The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 20, 1906, Page 11

the bolero model, also furnish opportuni- ties for the finest of lace and embroidery to be used, and often the cost of these Jackets is far in advance of the cost of the whole gown, making and all. But it must be remembered that these jackets can be worn with more than one gown, and are in themselves most attractive lit- tile garments that exhibit the beautiful work and fine lace. It is fashionable not only to combine lace and embroidery, but several kinds of lace in the one gown. A princess gown may have bands of Irish lace, a bolero trimmed with a collar of lingerie and an- tigue lace and a chemisette and high col- lar of lingerle and Valenciennes. Of course there are conservative people, es- pecially among lace lovers, to whom com- bining these different laces seems a most improper proceeding; but the woman of today, she who is gowned according to fashion’s latest dictates, has little to do w! conservatism of any kind and pays no attention whatever to the old time traditions so far as regards clothes. EXQUISITE EMBROIDERY. vy linen, embroidersd most elab- is an expensive material, and yet up for morning gowns this sea- 1t is, morning gowns intended for at fashionable summer resorts. ) ed with Cluny or real Irish lace, hese same linen gowns are thought elab- ugh for afternoon wear, while d seem to be a wild race In supremacy of lace or embroldery— of which the largest amount is ised. The thinner fabrics, such y. lawn, Swiss muslins and e used more often for afterngon for morning, and, in fact, are the orate costumes that a woman year. Hand embroidery e are naturally considered the ible, but there enty ine work which requires eve of an expert to distinguish from e real. Oddly enough, it is often com- ed with real lace, while on the other band Imitation used with hand embroidery. Ever in short, would seem to be more than usually contradic- tofy in the dress question this year, for while it Is requisite to look out for every at the same time it is a general ect rather than the minute detail that is the most satisfactory, or, perhaps, the 06.—It would seem as of womankind had this year on the subject and the amount of it that sort and kind of m eivable, espec t ..e greater part work and the cost of it, very great. Nothing, In er how much m who is up to date is y one embroidered gown, e an unlimited number 4 crepe de wa. » show off ry elaborate for mast ‘potictea y T mpire style of gown furnishes an t opportunity for all thin, trans- rent embroidered materials, for the ma- If hangs in such long, straight 4 does not require to be broken by 1y bands of flounces. An embroidered refore, shows to good advan- d then there is also a chance to ay beautiful work or material in the oidery acrass the upper part of tie and also around the foot of the e princess gown affords the op+ e embroidery on the ma- lways more on the lines and, with the trimming foot of the skirt, one, two or es. And then, also, the short can be worn with either style For evening and for the le of afternoon gown els is generally chosen many of the embroidered e most original patterns are just these models. 4 about or to look at the models style of afternoon gown is more ) a little depressing when the question ways and means has to be considered yet these are not such bad times to ve in, even for .he most forced to be S ] women, as in all the shops to be found such marvelous bar- e jackets, in the bands nd in the embroidered e it is also possible to utilize old lace and embroideries ,that have done service for many a year. Old I 1 embroidery, like antique furni- s an individual charm that is ., although, like antique old lace and embroideries re- » often more careful handling than rn imitations. There is an indi- wide to have it tern—that ng great fee] that ir money now of th enable seen y i the at a viduality about them most soothing to the possessor thereof. The old adage or say- ing “of the warmth of a bit of lac comes into play this year as it has not for a long time, for lace o | kinds is credited with wonderful powers of fascination and prac- ticality. A lace trimmed gown is, for in- stance, not considered at all too thin to wear in the coldest of winter weather for afternoon or evening, be it understood, while it possesses exactly the right qu ity to make it peculiarly desirable for hot summer weather. The same rule also ap- THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL. CREPE DE CHINE, SILK CLOTH AND LINEN Embrowdered Cloth g Linen Cosvtmume s to embroiderery, for the embroidered , cloth and pongee gowns are consid- ered exactly right during the spring, sum- mer, autumn and winter. All light colors are esp season, and the lightest weight cloths are at the present moiment thought very smart. They will not be exactly com- fortable