Diary of Marie Bashkirtseff
CZENUKFR

Tuesday, 13 July 1880

The Tchoumakoffs at dinner and then Soutzo; I make him dance with Leonie. But I never like him so much as when we talk about Cassagnac. I say that he courted me but that I was disgusted the day I was offered him for 30,000 francs a year.
I am having dresses made en masse; I want to have a season at Biarritz and have no rivals among the young girls. All my dresses (I am taking fifteen or twenty) are in wool or muslin or white batiste; the bodices are made the same way, no ribbons, no flounces. I must look as if I always have on roughly the same dress. Thus I have three in serge that are nearly identical. One checked, one skirt of white foulard. One in white foulard, two in wool muslin, one likewise with polka dots, one in batiste trimmed with embroidery, one in crepe merveilleux, one in linon with collar and sleeves of guipure and the rest bare like linen; one in canvas, one in muslin with dots, one in silk muslin, one in percale with English embroidery. One in striped oriental fabric (all white). Then a green one, a black one, a grey one, a brown one.
A straw mat hat with muslin and feather, one in straw with muslin and feather, one in Manila straw with feathers, a green one with feathers, a brown one, one in straw with white veil, one in rice straw with satin bow, one in penny straw covered with roses, one likewise in straw with fichu, one with gauze and violets, one with veil and roses, another brown one, one with draped veil and a rose, one with silk bow and violets. A brown overcoat, a black jacket, a brown waterproof, a grey dust coat, a white overcoat, a grey overcoat, a white topcoat. Scarves, capes, etc., etc. Shoes... a dozen I believe, Russian leather slippers, ankle boots to match the dark ensembles; stockings too. Suede gloves. It seems enormous and it is not. Let us say twenty dresses at 300 francs (some more expensive, some less) --- 6,000 francs. Then fifteen hats at 100 francs (some more, some less) --- 1,500 francs, 1,000 francs for shoes and gloves, total with parasols and overcoats: 9,000 francs or 9,500 francs.
But that represents clothing for a period of six months. And I have not counted the long dresses; those I have taken are all short, for the waters, for summer.
In terms of undergarments, I have far fewer.
The little Audiffrets are at Biarritz; they are elegant, real little cocodettes. Their presence drives me to have well-stocked trunks. All three of them --- the mother and the two daughters --- have 15,000 francs a year. With that they often entertain at dinner, albeit in a very small apartment, and they are elegant; the mother has very expensive outfits. People also say she sells herself. Added to that, a false particule, a husband from whom she is separated --- we know who the Audiffrets are: the grandfather was a mason, the uncle sells cloth at present. And they are received everywhere.

Notes

In English in the original. ↩