New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-07-21
FASHION PLATES.
THE OLD STYLE AND THE NEW.

divine as is a wooden manikin In toyshop. They
were all made las many Of them are still made)
by designers who possess little artistic sense, only
a correct knowledge of the technical requirements
OF the mercantile trade. They were literally paid
Some OF the fashion designers OF Paris, whose fig-
wooden OF the wooden, but possessed a
certain cachet suited to the requirements Of the
purchasers OF millinery and dress goods. received
as much money for their designs as did dstin-
guished artists They autocrats. as only
limited number met the technical requirements OF
their trade. Artists. however poor and struggling
naturally looked with contempt on illustrations that
called for the abandonment Of artistic principles to
the demand OF trade technique.
Fashion plates OF this kind were made by certain
rules. Sometimes the gown was posed on gracefui
cir, before the camera Sometimes II was sketched
by the pencil But since the general use OF the
camera fashion plates have usually been pnoto-
graphed forms" the girls VINO make IL
business to try dresses are called. Inese girls
must be thirty-sx inches in the bust. and tall ana
wilowy in figure The form who becomes obese
will soon lose her position. After correct repre-
eentation OF the gown has been obtained. the first
stage has been reached and the fashion plate Is yet
to be evolved The designer begins 10 e'ohsa'e
the figure He makes it one-eghth taller than any
female human figure was ever known to be- Ids IS
a technical rule The figure Is also toned down In
one part and drawn out In another, a new head Is
put on IT, reproducing the lstless. fe!ess features
OF the average fashion pate. lorgnette Is put in
the hand II II Is a plate OF evening dress. or
paraso or muff according to the season, II 1t IL
street costume.
The figures are often colored to give an exact
reproduction OF the fashionable materials OF the
season This was and still is. to some extent the
fashion Mate of merchants and of fashion journals.
Intelligent merchants have felt the absurdity or
these pictured figures They have endeavored re-
peated.y 10 obtain something better The average
artist has desplsed the making or rashiohs
and though he could sketch numoeriess
maidcns in Greek costume he was a fall
ure when he attempted to depict n maid IN
French gown. 1t Is within recent years that the
favoritc American fashion paper "Harpers Ba-
Ear" has presented truly artistic plates Someth'hs
approaching this ideal had been done by the paper
before but nothing either side OF the Atlantic mas
evcr been done 10 compare with the work OF Sandoz
Tho fact that these pictures are copyrighted III
America and at,erward sent to England and re-
prlntcd there in the leading fashion paper In the
kirgdom with credit 10 the American house.
shows the esteem in which they are held.
Many OF the fashion plates printed In the
Tribune have been correct representations OF grace
full women skctched from life by artists cieVer
with the pencil and all the wooden rules OF the
,,a,l,,c fash,on-p,ate maker have been discarded.
W. do not see In these sketches the ridiculous'
elongatei figures. the minute hands. the iunny' eA
prcssonles. faces that were orce deemed esseht'a.
10 the display OF clothes In print Yet the pain VI
the maker OF fashion plates Is hardly an easy one.
IL is every elaborate rrehch gov" '""' w."
make a graceful sketch.
II f. no longer deemed necessary to make pre-
naratory photograph Like other pictures. fashioh
mates are now made from life. The artist poses
his subject and throws in such gracerui acceSs''s
as are necessary As n rule the gowns are sun
ske,ched on a living form" though sometimes
artists models are used One OF the greatest oo-
s,aces 70 the use OF the shopgrl as model lies III
IN. fact that she has a rooted objection TO trying
on dress except over her dress. IN tho way s"o
exhibits gowns customers. There Is great
difference in O gown worn In this way anu III o'
worn "a the woman OF society wears 1t. over
nronerlv corse.ed figure. The shopgir. also usua"!
has an objection trying on clothes Tor pr.n''
though she Is asked TO DO so by her employer. sne
will try on clothes for hours before CUSTOMERS II"
the shop. but she Is exceedingly sensitive lest ne'
face should be recognized in print. Many are .he
ues that are TO be resorted TO before she VIII oe-
come willing subject for the Camera or the arust
/ ,ancn II was the custom OF shop to oner inc
young ladies' who posed A dozen photographs OF the'r
r &, tho grand gown" and this offer usually
sroothed over matters
!, 10 seldom however. that the girl In the shop'
though she may be possessed OF me "su'e'
makes 40 successful a fashion Plate as the aits'
model who Is used to posing as me lady lev
girs ~ tho stores are at In the fine clothes.
They lack style and carriage OF the nsure. "e o'
fashion plate Is better than the awK"aru nsuie -
n grand gown. Few people VINO are not p'o'e
models make good posers 49,
n II IS difficult 10 get the ideal woman hsule'
Il is even more difficult TO get the ideai GNU
o,,ure After YEARLY searching among all the cash
girls and tiny helpers In an immense u'Ssoo'"
store one may be able to discover s,Ne s
childish figure Al these mnn{ur here IS nothing
sn@y"stive OF childhood In their bent hgures Anu Anu
careworn faces. Photos.aphed tney search when
one after another OF these children naa pve t,a5nt
up for Inspection on on, varH1 ,Ie NODE was obtained
from "chlds home who looken AT ne ny ,ooring
pretty clothes. and made graceful happ' -o'""'e
Strange indeed It is that the weary tired-Sokng
sasnS o., ' ne" Of the oy OF srhood that had been
denied her In earlier years Al the ages Ii ,t,i
faces among these ana many ., ssem
possess n peculiarly innocent beauty una, sarman
say Of Ss sss ma hats d t
head that the model was siE N and and one or two
Most on the bsusc have introduced the fashion OF
showing the design of dress IN Spa, one IL made
rna Thus il is possible show exactly how
gown will look before It Is ordered ine ho Usually
are ,ns Work has slight artistic training and re.
ceyes but rlne higher wages tnan .me Vra' an
w9rKer wave aver TSey are badly of drawing but
they serve the purpose o. the snop that some
sven our r'S nsorer fashion plates come;
Vary graceful pictures are sometimes Hauo io.
| chase drawlnas by rcdrawing them, with proper
anatomy and nns Such pictures as
these cannot bc compared to picture OF gown
properly posed mode ana skc,s a hs os "a m m
artist 80 sketch from photograph sSe o rsnnr
rase and grace. Any one skiltui Win 'ne fvmo rn
can detect at once the difference between p'o'"''
The old slim fashion plate has certan.y gone ny
II IL hardly seen nowadays OUTSIDE @ sc
,r,Ie naner. Like the artistic poster. the artistic
fashion plate has come 10 stay
!