to wear, excepting on unusually cool days at the seashore during the sum- mer, but they are so v smart in the way they are made up and the material fits and drapes so well, that it is not sur- pli ly smart this prising they are worn even when a thinner fabric might be more comfortable. Oddly enough, for white is very fashionable, the all white cloth gown is not so much in demand this year as the paler shades in colors. There is an exquisite brown which is made up with embroidery or braiding of the same color and trimmed with lace or lingerie; a rose pink and an odd shade of green, that are very fashionable, while a pale gray, a faint blue, and always the wood color, but of a warmer tinge this year, are made up In most fascinating Embroidered costumes. ‘Fuere 1S aiways one objection to. cloth, and that is, it requires to be softened by lace or lingerie, if it is elab- orately embroidered, for the embroidery or braiding has the odd effect of making it seem harder or harsher in outline. Of course, this vear the craze for all the soft trimming makes it ‘easier to deal with snd the combination is certainly most charm- ing. £.BROIDERED SILK ON VOILE. Embroidery on silk as a trimming for voile gowns adds greatly to their beauty and is generally worked in the same color as the gown itself, or just a shade darker. The Persian embroidery used as trim- mings for walstcoats or jackets still con- tinues to be popular, although it is not €0 - smaftt .as. lingerie, lace and velvet. By the way, it is very fashionable this season' to-have a touch of darker colored velvet in the trimming of walst or jacket Occasionally a contrast in color is used, and a very marked contrast it must be— too marked, in fact, to be rashly recom- mended, as there is no pitfall more dan- gerous than the question of color conm- trast, unless one's individual taste is universally ‘acknowledged to be decidedly satisfactory. By ‘“universally” is not meant the members of the immediate family. With' the pale pink gowns there is a darker pink velvet—in fact, a deep rose, a green or a brown can be used to advantage, but any one of these three colors, if not the right shade, will be anything but satisfactory. There is a new material this year among the wash fabrics that has a very silky finish, which is classed under the head of “linen batiste.” This is immensely fash- ionable, and all the different shades of color are extremely effective. It seems to lend itself especially well to embroidery, and the gowns made of it are among the smartest that have been turned out for de Chine Gown Crépe tae summer season. The favorite medel is on the princess style. but made to wear with a guilmpe and two bands of em- broidery over the shoulders, while the entire upper part of the waist is a mass of embroidery. There is a loose, short bolero, made entirely of the embroidery. and short sleeves .that are also covered with it. This embroidery is solid hand- work and in a heavy design, and while the model is necessarily an expensive one it is one of the most popular that have yet made their appearance. In pale gray. pink, a deep shade of rose pink, blue or mauve, it is difficult to tell which is the most attractive. In fact, where expense is no object some women have ordered two and three of the same model in the differ- ent colors. The all white linen batiste made in this fashion is not nearly so ef- fective as in the color, and consequently there are very few gowns seen made of it. Embroidered piques have appeared again this year amiong the fashionadle materials and are certainly most attract- tve, but they have not yet attalned the degree of popularity that the linens of the different weights have. The thinher qualities of linen are to be seen every- where and the designs of the embroldery are about the same, no matter what the quality of the material, or rather the weight, because only the finest gquality of linen is used in the mors expensive cos- tumes. The great objection that was formerly made, that linens shrink so bad- ly after being laundered, is now tically done away with, for no dressmaker or tallor makes up a lnen gown unless it has been thoroughly shrunk, and then, too, the most l:].