A LADY.
WE can now well believe that there are Indian ladies who object to the abolition of suttee as some are said to have done with great animation and a show of conservative reason. Abolish the funeral toile, and what becomes of " the family," " the bonds of society," &c. ? In this country the lady wears the funeral pile around her in a portable form, and fatal examples of domestic cremation, accomplished on the living subject, have not at all checked the fashion. There are some, indeed, who would prefer the crinoline without the cremation ; and accomplished chemists have been engaged in discovering whether it were not possible to render muslin and other materials incombustible. The expansive crinoline, however, is but the humblest and simplest type of the fashion which now prevails, and which spans the Atlantic ; for it is a mistake to suppose that ladylike England or frivolous France is alone in an ostentatious extravagance of wardrobe. Repub- lican America is quite as vulgar in this fashion ; and the nou- veaux riches of Cuba vie with their rivals in every part of the world. A New York journal gives us a bridal wardrobe estimated at the cost of 13,400 dollars. The bill of fair will not bear abridgment or description, so here it is— "one blue silk, ruffled to the waist; one green and white double skirt, trimmed with black lace ; one light blue silk chintz, flowers down the skirt, trimmed with deep fringe to match ; one steel-coloured silk, with purple velvet flowers, trimmed with wide bands of purple velvet, edged with black lace ; a surplus waist trimmed to match the skirt ; one Swims dress, the shirt formed with clusters of ruffles and tucks, the waist to match; one !white Swiss muslin dress, five flounces, edged with narrow Valenciennes lace ; one white Swiss dress skirt, with three flounces, three ruffles on each flounce, pink inland underneath; one Swiss dress tucked to the waist ; six dresses of poplin, merino, and Ottoman velvet ; eighteen street dresses, of rich, plain, and figured silks, double skirt and two flounces; also moire antique, made in the newest and moat fashionable style; twelve afternoon dresses, consisting of grenadines, organdies, and tissue, all varied in styles of making; twelve evening dresses, one pink embossed velvet, trimmed with the richest point de Venise; one white silk tunic dress, skirt em- broidered and trimmed with blonde lace ; one pearl-coloured silk, double skirt, with bouquets of embossed velvet ; three white'crape dresses, orna- mented with bunches of raised flowers; three white tulle dresses, with co- loured polka spots of doss silk, to be worn over white silk Flirts ; six dinner dresses, one white silk embroidered with gold ; one pink moire antique, very elegant side stripes; one blue silk, with lace flounces ; one amber silk, with black lace, tunic dress; one black moire antique, trimmed with velvet and lace; one white moire antique, with puffings cf illusion, and the sleeves made in Princess .Clothilde style ; twelve muslin dresses, made with flounces and simple ruffles ; three riding habits, one black 'Canton crape, trimmed with velvet buttons; one green merino, English style ; one black cloth, trimmed with velvet ; three opera cloaks, one white merino double cape, elegantly embroidered and trimmed with rich tas- sels ; one white cashmere, trimmed with blue and white plaid plush ; one grenadine, with riband quilling ; twenty-four pairs of varied coloured satin slippers, richly embroidered ; twelve pairs of white satin and bid slippers, plain; twelve pairs of white satin and kid slippers trimmed with riband; six pairs of mouse-embroidered slippers, one pair Of kid India mouse, em- broidered ; one green and gray chenille, embroidered ; one purple and black silk, embroidered ; two Taus of brown'Meroeco plain French, all made a la Turque' six pairs of slippers, variously embroidered in various colours for the toilet ; twelve pairs of silk and satin Francais, dress, habit, and walking gaiters' six pairs of walking and winter gaiters, double soles ; six street bonnets, made of the most recherche Swiss straws, trimmed with handsome riband ; one opera bonnet, made of white lace and long fancy marabout feathers ; one black and white royal velvet bonnet, trimmed with cluster of pink roses, intermingled with black velvet leaves; six rich head-dresses, consisting of chenille, pearl and gold, and other rich materials ; six sets of hairpins, of coral, turquoise, pearl and gold ornaments ; six brettel capes of white tulle, trimmed in various styles of fancy velvet, chenille, and riband ; one Bruxelles point appliqué cape, trimmed with puffing& of illusion and riband ; one dozen of French embroidered handkerchiefs, with initials richly embroidered in the corner ; one dozen of real point lace handkerchiefs •, one dozen of guipure lace bandkerchiefs; one dozen of pineapple handkerchiefs, embroidered and trimmed with lace ; one dozen of fancy illusion sleeves for evening dresses, made flowing a la favorite ; two dozens of glove tops to match sleeves ; one pair of glove tops of point d'Alencon, trimmed with orange blossoms ; six sets of fancy wristlets, made of velvet and laces; six French parasols, made of the most magnificent embossed velvet, with Chinoise carved handles ; also three coquette parasols, simple and elegant ; twelve pairs of open-worked and embroidered China silk hose ; twenty-four pairs plain silk hose; twelve pairs Balmoral hose; twelve pairs of Paris thread hose, open-worked ; twelve pairs of Pans thread hose, plain ; twenty-four pairs of rich French embroidered elastics; twelve pairs of China silk under-vests ; twelve dozens of French kid gloves, of various colours; twelve pairs of gauntlets, buckskin and kid; twelve pairs of travelling gloves, gauntlet tops. The trousseau lace dress was the exact pattern of that used by the Princess Clothilde at the selection of the Empress Eugenie; having been reproduced in Europe expressly for this occasion. The lace is point plat, point'aiguille, Chantilly, and Brussels —in fact, a combination of the most valuable lace known. Among the hand- kerchiefs were two of point d'Alencon lace, valued at 200 dollars each, and one Valenciennes, worth 250 dollars, the richest ever imported."
