Los Angeles daily herald., 1884-10-29
Male Dressmakers,
Washington star.l


"a woman's much easier to ft than {
man." said fashionable downtown tailol
the other day as he sat cross-legged on hi.
table making button holes in n pigeon
breasted garment somewhat resembling q
coat. They're much more satisfactory t.
lit. There's form-grace-symmetr beau
tifull Not all angles like menW
"Bahi You can't fit a man. But look a
thatP he cried, with burst OF professional
enthusiasm, holding up the garment tha
lay in his lap, so as to display the swell o.
the bust and graceful curve Of the hips
Look at that. Isn't it grace-symmetry-
form?"
'sWhat is it?" asked the Star man, who
stood with his head on one side cycling the
sWsatg l'S whS Iadys waist What have
been talking absutY You dontthink there
Is a man with such a formf"
"Do you mean to say you make ladies' gar
ments?"
most fashionable ladies In Washington. You
don't think they could get dressmaker to
make waist like that? No one but a man
an artist tailor-could do that
But how do you manage? How do you
how-that is, how do you, 1T them-try them
on. you know?" asked the scribe, trying to
hide his bushes behind red bandanna
Manage? Manager Oh, yes; see. Eas.
lily enough. The fitting is very easily man
sgsd h6 9Sn u have d been to pssg TIT hsy
ting is easily arranged. Our customers are
ladies' who have traveled-ladies Of refine,
ment. Fit? Why Just few minutes ago |
measured lady for pair OF pants"
"A pair of what?'
"a pair OF pants. Ladies wear pants with
their riding habits. They wear them under
their riding skirts This has been the Gus
tom for some time. They wear their skirts
shorter than formerly--just SO as to touch
the ground when they stand. Then they
skirts oh, .ah, you are wondering how
manage about the pants" he added, notic-
ing the puzzled and embarrassed expression
which had taken possession of the scribe
countenance. '.It Is all extremely delicate
and modest. You ought to go to Paris, We
measure the size OF a lady's waist, Then
the distance from the waist to the floor.
Then We have her sit on table, and meas
ure the distance from her waist to the table.
Subtract this from the distance from her
waist to the floor and we have the length OF
her-I mean the bag OF the pants When
they are cut and basted she tries them on
herself. The fitting is all managed very
sts In fact All the aa ladies'
particularly those who have been TO Paris,
have their suits made by tailors. Washing,
ton is getting almost like Paris. The ladies
have good taste. | could name lots OF
ladies-I don't know how many-who come
In and have their measures taken, just as
graeiously as men would, and then they are
much easier to fit and pleasanter to serve
than men. And the trying on Of garments?
We have parlors and maids in attendance
They retire to parlor and put on the gar
ment, which is basted together, and when
they get 1t on am sent for and go in and fit
1t, taking 1t in here, marking It for altera-
ton, and letting 1t out there When have
finished retire, and the lady again changes
her garment. Everything Is very modest
This is the custom altogether In Paris, and
is very rapidly becoming so here"
What is the cost OF lady's suit?"
1T depends somewhat upon the material,
Some so. some 800. some ti25 and more,
.Do you make party dresses, or anything
mo, we don't do anything at that. They
can be blown together by adressmaker. We
make walking suits and superintend the
preparation of their wardrobe. Fashionable
ladies' generally have quite number of diff
ferent styles of cloth suits, and heavy silks
and satlns These are what we make. Some
times we have a lady's entire wardrobe
brought here and repair IT, as 1t were. We
change the cut of some suits, alter the loop
ing.in on another, arranging the drapery,
and then make new suits TO supply the
places of those which cannot be worn any
more, and to keep up with the latest fash
ion. Then we make a large number of rid
ing habits. We have wooden horse which
they sit on while we arrange the folds OF
their habits.'
"Oh. yes." he added, drawing his legs up
under him once more and running his hand
over the face of his goose, 'the ladies' cos
tunes that are intended to fit are made by
men,"