| "Florrie! Are you going to be
married?" I exclaimed one day, as I entered
her room and found an array of dresses and dress
boxes scattered about; "Your room looks as
if you had been ordering your trousseau from some
Paris dressmaker." "So it
does," she answered, glancing round
complacently. "No, I am not going to be
married, my dear; but I am going to stay with
Lady de Lyrium at De Lyrium Court and thought I
could not do better than expend the cheque Uncle
James sent me last birthday on a few new
dresses."
"Quite right; for if ever you require to
be well dressed, it is at De Lyrium Court. The
house is sure to full of people, and endless
entertainments going on. But have you really got
all those dresses with Uncles James' money? You
have been very clever."
"No, No," laughed Florrie,
"Don't you recognise that white pongee and
reseda? I have only treated myself to three, the
rest are my old ones done up. I knew I could not
afford very many," she continued, "so I
had to make a judicious selection and resolved at
last on a dinner gown, an 'at home' and a walking
costume; the 'at home' dress will also serve for
fetes, or grand afternoon receptions elsewhere. I
have a bonnet to go with it. Envy me!" And
she held up a lovely dress of crepe de chine and
Roman satin, made in the Directoire style, with
the crepe front arranged sash-wise, with deep
tasselled fringe ends. The polonaise was of the
satin, with small white 'fleurs-de-lis' dotted
all over it, and in the corners at the foot,
great bunches of white narcissus, with green
leaves woven in silk on the material. The
polonaise was really all in one, but a moire sash
of the crape fell at one side and divided it into
panels. It was a lovely dress and as Florrie
said, would serve either for a home reception or
an outdoor fete.
"Where did you get it?" I asked,
when I exhausted every adjective I could think
of. "That is surely not an English
production?"
"I think it must be, for I got them all
three at Shoolbred's delightful shop in Tottenham
Court Road; but I thought it a dress even Lady de
Lyrium would approve of, though I fancy myself
more in this black brocade;" and she slipped
on the dress as she spoke, to show it off to its
best advantage. It did suit her marvellously
well. The front was composed of black net,
embroidered with gold threads in a deep pattern
at the foot and little gold stars alternately
with jet dots all over it. The Medicis collar was
also made of the same net, wired into shape, and
the sleeves to match. The rest of the dress was
of black brocade and moire stripe and had a very
simple but handsomely made train.
I hardly thought the walking dress would have
suited her, until I saw her in it. Then the bebe
effect was most becoming. It was of pale fawn
material with narrow white stripes; the front was
looped up with green ribbon bows,a dn had a
border of red roses embroidered on it. But the
novelty of the costume lay in the tippet of white
white Irish lace which trimmed at the neck and
the elbow sleeves with a deep frill of the same
lace. The costume was complete when she added a
white lace hat trimmed with green and fawn
ribbons and roses and an Incroyable bow. She no
longer looked like my little English cousin, but
transformed into a fashionable Parisienne, ready
for her promenade in the Bois.
She laughed when I told her so and declared
she would provide herself with a pair of
long-handled eyeglasses, and then the effect
would be complete.
"But come and help me to pack them now,
there's a good creature, for I go tomorrow; and I
never can fold a dress properly; but you are so
clever at it Daisy."
I laughed as I complied with her request and
told her I should expect a full account of every
account on which the dresses were worn.
Sylvia's
Home Journal, 1889
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