THE PRINCE of DRESSMAKERS.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 20, 12 August 1893, Page 10

THE PRINCE of DRESSMAKERS.

A newspaper man has interviewed Worth about his business. The following 1 are some of the things the great man said ; —• “ Those ladies are wisest who leave

the choice entirely to us. By doing so they are always better pleased in the end, and the reputation of the house is sustained. Curiously enough the persons who realise this fact most clearly are precisely those whom you might fancy the most difficult to please. For instance, a telegram comes from the Empress of Russia : ‘ Send me a dinner dress.’ Nothing more. We are left absolute freedom as to style and material. Not that the Empress is indifferent in the matter of dress. Quite the contrary. She will sometimes require that all the ladies’ costumes at a certain ball be pink, or red, or blue. And her own toilettes are always masterpieces of elegance. The point is that she trusts our judgment rather than her own. In the same way, during the last few days, we have received over twenty telegrams from Madrid for ball dresses, and we shall make them up as we think best.” “ How long does it take to fill these telegraphic order ? ” “ Why, we generally want a week, but, if necessary, we can finish a costume in twenty-four hours. We have had French ladies order a dress in the morning and dance in it at night. I remember once making a gown for the Empress Eugenie in three hours and a half. Of course, such rapidity would be impossible if elaborate work was required. It often takes weeks to complete an embroidered gown. At the time of the coronation of the present Emperor of Russia we had girls working night and day for six weeks on a Court train for the Empress, which was covered with magnificent embroidery in real silver. That train alone cost 25,000 francs, and will be preserved in the State Museum as an historical curiosity. “You ask me if fabulous prices are sometimes paid for dresses. It is quite impossible to make any estimate as to that. If you begin putting on gold thread, jewels, etc., of course there is no limit to the cost. Some years ago a Peruvian heiress paid us 102,000" francs for a single gown, 118.000 francs being the cost of the laces alone. A few weeks ago we sold a cloak for 45,000 francs, of which 44.000 francs went for the fur. “ Oh, .yes, we count among our patrons tho ladies of all the Courts in the civilised world, that is all with a single exception. Queen Victoria has never honoured us with her patronage.”