The Washington times., 1908-01-23
100000 DRESS
FOR SLAMS QUEEN
Is Most Expensive in World
But Many Others Cost Up
In Thousands.
Sisters of the Gar Possess
Costumes Almost as
Costly.

The most wonderful, costly and mag
niticent garment in the world is the
Queen Of Slams state mantle. which she
wears only about once a year.
Indeed, she must be rather glad that
she has not to wear il Oftener. for it is
so heavy that 1t is :. pain rather than
pleasure TO put It on. It is literally
covered with diamonds, emeralds. ru-
bles and sapphires-iu fact, with
almost every known precious stone
and is as thickly powdered with jewels
as the milky way is powdered with
stars
If it were possible for it to come into
the market, IL would probably fetch
something in the neighborhood of So
one Of the two sisters Of the Car. the
wife Of the Grand Duke Alexander
Michaelovitch, runs the Queen OF Siam
very close for the possession Of the cost
nest dress in the world, Tor she posses
ses a magnificent example of the Rus
sian national costume, perfect In every
detail. but absolutely studded with gems.
II consists OF a bodice and skirt. over
Which IS hung hood and cape the
whole suTmOunted by a sort OF half
mOOn-shaped headIdress, something like
the hat made familiar to the world ia
pictures of the great Napoleon This
wonderful dress is worth a kings ran
som. the head-dreSs, bodice and cape
being one mass Of beautiful and costly
jewels.
Actresses frequently wear dresses
which represent a fortune. The divine
SARAH for instance, has the luxurious
tastes Of an eastern empress. Her dress
es commonly cost $1,000 each.
Mrs. Langtry, too. usually changes
her dress half a dozen times in the
course Of one evening on the stage, and
her display or jewels, lace, and silks
probably represents $4,000
Dc al h.. rs
cent and costly stage dresses, and IL is
said that while appearing in ''TraViata"
at COvent Garden, Nine. Melba wears
jewelry to the value of S1,2JO.U0J. No
wonder she employs a private detective
TO look after IL.
The wives or several American mill
iOnaires are often more prOfuSe than &C
tresses in the amount they spend upon
their personal adOrnment. Mrs. MaCkay,
for Instance, paid $4,000 for a dress en-
brOidered with pearls, while the wife Of
another millionaire in the metropolis Of
pork has in her wardrobe perfectly
wonderful costume.
The groundwork IS heavy duchess
satin OF Cerulean blue. with court
train two and One-half yards long, also
lined with heavy satin. Two great
shawls Of Brussels point lace, a yard
wide and three yards in length, kept in
place by diamond sunbursts and
adorned with pendants OF the same
jewel" adOrn the sides and front OF the
skirt.
The lace alone is worth S25,000, or
more than 200 times its weight in gold
and the whole dress is valued at $4,000
Russian milllOnaires are not very
plentiful; but the wife of one of them
has a long mantle of the 1ur OF the
silver fox, which is Of such value that
its cost would not be represented II its
whole surface were covered with golden
sovereigns. Indeed, the necklet alone Is
said to have cost her husband $3.50.
Apropos Of furs, II is said, that the
widow of Ii Hung Chang, the deceased
Chinese statesman and millionaire, mas
in her wardrobe 800 fur robes OF TAB
uIous value, the prepared skins of all
the rarest fUr-bearlng animals IN the
world.
The best dressed woman in Europe IS
theaGermau Empress. She seldom wears
silks or satins costing less than $50 a
yard She wears a court dress once, or,
If Il be Of eXeTJmely great value, twice,
but all the trimmings and decorations
must be entirely changed before she
wears it a second time
A few years ago she INDUCED IN a
length OF Lyons silk snow white and
adorned with flowers, birds and foliage
in relief She intended it for a dress,
but changed her mind and used il for
q curtain The price paid for this cost
" fabric was actually Sl25 q yard
Her husband is not lar behind her
for the Kaiser IS said to have over 1000
different suits OF clothes and 500 pairs
of trousers, and he could certainly wear
a different uniform for every day in the
year. Sundays included. It IS well
known, indeed, that he changes his I'm
form half a dozen times a day for va
riOus functions and ceremonies, al
though he viii wear the same suit sew
eral times in alI-ExChange-