‘b;—.nh gowns are not trusted to any but are sent to some reliable cleaper, who can be depended upon to clean the gown thoroughly without injuring the style. reasing splendor of New York's lace, consid- Vanderbiit in Wuhlnfikon Y n those days, ered a handsome dwelling people in their clothes, their . and there were horsehalr chairs and sofas pleasures, their entertain- i, drawing-room, which was heated cost of maintaining this »pular topics just now with ne both and out of 1 3 and other coun v York’s prodigal ex- s crossed the ocean long ago. of these with a big stove. I presume that three or four servants were ample to look after the entire establishment. Before the late Willlam H. Vanderbilt moved into_his new house at Fifty-first street and Fifth avenue his menage was of the most modest description, and even after taking possession of his new home, an't remember that the family gave even one entertainment which would be called smart these days. “‘The late Cornelius vanderbilt and his wife, both before and after moving into they bullt at Fifty-seventh Fifth avenue, lived unosten- It was not till the eldest now Mrs. Harry Payne Whit- ble society of er, - his opinion . was almost grown up that they did ther day: e than give family dinners and days New York's at home, and Mrs. Vanderbilt, despite her wealth, cared not at all for fine clothes. “By many Mrs. Cornelius Vanderblit is co! dered the best dressed woman in New York. She spends fabulous sums on dants of the Knickerbockers o New York's early her clothes and gets the worth of her t 5 r heads' money, too, every time. As a_result, nin me fate when Prince Henry visited New York he t their high living, reck- openly expressed his admiration for her t countries 1 costumes, and German royalty, with w eventually overtake New which Mrs. Vanderbilt has since hob- nobbed, shares Prince Henry’s opinion— and justly. “I doubt If the wardrobe of any mem- ber of the erman imperial family could r of surplus capital touch in style or cost that of Mrs. Cor- ishings, In laces, furs, nelius Vanderbilt. In all probaviuty her ng machines. mother-in-law, Mrs. Vanderbiit, when a rt it is the older, more f‘oung matron, spent & twentieth part or nt in fashionable so- less of the sum Mrs. Cornelius spends on atively small section her clothes. Nevertheless, in my opinion, ily tree than dollars, the latter doesn’t spend a cent too much. Younger and She can afford to sgend the money, so why should she not? “By the way, in talking about the New York woman’s extravagance,a Jwfl m.nx ersons separate entirely her ciothes er house, whereas the principal reason nds t e emulation among New who wear y ains t d perhaps not worried en that score. ete monarchies of centuries ago alations. what paraliel do offer for America? why some women now get ten EOWns ™ que. Never before was where they used to buy ofie is that thelr mocracy which mutiplied over husbands have built mansions andeur» nished them like palaces almost. Thers hundreds of superb houses in this city which were not thought of twenty years ago. Accordin~ to New York i!deas rljf rons(l:flacy a“:oman ‘who rs are lavish, but not extravagant lives in a palace must dress like a queen; e ]dvx":o’flr lavishness is 15:11» be attired elegantly every day and at all L el B hich posth th fashionable e average New York wo- ““Which cos: e more, a fashiol e i B fo. prefers the wpman's olothes or her entertainments? onable class and she scouts the idea the speaker was asked. 3 herself is extravagant, even “Sometimes one, sometimes the other. E ing that some of her friends Mrs. Blank, who entertains handsomely be. Most of these women laugh at almost the year round, told me that shs amparison of past and present splendor managed with $2000 & month. That does o York's tiothes and style of liv- not include the servants’ pay roil, and o one, whose clothes are the de- gpemkf%pu:etwemy servants in her New her enemies ork house. g eat- dmother, “Few of the newer houses can be rua A B e aeem (0 bé with léss than twenty servants—many of But think of how differ- them employ twenty-five and twenly- seven. I cannot manage with fewer than five servants for the du\lfi-mom alone, and no one can who en! ins constantly ts millionaire class in less f a ecentury. Never be- was a city like New York, includes multimillionaires by the its population. Wealthy New are now she and has a quantity of silver in use all the time. This one item alone shows the difference between the scale of living now , and twenty-five years ago, when five or | six servants were considered a satisfactory equipment for even a fashionable New York household. “If @ hostess wants to give two or three musicales in a season or a musi- cal programme after several of her din- ners or a cotillon or two in the season with handsome favors, $2000 a month will not go very far. Cotillon favors for 100 persons may be had for $1000, but thay are more likely to cos. $5000 and many easily mount up to as much again. Fre- quently as much as $20,000 is spent on a single entertainment. ‘“Have an operatic star or two as an afterplece toa dinner and you jump away past the ,-000 mark at once, exclusive of floral decorations, on which $500 may be ,spent without having anvthing re- markable to show for it. “My friend who spends about $2000 a month for Entermlnln% does not give balls or hire high priced soloists to amuse her uests, nor does she give continuons ouse parties at her country hous: in the season, mor take her friends »ff on lflrfl in a private car. If she did prob- ably $10,000 would have to be added to her entertaining account. “Last March I took a party of six friends with me on a trip to California and around home by way of Mexico in a private car. We were gone not quite seven weeks, and the jaunt cost me over $6000. And this is almost a common way of entertaining now. “I could name dozens of my frlends who never spend less than $50,000 a year for entertaining and that does not in- clude the amount spent in keeping up their automobiles and other accessories, like an opera box and two or three out- of-town cottages, which are maintained quite as much for their friends as for their own diversion.” ‘When these figures were quoted to a man whose expenditures are la, he reflected a moment and then said slowly: “Small, very small; that is, if one is estimating the amount spent on his ac- quaintances and friends by the very rich men of this city—the men who have built the couple of miles or so of palatial VAGANT INDULGE dwellings in the section above Central Park east and west, and most of whom count their fortunes away up in the mil- lions. In fact, I don't see how any one can separate the sum he or she spends in entertaining from the sum total of living expenses outside af clothes, per- haps, for the reason that, willy nilly, the wealthy are bound to entertain, and their houses, furnishings and equipages are means to that end. From that stand- point $50,000 is a mere bagatelle. “Extravagant? Why, certainly, soclety is getting to be more extravagant every minute. Entertainments which my wife thought very elegant ten years 0 she turns her nose up at now. Her dinners alone now cost ten times as much as they did_then. . “When Americans g6 in for anything they don't know how to pull up nor where Take the automobile, for ex- ample. It is. the Americans who now spend the biggest pile on them and de- mand the finest models in the market. “Some New Yorkers are spending every year on motor cars alone what would have beem called a' small fortune in the old days. But a manufacturer can tefl more about that phase of New York extrava- gance than can 1.” A “When the automobile first put in its appearance most New York men, even the richest, had only one,” said the man- ager of a big automobile concern. ‘““The same men now keep five and six. What is more, several rich men have their own garages employ skilled machinists by the year to_.do nothing but keep the machines in order. “It's all nonsense to say America hasn't a leisure class. That statement may have held good twenty-flve vears ago; ft is not true now. 'his company has been dealing with New York's wealthy class for that many years, and I have noticed in that time the rapid multiplication of men of almost entire leisure, .by w! 1 mean men who drop-in between 11 and 12 of a morning, away, and "’25‘“ again about 8 o'clock or a little later. “They have been downtown meanwhile to look in'at the stock exchange or at- tend -a board meeting or something like that, which can scarcely be .called hard work. These men, or most of them, haye at least three automoblles—a four-cylin- NCES der car, a closed car for evening use and in bad weather, and a runabout. Fre- uently -a fourth car, maller than the rst mentioned, a brougham, and a han:_om are added to their automobile outfit. “The amount of money these men spend vearly for automobiles is problematical. No one knows but themselves. What most of them demand is speed, conse- uently they will pay almost any price ‘or a new car, provided it goes faster than the older makes. Although $4000 or $5000 will buy a first-class motor car, New York men will pay as high as $20,000 for an imported machine guaranteed to go like greased lightning. “No one can say how much money the Vanderbilt boys have sunk in buying au- tomobiles and racing them. Take men like Fred Bourne, who has built a pri- vate garage of brick and stone on_ex- pensive city lots near the park, and John Jacob Astor, and $25,000 is a conservative figure to give when estimating the amount money spent every year for automo- biles. Mr. Astor has a workshop down in Centeér street. He exfieflmenu all ‘the time with motors of all sorts, and there is Cornelius Vanderbiit, too, who spends . hours at a time working away at motors in his own workshop. “The fittings, furnishings, trimmings of automobiles get more elaborate and handsomer every day, but they don’t he- gin to keep pace with the splendor of the fur coats and ywns and jewels of the women who cofme here to look at automobiles and who own some of tho: stored in the ‘garage. = hey maks m open my eyes in amazement and am not easily amazed.” p ‘When one of the so-called smart set was_asked ‘for an opinion as to the rel- ative cost of a fashionable woman’'s ward- robe now and a score of years back she answered