Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-06-25
EXCHANGING DRESSES,
PEOPLE WHO SUPPLY EXPENSIVE
COSTUMES FOR A SONG.

Sell Their Old Raiment and How Many
of the Four Hundred Thousand Secure
Beautiful Gowns for a Small Price.
1t is pretty generally understood that
when a man of fashion has tired of his
slightly worn clothing he disposes of it
with reckless generosity to his valet or
butler, or to any needy friend or relative
who will take it out of his way. But what
becomes of the gowns the fashionable
woman wears once and then discards for
ever? They are never seen again; but they
are utterly useless to the servants, and to
bestow upon poor relations the Worth or
Felix creations of gauZe and brocade would
be like giving Dresden china to man who
has nothing to eat.
Sometimes one is tempted to believe that
there is a kind of dress bureau to which
these wonderful eonfections which fit be-
fore US for moment are translated with
out touch of human hands. How many a
woman would like to revel in the glories of
such paradise.
But there is a more tangible solution to
the question of what the fashionable wom-
an does with her gowns. A secret-sacredly
concealed-sort of dress exchange gives oc-
cupation to many gentlewomen of modest
means, behind the veil of most profound
gentility. The most f1ourishing exchange
is so managed that the proprietor's own
husband never dreams that his clever wife
clothes her daughters off the proceeds of
buying and selling other peoples gowns.
These places are never advertised, for
publicity would speedily kill patronage.
One woman whispers to another of the
wonderful bargains to be found at Nine.
BIS, and one matron suggests to anoth-
er the advantage of leaving her cast off
fnery in this market. The woman propri-
etor is necessarily one of the elect, knowing
and known of large circle of friends.
COSTLY ROBES CHEAP.
Perhaps her husband has lost his money!:
perhaps his income will not keep the
daughters in Paris gowns and pay the ca
terer for balls and dinners. The lady be-
gins in a small way to act as mediator
between the woman who would like to sell
gown and some other friend whom she
fancies it will suit, and all for a small pres
ent. But when larger custom is secured
she deals in more important affairs. A
society woman who goes to many dinners
and balls finds at the close of the season a
large number of valuable gowns on her
hands.
Each has been worn but once, or possibly
twice, and cannot be worn again She
sends them by private messenger to the
exchange, and they are sold for whatever
they will bring, generally about half their
value, the seller receiving a commission on
the amount she manages to secure for the
gowns. Perhaps lady gets misfit gown
that she cannot wear. That, too, goes
quickly to the woman, who perhaps knows
some one it will suit and notifies her. A
lady going into mourning usually has
many gowns, and jewels as well, to be sold,
all of which bring a fair price.
Now as to the purchasers. They, too, are
ladies either of a different social circle from
those who sell from another town, or per-
haps of small means, who would never
dream of buying gowns in a second hand
place, but can find wonderful bargains in
these exchanges.
The woman who goes to many dinners in
a season very often buys for 500 a dinner
gown costing $500, and made of most ex-
pensive and elegant material, which can be
remodeled into every appearance of new
gown. And women hangers on to the rim
of society's bright circle are glad to avail
themselves of the gowns for which they
could not pay first cost.
One lady has bought almost her entire
summer outfit at brown stone house in
Oue ldSulOudDle where a man
buttons opens the door and the elegantly
dressed woman who receives her looks less
like a shopkeeper than like queen.
HOW RICH WOMEN GET MONEY.
Another point. Occasionally the woman
who drives in her carriage with servants in
livery on the box has less hard cash to call
her own than the maid who combs her
hair. And such a woman is very glad to
sell the old bits of jewelry that perhaps her
husband has forgotten that he gave her, or
to raise little money on her diamonds
for time of need. jewelers. in good stand
ing will not purchase a lady's Jewels with
out asking too many uncom Portable ques-
tions, consulting the husband, perhaps, or
| the father, when her comfort and safety
depends on the greatest secrecy in the
! transaction.
1t is an interesting, and to the wife an
aggravating fact, that many men of wealth,
while allowing their wives every luxury
OF life on account, give them very little
! spending money. A woman in sables and
| diamonds must be in rather desperate cir
| cumstances to step down from her carriage
and ask to have ten dollars worth of post
age stamps charged, and then asks the
clerk to buy the stamps again that she
may have the money. Yet this has been
actually done by the wife of one of the
! most prominent men in the city. Conse-
| quently it may be readily seen how the
dress exchange is patronized by women
| whose husbands would be furious if they
knew of this little resort for ready money
And on the other hand, a woman obliged
to dress on a small allowance, if she hap
pens to have friend who is this kind of a
| dress broker, can secure a Paris gown
which has never been worn, perhaps, be-
cause its owner went into crepe after the
seasons outfit was secured. One of the
! gowns hung away in dress brokers' cab
met is wonderful composition of silk and
lace prepared for but never worn, at the
queens drawing room. There is no more
resemblance between these exchanges and
the ordinary second hand store than be-
tween Bowery pawnbroker and a Broad
way bank, and the ladies who patronize
them would corn to sell their finery at a
second hand store almost as much as to buy
it at the same place.-New York Sun
| 1t is not generally known that the late
Marshal Won Moltke's wife was an English
woman, his sisters stepdaughter He was
many years her senior, but the marriage
was extremely happy, and her death was a
! terrible blow to him. He built a mauso-
! leum for her on his Silesian estate and was
| devoted to her memory.
! Here is new industry for women. Miss
| Constance Blaydes. an English girl, who
! has been raising goats for tie last seven
years and carrying off all the medals and
! blue ribbons in the New British Goat So
! ciety, recommends goat raising as pleas
! ant and profitable occupation.