Alva’s rival for preeminent Vanderbilt hostess, Corneil’s wife, Alice, went in a more abstract direction for her costume: she came dressed as an electric light. Her gown was made by the famous dressmaker Worth, of yellow and white satin (the same colors and textures as her husband Corneil’s costume), with skirt panels of dark blue satin embroidered with pearls. Her bodice, made from cream satin, was trimmed in diamonds, silvered lace, and feathers. Most remarkably, Alice carried a gilded torch in her right hand, its light powered by a concealed battery. Wittingly or not, the Vanderbilts were
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