reminiscently: It is impessible to answer that ques- tion off-hand, for the reason that in these days it is not so much a question of t'a woman needs to spend as of what ‘she thinks she needs to 'HII‘. In other words, the attitude of most'society women now js not how much they can save on clothes or the t sum wil which they can manage to present a si able appearance, but how mu money MECHANICAL LION Here is a most remarkable toy, much more than a hundred years old. It is the amusement of Tippoo Sultan, sov- ereign of the Mysore. It was found in the palace at Seringapatam after the ruler’s defeat and death, in 1799, It is also a “musical” instrument, and repre- sents a tiger rending a British soldier. The great object for which this group was constructed, and the part which is sald to have given the greatest delight to its royal owner, was the machinery which it eontained. ‘This, though not of nice workmanship, 1s simple and ingenious in OF THE SOVEREIGN OF THE MYSORE contrivance. The-handle on the animal's shoulder turns a-spindle and crank with- l{ the body. To, this crank is fastened a wire, which rises and falls by turning the crank. The ,wire passes down from the tiger hetween his fore paws in to the man's chest, where it works a pair of bellows, which force the air through a plpe with a sort of whistle, terminating in the man’s mouth. The pipe is covered by the man’s hand; but at the moment when, by the action of the crank, the air is‘forced” through the pipe, a string leading from the bel- lows pulls a small lever copmected with the arm, which works en a hinge m elbow; the arm rises in a mamner h the artist intended to show supplication; the hand is lifted from'the mouth, and a .cry is heard. The cry is repeated as often as the han- dle is turned; and while this process is going on an endless screw on the shaft turns slowly round a worm wheel which is furnished with four levers or. wipers; each .of these levers alternately lifts up another and larger pair of bellows in the head of the tiger. 7 OF SOCIETY s fash- they can get hold of to spend on their “It is true years some women did make quite an elegant ap- pearance \“: ssa?o a year. Tod.u& a ulloclctv woman's lingerie, negflf‘el an TS alone. cost that much often. it’s his may not be right. I am not de- fending it and fran..y admit New York -ocletylw'omg are t.'.tAt to be :ut- rageously ex e same time ten mumuu many clothes as t.he}r need their grandmothers needed, for the rea- son that they entertain continuously and are on dress all the time. “‘Besides this, the standard of elegance in dress has fons up tremendously. ‘Who considers a bl dress elegant now? No eme, not even a housekeeper. Ome elegant costume and a ?guim ones ~ were considered -'-’ch nt for a fashionable woman of oiden times, where- as now fashionable gowns must all be elesant and they must include costumes suitable for morning, afternocen and eve’nnu. for formal and informal oc- cas lons. “The cost of a dfigar or opera gown? A‘Hm 00 to $700. eal lace will bring the vfl%‘: evening gowns at ind $3200 is gone at once. Add to eight moare even- ing gowns for the I:l'no:t season or the season at any waterin ‘rhm and there goes another $3200, -;n nothing done reel about reeepgon and 't costus tm. cloaks, wraps, furs and ts, e “There are plenty of tea which cost $500 each and more. !fi‘“ als are most exq f fore mmu. hand mfl: gm%% suj s 2 tion: gowns worn - by ‘women cost less than $300. No, the price is not exorhi; he fabrics used in such & smart street costumes, gnth skirt and short coat, as if made by the West and a well dressed woman must have at least two of the latter and four reception gowns in her outfit. This means an of at least $1200, to which sum another thousand for tea gowns and e. ‘“:1"' Thun ~¢olhn is not an ‘ex- o tant ce an ra cloak, and the two mdu which are will 15 $500 cach the price 2‘?‘# whether they are W not with espensive fur. en the woman who goes to a South- ern_resort sets in must get The Teunt Ah or clgh % and s ; parasols, duplicate this wa summer cam- m. because there fs no one place on where a woman's clothes old so ?::ckly as at ; ata W‘ that will leave one’s gowns looking old duds,” 000, which doe-h not cover, Jewels or some sets of furs. "ms - husband gave me sat!e xo:t’ and rn‘:c:;.z m"mm en: : will mm Dfl‘.l! lfi. mr\;ch x.h:y did ten years ago al al In trasti the of ke decessor of twenty years ago & Who own ‘330,000 Worth of fuss: 4ad el o sear caat tHfimad with Se N fure cost omnly about half as much as they cost now, therefore custo: ot 'a:much for their money. = was n !me k'.%cn?n':dormm ient or e o oo i e kot or rainy she was chary of the costly hats, furs and cloaks which society t down affer a few wearings?" an box owner was asked. wl or more costumes. and el a bargain is struck for the lot there. * second-hand