The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-04
COSTLY PAINTED GOWNS.

CUS III FAlN EU GUWNS.
Palette and brush are brought into
ions for women, says the New York
Sun. In other words, painted gowns
will be included this winter in the
wardrobe of some of New York's most
fashionable women.
The painted gown may truly be de-
scribed as a creation. Each is built
according to individual preference and
to suit individual taste.
So far the painted gown has not been
manufactured to place on either the
wholesale or the retail market. In
deed it is doubtful if, at the present
time, one could be found at any one
of even the most famous private dress
making establishments in New York,
notwithstanding the fact that most of
the buyers for these establishments
are just back from Paris with the
very latest autumn and winter models
Nevertheless there are good many
of these gowns now in New York and
in all probability. there are more to
come. SO far they have hung in COM
paratiVe seclusion in the wardrobes of
a few of New York's fashionable wom-
en- recently returned from the other
side with their usual Paris compile
ment of new gowns.
The fact is, the painted gown is too
costly an article to turn loose on the
market and for that very reason prob
bly,, it will have the greater vogue
among the wealthy few.
AS most people know, hand painting
on women's outside garments has to
some extent been used for a. long
time. A dozen years ago, for instance,
some of the more fashionable Ameri-
cans and Europeans wore gowns and
cloaks decorated with set designs in
water colors. The custom never reach
ed anything like the dignity of fash
ion. Now it is different
A forerunner of the present renais-
sance of the painted gown was the
painted chiffons, so called, of last
spring and summer which even now are
conspicuously displayed on the count
ers of the leading shops. These chif-
fons are decorated with exquisite flow
err designs of artistic coloring and
after a fashion which does indeed sug-
gest hand painting.
But after all they are only stamped.
The genuine article that has crossed
the ocean, draped on gowns worth a
good deal more than their weight in
gold, puts the other to the blush.
The painted gown, it is learned is
confined to no one material. Chiffons
satin silk MORE, velvet are alike used
in its composition; and the new chif-
fons-velvet-ffne, soft, clinging-is sent
as often as any other material to one
or another of the Paris ateliers. Some
of these ateliers are famous, others
obscure; but whether we'll known or
unknown, their occupants are bound
to benefit financially by this new mani
fiesta ton of fashion.
The history of no two hand painted
gowns is just alike, and in every case
it varies from that of the ordinary cos
tune. To begin with the material is
painted before the gown is put to-
gether, and yet all the different parts
of the garment-skirt, bodice, sleeves,
etc.-must have been cut and careful
ly fitted before they were handed over
to the painter.
If a princess model is chosen, the
whole thing is cut and basted and
tried on first. Then, if the material
is silk satin or something equally firm,
the different parts are unbasted after
the fitting, rolled up separately and
then given over to the artist, who
meanwhile receives instructions as to
the designs and colors to be used and
where they are to be placed.
One gown may have sprays of flow
ers lavishly scattered all over it; an
other may be painted only on the cor
sage tabIier and around the edge of
the skirt; a third will have trailing
vines radiating downward from the
waist line. Pansies, poppies, corn
flowers, roses, lilies of the valley for
get-me- nots, daffodils, are in turn
chosen by the owners of painted CO.'S
tunes.
When satin, silk or MORE is to be
draped with painted chiffon, only the
chiffon is carried off by the artist, who
is instructed to paint upon a, wide
flounce of white chiffon small clusters
of pink rose buds, or of violets per-
haps. The price sometimes determines
the abundance of the painted designs,
sometimes not.
No two women, it is learned, order
a painted gown in the just same way.
One will have a fancy to have the
painting done by a water color artist
of note and in that case, she herself
will be likely to call at his studio
and make a bargain in her own behalf,
look over his pictures and pick out
the designs she wishes to trail around
on draperies of silk or satin. In a
case of this kind $1,000 or more will
cheerily be paid for what she con-
siders masterpieces of floral water color
painting. Five hundred dollars how
ever, comes nearer the price paid to ar
lists of some note In return Tor the
work they put upon a single gown.
Other costumers of the Paris coutur-
ieres, after selecting the designs they
wish to have painted and the colors
leave the rest to the maker of the
gown who Immediately sends-not to
the artists of established reputation,
but to the strugglers, Paris is full of
then1-who are never to busy to get
out an order on short notice and small
pay.
But even in cases of this kind the
customer always pays good round
sum for hand paintings, no matter
what proportion Of the sum reaches the
painter.