The new North-west., 1886-02-19
FASHION SPOT'Tr,G.
4 QUEER PHASE OF METROPOLITAN
DREasMAkiNG TRADE.
Sh irp-Eyed Women Who Earn % Liveli.
hood and Keep Up with the Times by
Pirating Patterns and Counterfeit
ing Costumes.

his round to spend little time in one of the
great dry goods caravanseries that abound III
New York, and there observed the newest
phase i'll the great art of dressmaking. Iii
stood in the cloak-room. when all at once
there was conmotion above the confusion
Of traffic, and he saw, as did others in the
roo..l, the store detective take tastefully
G.'-ss,.I young woman by the arm and gently
but firmly eject her. There followed whis-
pered chorus among clerks and customers of
as she aehoplifter." and "What has she done?'
At the closing of the door the detective re-
suIned his former disinterested air, and kept
it Until asked what the lady had done to be so
suddenly turned out into the cold. Then he
answered.:
"Oh, she's what we call fashion spotter. :"
The reporters ideas of spoilers had always
centered on the reprehensible individuals who
deceive tender-hearted bartenders on Sun
days, and he waited for more. 1t came.
LATEST FASHION OF PARIS.
'Its new line of business among some OF
the most lum tum and snobbish dressmakinr
and millinery establishments in this city
that's got TO be quite the caper lately, and
just now as their opening season is comlnenc-
ing they are out to spot and get on to every
wrinkle they can at some one else's expense.
You see such houses as ours send every year a
special buyer or order to Europe to secure all
the newest styles in the cloak, millinery and
dressmaking lines, especially for their con-
germs This is done to keep each other well
supplied against the competition of outside OF
private trades and at the same time to not al
low their houses to fall behind in the latest
fashions of Partisan or other foreign designs
or novelties. About year ago it was i'm
possible to excel these large establishments il
procuring such goods, and when a lady OF
fashion desired to get anything recent, out
side of importing it herself through some
friend abroad, she was compelled to come t6
our stores and departments.
at was this pinch to secure patterns and
styles from some perfect specimen or mode
made i'll Paris that brought into existence the
class to which belongs that woman you just
saw me lead out of the store These concerns
get man or woman in their employ who is
possessed with knack for at once 'spotting
or catching at a glance the color, material
and design of any new dress, bonnet or cloak.
Such parties must be experienced in this line
of trade and when the season for new styles
and European novelties is about opening al
the leading establishments they are sent out
on their important mission to provide designs
for their employers, and upon them rests the
great responsibility of the winters work anc
trade. The fashion spotter,' after looking
through the advertising columns of the pa
pcrrz notes the announcements of Che leading
store openings and at once starts on her mis-
sion First one establishment of standing
entered and if the house deals in millinery
each sample bonnet is picked up and every
detail in its material and make mentally
noted This is the millinery fashion spottert
job. Then, so it goes on with the cloakmak
ers' and dressmakers' spoilers.
DETECTIVES ON THE ALERT.
1.-THE heads of big stores at length deter
mined to keep detectives on the alert for the
fashion spoilers and to keep them out of the
show-roous. We are getting ON to them as 6
set now, through shadowing and keeping
regular description list of them at headquar,
ters.
'The best time to nip these damsels is or
wet days, when regular customers do not care
to venture out. They all seem to have plenty
of leisure in rainy weather, because theil
trade is also dull, and, beside, they think they
can accordingly take time by the forelock
There is no law to prevent or punish them fol
stealing fashionable ideas and turning them
to their own advantage, but of course a mar
has right to forbid 4 person frequenting hi.
establishment whom he might deem objection.
able. Then when you look at it, the bushes.
does seem regular piratical piece of work, ]
do not believe the styla can be copyrighted.
but it seems almost as much of an offense as the
plagiarism or piracy of a book or play. You
must understand these houses pay pretty BIC
premium for securing the first importation
and exclusive use of these styles In America
Brooklyn Eagle.