National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-04-24
WOMEN WHO DARE.
Tsilors who Mako Mems Clothes for
Women, and How They Please Their
New York Mott and Erpress.

Women, and How They Please Their
Customers.
New York 1tdl and Express.
Some time ago gentleman brought coat
in to tailor on the east side of town some
where along Fourth avenue, aud asked tho
owner, who was sitting on bench in the
window with his legs crossed under him. IL he
could mako the coat TO fit and have it done
the next day. Tho tailor WAS very poor. He
had his rent coming due in a day or so, and
nothing wherewith to pay it. He responded
with alacrity, altered the coat to his custom
er's satisfaction and received his pay. The
next day the gontlemans wife appeared with
riding habit which sho wished fitted to her
more snugly than it fitted then. The tailor
did tho work and tho fair customer was do
lighted. II wonder if you could make
me cloth jacket" she said. Tho tailor who
really wanted to pay his rent, responded inn
mediately and emphatically in the aflirma-
tive. He made tho jacket, and his now
customer was again very much pleased. She
got him to make her a costume, and when
this was finished TO her satisfaction she told
him she would send in her husband TO have
vest mado or pair of cloth uppers for his
low shoes, and ho would then pay tho tailor
the entire bill. Taior-mado costumes for
ladies have boon known in France and Eng
land for some time, but this is the way in
which tho business was started here. Tho
jubilant wife, who had gotten her bill
paid for dresses and jackets lost no time in
advertising the new plan to her friends.
The ladies' tailor was inundated with large
orders from wives and daughters, and small
orders from their masculine retinue. He
made up the clothes, sent vests and trousers
and other small packages homo with large
IL IL IL
jackets without any bills at all, and prospered
exceedingly. Ho paid his rent and took more
commodious quarters To-day that tailor is
worth 100000, owns p country scat, and
visits his immense establishment in the city
for q few hours each day. He was made by
the ladies of New York and they may we'll
be proud of their handiwork.
Several fashionable tsilors have been in the
business. and gone out of it, and there are q
few in it to-day. Those who went out of it,
generally aftor one years experience, said
that they had lost more money and more
temper in short time than they could afford
| to do. 1t was more difficult to cut garment
| to lady's shape, and their ingenuity in
| pointing out alleged defects after a fair flt
had been accomplished was more than the
| ordinary tailor can stand. Just as there
| are some able lawyers who can obstruct
| the entire course of perfectly legiti-
| mate cross-eXamination by series Of spe-
cious and we'll sustained objections, so there
| are many ladies in New York who can
go n long way toward convincing cutter
| that no knows nothing about his business.
| If tho customer really wants tho costume she
| has ordered she does not keep up her objec-
tions very long, but if her mind has changed
since the order was given, she can find
| sufficient fault to justify her, in her own
| mind, throwing the garments on the makers
hands, and she gives color of truth to her
criticisms by lacing tighter at one time than
| she does ut another, by wearing different
| corsets and different underclothing altogether
and by dozens of other devices which need
not be repeated. This'sort of thing usually
drives the tailor half crazy, and he gets out of
| the business ofladies' costumes. Those who are
| in it now are learned in all the devious wind
ings Of tho feminine mind, and are prepared
| to meet them at every turn. In one Fifth
| avenue establishment where riding habits
| are made, as we'll as costumes, tho wooden
| figure of horse stands in tho salesroom, and
| it was explained so many customers who
went away, after having fitted their habits
and were quite satisfied, came back to say that
they did not fit when they got on horseback
| The wooden horse was then put in. ladies
were invited to send down their saddles, and
they were fitted to complete a Central park
| picture that would stir enthusiasm among
admirers and delight the hearts of artists.
| The most successful of these ladies' tailors
are those who have associated with them q
practical ladies' dressmaker. He not only
contributes knowledge of skirts which is
| valuable, but he brings to the business years
of experience in dealing with the fair sex,
| without which the business is bound to be
failure, outside of those cases in which man
may have a gift in this direction. The goods
used for those costumes are made especially
| for the purpose. They arc lighter than the
| goods used on mems clothes, and arc much
heavier than any sold in stores for ladies'
dresses. The cost of the goods is all the way
from SO to So yard, the goods being fifty-six
inches wide. The costumes are lined with
silk costing So yard, and the price paid is
from $50 to $3.50 each. There is no doubt
| that they contribute to the beauty Of the
| female figure and serve to soften it and
conceal any want of this desirable quality.
Angular outlines are rounded out with the
smallest display of padding, and the cunning
shears of the cutter cheat the casual eye
By slight Encouragement of the lines,
so that very high shoulders lose their
length and very sloping shoulders are built
up into something substantial and at
tractive. 1t is stated that the more expen-
sive Of these costumes are absolute marveis of
Workmanship, and are not to be matched in
all the world Workmen here turn out these
| superbly finished garments because Americans
| are more willing than the people of any other
| nation to pay high price for the best work.
| A fashionable tailor recently assured the
| writer that English journeymen tailors work
| far better here than they have ever done in
England, and frequently, with the assistance
of their families, earn $50 week. He added
that the best coat Poole, of London, ever
turned out was inferior to the worst of first
class tailor here, and the speaker was an
English man.