nd time expended here on dress is amazing. There are two objects in
view in all this--the best dressed woman at a ball or party is not only
sure to outshine her sisters there present, but is certain to have the
satisfaction next day of seeing her magnificence celebrated in some of
the city journals. Her vanity and love of distinction are both gratified
in this way, and such a triumph is held to be worth any expense. There
is not an evening gathering but is graced by the presence of ladies clad
in a style of magnificence which reminds one of the princesses in the
fairy tales. Says a recent writer:

"It is almost impossible to estimate the number of dresses a very
fashionable woman will have. Most women in society can afford to dress
as it pleases them, since they have unlimited amounts of money at their
disposal. Among females dress is the principal part of society. What
would Madam Mountain be without her laces and diamonds, or Madam Blanche
without her silks and satins? Simply commonplace old women, past their
prime, destined to be wall-flowers. A fashionable woman has just as many
new dresses as the different times she goes into society. The _elite_ do
not wear the same dresses twice. If you can tell us how many receptions
she has in a year, how many weddings she attends, how many balls she
participates in, how many dinners she gives, how many parties she goes
to, how many operas and theatres she patronizes, we can approximate
somewhat to the size and cost of her wardrobe. It is not unreasonable to
suppose that she has two new dresses of some sort for every day in the
year, or 720. Now to purchase all these, to order them made, and to put
them on afterward, consumes a vast amount of time. Indeed, the woman of
society does little but don and doff dry-goods. For a few brief hours
she flutters the latest tint and _mode_ in the glare of the gas-light,
and then repeats the same operation the next night. She must have one or
two velvet dresses which cannot cost less than $500 each; she must
possess thousands of dollars' worth of laces, in the shape of flounces,
to loop up over the skirts of dresses, as occasion shall require.
Walking-dresses cost from $50 to $300; ball-dresses are frequently
imported from Paris at a cost of from $500 to a $1000; while
wedding-dresses may cost from $1000 to $5000. Nice white Llama jackets
can be had for $60; _robes princesse_, or overskirts of lace, are worth
from $60 to $200