The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-03-26
TOURISTS
IN FLORIDA
Extravaganza Shown at
Greatest Resort on
Palm Beach.
By William E. Curtis.

By William E. Curtis.
PALM BEACH, March ., 1907.-For
a dress parade, for continuous exhi-
bition of opulence and extravaganza in
| the form of fine raiment and precious
stones, there is no place like the Royal
| Poinciana Hotel at Palm Beach. 1t is
prominently place for rich people,
and they come here not only to spend
money, but to display the results of
| what they have already spent. The
/ first thing that attracts attention when
| you get off the train is the mountains
| of trunks that are unloaded at the
| platform - stacks of "Saratogas, -
French wardrobe trunks and English
hampers, filled with the latest Partisan
creations, hat boxes of all sizes and
| various other sorts of luggage. The
name Saratoga was first applied to
the big trunks that women used to
take to that fashionable watering place
| many years ago for the same purpose
for which they come here, and the
Grand Union Hotel, with it's immense
rotunda and wide .piazzas, used to see 8
similar rivalry in dress. White Sui
phur Springs, fob de wah, - was an
other scene of the same sort, but neither
of those places was ever circum
stance to what Palm Beach is today. In
the first place, the settings were not
present; in the second place, the wealth
did not exist
Exhibitions of millinery and dress
goods are given here three times day
at the bathing beach and the pavilion
at IL in the morning, at band concert,
with tea in the eocoanut grove, at 4:30,
and after dinner in the rotunda of the
hotel, where everybody gathers for the
neighbors in the best that the modistes
and milliners can supply.
THE EVENING DISPLAY.
There is great rivalry in jewels also.
Every evening about 6 O'Clock, before
they go upstairs to dress, you viii see
line of ladies standing in front of the
cashier window getting their jewel
boxes out of the safe Often when rich
people go away from home for good
time they leave their jewels at home,
but when they come to Palm Beach |
fashionable women, who intend to enter |
the dress contest here, bring every bit |
of gold and silver and precious stones
they have.
Usually about thousand people |
gather in the rotunda for the evening,
while the orchestral concert IS going
on-two-thlrds Of them women. mostly
of middle age. There are very few
young girls here. Sweet simplicity is
not entered in this race; buds have no
show. The contestants are mostly full
blown roses, eamellias and peonies. Mat
rons in the prime of maturity display
abundant charms Of person, as well as
apparel. And evening after evening,
while the orchestra performs its pro-
gram. they sit chatting with their
l
friends and staring at the women they
don t know. The conversation, as one
would naturally expect, is about dress
and iewelry. l notice that the ugliest
women wear the most and the largest
diamonds. There are several here load
ed down with sparkling gems, and you
conclude from their appearance that
thew have no other place to show them.
Some of the displays are so ostentatious
that | am sure it would be considered
a compliment if any one would stop and
look for the price-marks-
THE MORNING EXHIBITION.
The morning exhibition is quite as
as that in the evening, and
much more enjoyable, because OF the
axouisite lace hand embroidery and
other expensive needlework that IS dls-
nlayed. The morning exhibition IS OF
linen and lace. rather than satin and
As you walk down the plaz-
"a Won can see too many gowns OF
irish point to count, gowns costing hun
lreds of dollars, and long wraps to {
match. costing hundreds more. Almost
everybody is in white or in pale tInts.
The hats are very elaborate, and are
oaded with gorgeous flowers and i
,1umes remarkable for their length and ]
,eautv. Parasois, stockings, slippers,
r,ovas and fans match the costumes, !
and nearly every woman has long !
sIiberty motor veil" falling over her ]
shoulders, and sometimes tied over her