The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-11


TT goes without saying that the expen-
diture of queens on dress is of ne
II cessity high, and it is higher today
by a good deal than it was % or 30 years
ago.
The most expensively attired consort of
a reigning European monarch is generally
supposed to be the Queen of Spain.
Her Spanish majesty's dress bills for
gowns alone run to more than $1,000
year She purchases most of her dresses
in Paris and is more punctilious about
being modishly attired than any other
royalty. Her majesty rarely wears a
gown more than half dozen times, prae-
tically never has a gown altered, and
never. at home or abroad, is seen two
days in succession in the same gown.
For her morning and afternoon gowns
Queen Victoria pays from $40 to $50.
She purchases about 10 OF such gowns
in the year, and. taking the average price
at sl25 each this would mean an outlay of
$3.50 on morning and afternoon gowns
alone. whilst her bills for evening gowns
would amount to about $1,000.
than half dozen gowns at time, and
frequently will order as many as 20 or 80
Her majesty, however, has an lunder-
standing with most of the modistes whom
she patronizes that every gown she does
not care about when vt Is completed may
be returned.
The German empress is, of all gerat roy
al ladies', tho least modishly attired. Her
majesty holds the opinion that In matters
of dress royal ladies-lades of the royal
house of Hohenzollern. at any rate
should be law unto themselves.
The German empress orders the bulk of
her gowns in Berlin, her bills for which
run to from $500 to $4,000 year. One
of the dressmakers patronized by the
German empress was formerly dressing
maid at the German court. She retired
from the royal service on account OF i'll
health when she was about 40 years old
and to supplement- her pension she started
dressmaking In small way, and her for
mer royal mstres most graciously gave
the woman her patronage
Queen Mary is also most economically
attired for the consort of a great Euro
pean sovereign.
Her majesty's bills for gowns when she
was Princess of Wales ran to about s3o0o
a year and as queen they do not much
exceed that figure. The queen, of course.
does not wear out" any of her owns, but
she never allows a morning or afternoon
gown to be put out of the royal wardrobes
until she has worn 1t at least a couple OF
dozen times.
For her evening gowns Queen Mary
pays from SIPS to $500, and for morning or
afternoon gowns from $50 to SIS, and for
tweed walking dresses from $50 to $40.
There is o custom existing among most
royal women as well as among others
who spend large sums on dresses, OF dis
posing OF the dresses and gowns that are
put out of their wardrobes to certain dress
agencies, and the money SO realized is
used to defray part of their dress bills.
Two large dress agencies in Paris have
the handling of most of the left off dresses
of European royalties. These transactions
are conducted by the chief dressers of the
various royal women and the former are
| allowed to take certain commission on
the sales.
| The sale of the Queen of Spains dresses
annually amounts to about $4,000, and of
| the czarina to about 41O0 less. Neither
Queen Mary nor the German empress,
| however. ever sell their lsft-off dresses.
Queen Mary's left-off gowns are given
away to the poorer dependents of royal
| ty, or are distributed through certain
charitable agencies to poor gentlefoll.
| The German empress disposes of her
except that they are practically all given
| to people in some way or other connected
with the court.
| The history of many royal dresses would
no doubt, make curious reading If they
| could be gathered together. The manager
of a celebrated firm OF modistes once told
the writer that an Engliah woman's maid
came to his establishment on her mistress
business In a gown that he had made for
/ the czarina, which he recognized at once,
in spite of certain alterations that had
been made in It. The modiste could not
| refrain from seeking to ascertain where
| the maid had obtained the gown, and
| learned. after much questioning. that thu
| maid had bought 1t for 81 from the maid
of an English actress. who had given 1t
to the latter.
Another royal gown that graces, or did
| at all events. couple Of years ago the
person of a woman who presides over the
millinery department at one OF the big