sixteen inches in the waist; one be-
longing to the little Queen of Holland;
one of the Queen of Italy (wh1te SATIN.
ornamented with beautiful lace. and
made by a famous Partisan corsetiere),
and a short pair in silk coutil, once
worn by the Empress of Russia.
"Of the corsets of celebrities she has
not a few examples. A leather corset
of Charlotte Corday is notable ex-
ample: one of Marie Antoinette-a
mass of whalebone and steel, with a
waist measurement of about seventeen
and one-half inches. one of silk bro
cade, belonging to famous opera
dancer of the SOS, whose name l forget
for the moment, was originally sewn
with Jewels, and / was told cost Sl,250;
and a corset ascribed to Catherine de
Medici, but probably belonging to one
of her court ladies, is strengthened by
a positive network of steel, and must
have been torture to wear. They did
lace tight in those days, if you like,
the waist of this &C set being less than
fourteen inches.
.'Of the numerous pairs of shoes in
my clients collection none are more
valued than a pair once worn by Queen
Victoria when girl. There is also
single shoe belonging to i'll fated Mary
Queen of Scots in rough surface
leather, which must have originally
been scarlet.
"a shoe belonging to the Empress
Eugene, picked up in the Tuileries
after her fight from Paris is of black
glace kid with a beautiful gold and
paste buckle, and working in gold
thread on the toes. One of Nine.
Rachels shoes is also in the collection,
the size of which shows that the ia
nous beauty did not possess elegant
feet. A pair of white satin slippers be-
longing to Nine. de Pompadour are also
of considerable size and much worn,
though probably by some one else than
their original owner. Many of these
items are properly authenticated, as
is also pair belonging to Booth, the
actor, one shoe Of Washington,
and Dair once worn by Garrick