The evening world., 1888-01-11

ina Estnbiishments-Fastidious Men who
Give Their Tnilors Troubie-H0w n Coat
Was Bought at a Third of It's Value.
A catchy advertisement and one that will
always coax the coin ont of the pockets of
the people is one which promises a double
return for an investment.
1t need not make such a pledge in 30 many
words. 1t is, indeed, more effective If 1t
strongly hints at the advantage to be gained.
Such advertisements are those of the deal
ers in so-called misft clothing. The wary
fight shy of stores over the e%ntrancesto which
is displayed the sign, Misft Clothing
Emporium"
They are impressed with the idea that the
announcement is n snare to entrap the green
horn, and that the misfit garments advertised
are an inferior grade of ready-made goods.
While they may be right in many instances,
there is at least one dealer in New York who
has n legitimate right to advertise a sale of
mistit clothing. His store is well downtown,
near Broadway, and here he has been located
for many years supplying people who are not
particular as TO a slight wrinkle under the
arm, a misplaced button or n matter of half an
inch in sleeve or skirt, with the very best of
tailors' best of work at half those tailors'
prices.
His store is curiosity shop, filed with q
miscellaneous lot of well-made garments for
men in all styles, colors and patterns.
Goats are the more numerous, and, al
though the fit of the bifurcated garments
known in London rs trousers and on the
Bowery as " pants " is of great importance to
the man of fashion, it seems that that of the
coat is subject to the greater criticism.
Here are cape coats, Raglans, ulsters, top
coats, ultra-English and otherwise, English
driving coats and the plain, sensible over
coat Of the business man, dress coats of finest
lrAn1p1ntI Dri,,,n A1l,arty ,ynI1,,r o,oA,
sacks and %cutaways, each of them bearing the
trademark of some fashionable uptown
tailor. some of them even being imported
from London.
In, some cases the shears have shipped off
the tailor's name and trademark, but the
same shears, envious of their masters name,
could not cut his name off the receipt in pay
ment for the garment which the dealer pos
sesses, nor has it troubled itself to cut off the
pocket or bit of lining where is penned the
name of the gentleman whose idea of the fit
ness of things has sent this sample of tailor's
high art to the mistit store.
While n WORLD reporter was examining the
varied stock of this dealer in disappointed
tailors' buds, he saw n gentleman get into an
elegant broadcloth coat bearing the name of
q prominent clergyman and'a top-of-the-h heap
Fifth avenue firm of tailors, and walk of
with it, after paying about what it cost O
journeyman tailor to make the garment-$20.
Why there should be so many insists
turned out by frst-class tailors seemed o
mystery which the proprietor solved.
II have" said he, contracts with
seventy-two New York tailoring establish
ments, several in Brooklyn, a London agent,
and several tailors in outlying cities, as far
as Albany, and | get invoices of goods from
them every month"
To prove this assertion he exhibited q large
number of the invoices and continued:
Now, these garments are not all insists. In
fact very few of them are.
You see. it is this way If q man don't
like a coat or a suit after he has ordered it he
may complain that it don't fit him, and his
tailor cannot attempt to prove that it does,
as they do in Chatham or Baxter streets.
He can't take otfense. The man is a good
customer-spends thousands of dollars with }
him yearly. He can't afford to lose his Gust
tom, so he tries to compromise with him by
making nm allowance on another suit ordered, 4
and depends on me for the balance. Or, IL
the customer won't compromise, then then
tailor simply grins and bears 1t and gets what
he can for the rejected suit from me.
That's one way, and the goods may be O
misft or they may not.
Then there is the fellow who selects a
pattern which suits him. but when he discov-
ers that he can buy a suit that looks just like
it for $40 in the Bowery, or, If he finds that
it is Objectionable to his wife, his sweetheart i,
or a friend, he wants another pattern, and the
first suit finds its way to my shelves.
Again, a man orders n suit of light clothes
or a light colored overcoat. His great
erandaqnt or somebody of his relation dies,
habiliments. The bright-hued clothing
adorns my counters.
There are other ways by which the
goods come to this store, as when a man who :
has ordered n suit or garment made leaves
the city and does not return.
/ have in mind a case. A wealthy man
ordered a heavy overcoat early one fall and
before it was made was called South, where
he remained about three months. He re-
turned in the middle of the winter and went
to the tailor's for his oyercoat, only to find
that it had been disposed of to me.
F some reason he wanted that particular
coat and he came here. He did not tell me
that he was looking for the coat, but simply
asked to be fitted from stock. He was of
peculiar size and build and it was hard work
to suit him, but finally the coat that he was
looking for was brought to light. never
sent a better fitting garment out of the
store.
What is the price of the garment p he
asked. Forty dollars? That is too much.
I'll give $780,
1T was an odd size and I was glad to get
rid of it, so 1 consented to take $50. The
money was paid and the gentleman broke
into a laugh as he walked towards the door. 4
That's the best bargain l ever made,' ,.
he said. That coat was made for me and I.
agreed to pay 500 for it,"