Cuba, indeed, is still behind Paris ; where it is now the eti- quette to wear not lass than four grandes toilettes in the course of the day; and it is estimated that a lady, with two daughters, would thus require, at a single evening party, dresses worth nearly a thousand francs.
But nothing of all this ought to astonish us in England, where, even some years back, we learned that it was not uncommon for a young lady to find a thousand a year barely sufficient to keep her wardrobe in decent order. The fact is; that the English lady has become an extensive manufacture,—rather, we might say, an edifice. " Houses and churches are to her but geese and turkeys," if not in the magnitude at least in the elaboration of their design. The Court of Common Pleas supplies us this week with another bill of fair, and a very instructive bill it is.
In May fast a gentleman of good position was married to the daughter of a lady who resided in Piccadilly. In July the bride had to attend a ball, and of course it was necessary that she should have a ball dress. Application was made to Mesdames Lewis and Cooper, who are court milliners in Somerset Street, Portman Square ; and there the bride ordered a ball dress, not only for herself, but for her sister. At the same time the fair lady ordered a magnificent steel dress petticoat. The dress and the petticoat were sent home, approved, and much admired. In the same month of July, unhappily,—so constantly in this life do mournful accidents mingle with the gayest, — a painful event occurred in the family, and Miss Lewis received this note-
" Kindly come at once, as I have some important orders to issue which must be executed immediately. My poor dearly loved sister has been sum- moned from this world of cote."
This imperative summons was obeyed, and the consequence was an extensive order for mourning dresses. Some other coloured dresses which had already been ordered were sold, for the season was over, at an abated sum ; for which credit was given to the lady in the account. At last a bill was sent in, a bill in- . i
in- volving the external interests of the bride, of one or more of her sisters, and of her mother. But the amount, rising to the figure of 951. 10s. 6d., the husband of the lady in chief demur- red ; he paid 501. into court, and declared himself not indebted beyond that sum. There does not appear to have been any dispute as to the authority of the lady's relatives ; the whole question lay in the reasonableness of the charge. That the dresses were not extravagant in their proportions appears from the fact stated by Miss Lewis, that when she took some of them home to show her customer, they proved to be not long enough nor full enough. The ball dress which was ordered cost 101. 10a. —not a large sum. It was very nearly twelve yards in circum- ference. There was also an extra full book slip belonging to the petticoat, 11. 9a. 6d. " What," asked Mr. Honyman, " was the book slip belonging to the petticoat ?" Miss Lewis answered, " The crinoline, if you will enter into the mysteries ; it is to hide the steel hoops." The more we anatomize the phenomenon, the more surprising do our discoveries become. When the naturalist catches a " demoiselle," and subjects it, under the microscope, to the dissecting knife, he finds in it, if not exactly the same struc- ture as that of higher animals, still the most wonderful compli- cation of organs, arteries, and nerves. There are, however, some creatures in which the animal itself is but a small and not readily discovered fraction of the structure which appears to the eye ; these are usually very low in the scale of the creation, and the demoiselle which was under anatomy by Mr. Honyman in his clinical lecture before the Court of Common Pleas appears to have been an analogue of ooralline rather than an insect. Beneath the full book slip was an exo-skeleton of steel hoops, price 11.5s. 6d.—a price which the dressmaker declared to be "quite reasonable," and we can well understand that it was so. Mr. Honyman now grew nervous, and was "afraid to mention an article " that cost 3s. 6c1. " Is that reasonable ? " he asked. Miss Lewis, more intrepid, looked at her bill and replied, "A steel bustle, 3s. 6d. ; quite so." The anatomy of the bill, and financially of the demoiselle, proceeded until at last it was dis- covered that the Court could not of itself settle questions so ex- tremely complicated ; and the case was deferred for the Master— this does not appear to be the husband—to decide the matter in difference between the parties. Imagine the Master thus appointed to decide in detail the affairs of the toilette ! It is a fine practical satire on that false philo- sophy which makes women spoil themselves. For the greatest waste, after all, is in their own attractions. Look down any gallery of costume, from time immemorial, and see if the most graceful garb, that which best sets forth the womanly graces, of form, carriage, or expression, is not the very opposite of this mad millinery which disguises the angel under a heap of manufacture P It is to waive the sweet competition of the Graces, in order to a wretched competition of the purse, for the benefit solely of others' lucre. When did you ever see the Paphian Goddess, or Hebe, or Helen, or any heroine of tale, in prose or verse, imprisoned in hoop or crinoline. " So stands not the statue that enchants the world."
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