The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-21
MALE DREssMAKERs.


Women Flocking to the TaiIor-Sheps to
Have Their Stylish Dresses Made.
Talk with Philadelphia Tailor.
When they began to wear the dresses and
wraps made OF heavy, mems goods, after the
manner of their cousins across the water,
they soon found out the fact that il they
wanted to wear garments made OF mems
cloth men tailors would have to make them
up The ladies did not hesitate, but
promptly accepted the alternative. and the
ladys tailor came into vogue. They soon
discovered that the very pretty, simple and
elegant jackets. habits and draperes made of
heavy cloths could not be made to perfection
bY their dresSmakers, and rather than be out
of the style, they dropped the dressmaker
And bless their hearts, we like to have them
come. Women have neither the technical
skill to deal effectively with heavy goods IN
their manufacture into ladies' garments nor
the physical strength to do the pressing, on
which so much of the elegant shape and fin
ished appearance of the tailor-made garment
depends. The best suits of this sort made by
women will not bear comparison with those
constructed by frst-class tailor. The seams
and edges do not present the same finished
appearance, and the work throughout is in
ferior"
But how about the measurnga and fitting?
Do the ladies like that part of the business
do they like it? A lady VINO has the
spirit of her kind will like anything for the
sake of the style If there are those who
don't like it they say nothing about it; but
the majority of them would rather
come and measured and fitted
by men just as their husbands and broth
ers are. And why shouldn't they? A man
might well draw tape measure about a
ladys waist or shoulders as around her foot.
Oh, no, think if you were to ask them they
p.cri oil how ppf fiSfn pfin
from us than from the dressmakers of their
own sex. They have conidnce in the judg-
ment of the tailor and IN his ability to cater
to their wants, and very readily accept his
ideas of taste and style as correct"
realization of the proportions to which
this new trade for the tailo rs has grown was
given by member of Chestnut street firm
of merchat tailors He said it was destined
to be very lucrative branch of the tailoring
business, and it is constantly increasing
This firm has SO much OF this sort of work 10
do that it is opening q large establishment
adjoining the present store to be devoted to
the ladies exclusively. This one OF the pro-
prietors says, the firm is compelled to do
IN its own defense and to accommodate
the trade which has become a serious
annoyance to regular men customers. who
object to having their lady friends fitting
about the room while they the men, are try
ing on their new clothes. The new store will
be separate entirely from the old one, and
when it is opened ladies will not be welcome
in the place devoted to men. The gentleman
did not anticpate that this fact would keep
any OF the ladies from patronizing the new
store but he added that he would not have q
woman employed about the place in any ca
pacity whatever They will have in that de-
partment all goods that are worn by men;
but would not venture into fabrics especial
ly feminine, such as silks and velvets.
"Oh. no." he said; female taste is too
capricious, and we could rot go into the in
tricacies of evening and ball dress They
belong to the province of the mantau-
maker and not to that of the tailor, whose
strong point is in the simple and elegant
draperies and perfect fits. He can and does
make rding-habts that fit tighter than the
skin, but would be entirely lost in the
complicated frills, furbelows and fuss of those
garments made of the more pliable mate
rails.
ITO make good ladies' tailor requires all
the usual training and a great deal more be-
side. Before he aspires to cut for ladies he
should thoroughly master the trade of cut
ting and making mems cIothin,. Then he
should work for three years on the making
of ladies' garments before he attempts to CIT.
This course of training is calculated to make
frst-class cutters; but it is entirely too ex-
acting for the ordinary American" contin
ued the shop-man mentioned above. "Conse-
quenty. the best ladies' tailors. and in fact
nearly all good cutters. too, come from abroad.
"Of course, men who go through such a
course must be well PAID and this makes
the product of their labor expensive. On Il
lady's suit costing $3.50 the bill for wages is
fully $50. The best workmen must be emf
ployed or the peculiar advantage of having
clothes made by this system would vanish.
Nearly all the fashionable ladies now have
the taiors do the work, though few buy
their cloth from MS and have it made up by
women The ladies OF this class are very
few, though"
An old journeymap was asked if the la
dies were not very hard to please in the way
of fits. NO" he said they are very agree
able, and do not give much trouble"