The Indianapolis journal., 1895-11-27
JOHN REDFERN.
He Conceived and Created the Tailor
Made Gown for Women.

Made Gown for Women.
New York World.
John Redfern. who died in London on
Friday, was the man who created. per-
woman. But for him she would not be-
Because of him she is found wherever gar
ments are found, even in the semi-barbarous
countries of the world.
1t was in the days Immediately after
Sedan. The men dressmakers of Paris,
working upon and through the Empress
ter but the sole arbiter of fashion. There,
and only there. We're perfectly dressed
women to be found. There, and only there,
gowns they We're in those days.-all
founces and furbelows padding and stuff
hng and bustlex and hoopskirts. until
woman looked like an artisticaly arranged
and inflated bargain counter. Then came
Redfern.
The empire had fallen. Paris was tenn
porarily in eclipse. Nobody wanted to go
there. with the corpse of the empire un-
buried and the mourners going about the
streets. Redfern was an underling In a
London dressmaking establishment. He
saw that there was chance even for Lon
don, then and now and always the home
of the hdeous,y dressed woman. to do
something towards restoring and rehabli-
tating ruined world of fashion. He de-
cided that nothing further in the way Of
nounces and indations could be done. And
he remembered that human nature, and es-
pecially feminine nature, loves to rush from
0e extreme to. the other.
SO he left the establishment in which
he amounted to nothing, and, taking his
great idea with him ne opened small
shop, very small indeed, in the fashionable
part of London. Then he proclaimed
new gospel of fashion.
I'VE have had exaggeration and COM
plexity,'' said he. Let US leave all that.
Let us be simple. Let us wear light and
strong and sensible clotn. And instead of
yards and yards of useless material, float
ing and Tapping and flirting about, let US
veallng their graceful outlines in all their
natural beauty"
Thus spoke Redfern. using ''us'' in the
sense in which your valet uses ii when he
lounge suit or our long coat and top hat
to-day?' For by us he meant the women
women of fashion heard and obeyed-
He was born in the same year as Queen
Victoria. AS you see, he did not ascend
his throne of fashion quite as soon as she
cended and was crowned and ruled for sew
eral years without rival. When Paris
"Can any fashionable thing come out OF
London" When 1t saw the tailor-made
gown 1t doubted no longer. Soon Redfern's
big shop in London had a successful branch
in Paris.
And tailor-made garments for women be-
gan to spread throughout the world. The
original doctrine of Redfern, which
narrow and did not aspire to any great
conquests outside of street gowns and rid
ing nfo Gowns OF everv % and SO
far as its central idea is concerned-that is,
the idea of simplicity = IL rules to-day in
spite of many savage attacks from Paris.
OF course, Paris soon regarded its st
premacy as center OF fashion. But Red
fern never lost his hold. He had got most
of the royal highnesses and grand duch-
esses and the like into his order books.
and. for certain things, he kept them there
without a detection until Ii was forgotten
that he. and he alone, had thought out the
tailor-made idea. Then men tailors for
women became as thick as men dressmak-
ers for women, and Redfern was supreme
no longer.
But he had built up a vast business, too
vast and too scattered for one man. So
Redfern became stock company, with
practically Independent houses in half
Newport and Chicago in this country. There
was some talk of selling the good will of
the American branches few years ago.
and the London company was offered $575,
600 for it. But, after some hesitation, the
offer was refused For several years this
old man who mas just died has been out of
the business entirely.
In this country the name of the old man
is pretty we'll known. Indeed, the impor-
tance Of the American trade caused him
to send one of his sons over here. And
many a quarrel has the American house
bringing in of gowns made in London.
where material and labor are so much
cheaper But on the continent of Europe
the name of Redfern is as well known as
that of any Englishman except Gladstone
In many places IL is used in a general sense
to express anything English for a man
woman TO wear.
The man who made tie tailor-made girl
is dead. But the tailor-made girl is march,
ing on.