The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-03-21
FORTUNES IN FtfRS.
Coats OF Fur That Cost $1,000 Altered
Every Year to Suit tho Latest
Tnshion-Fine Wardrobe 0f
Fur Worth o76,O0O.

Coats OF Fur That Cost $4,000 Altered
Every Year to Suit tho Latest
Fashion-Fine Wardrobe Of
Fur Worth o75,o00.
Speaking OF the -, 900 fur coat stolen
from Lady Warwick, in connection
with her description Of herself as
splendid pauper" under the new Eng
lsh tax laws, q furrier saysto the West
minister Budget:
''As a matter of fact, $4,000 for q
ladys fur. coat is absolutely nothing
out Of the way in our experience. On
the contrary, it is rather low price for
q fur coat Of lady of means and of
social position. There are large. num-
bers Of such ladies who wear fur coats
Of about "a, 75O to just over $4,000, and
now and again, not so very rarely, we
make coat up to ~ ,500."
What kind Of fur are these coats
lined with?"
There are three kinds Of expensive
fur-Russian sable, natural black fox
and sea otter. But it is not the lining
only that makes coat expensive.
The trimming is another very valuable
often the most valuable-part. Take
set Of Russian sable tails; that alone
costs $40, 900, nor is this surprising,
since we pay s400.for one tiny skin as
1t comes to us straight from Russia, in
an unpreparcd state.
"Then, what constitutes such q set?"
''Simply plain front, collar and
cuffs, and deep garniture round the
coat. But remember how many tails
90 to such set, and remember, also,
that this is the most beautiful fur that
could possibly be had"
II suppose coat like this lasts for
cver?''
"It does last for many years, unless
ladies' are careless with it. But if you
give them very hard wear and neglect
them, it is only natural that they
should soon be spoilt."
"But what about changes in fashion?
Is the IS, 900 fur coat worn whether it
is made fashionable or not?"
''Oh, no; great number OF these
coats come back to MS every year to
be altered according to the latest
fashion"
'Are your customers of this class
very fastidious and troublesome about
these costly garments?'
s'No, not in the very least. OF course,
there may be exceptions occasionally,
! but, on the whole, these ladies are far
easier to please than many. They have
| confidence in us; they know that the
Arm would supply nothing but what
was thoroughly good and genuine. 1t
is the people who want an ancient-seal-
skin jacket altered, or something Of
that kind, who often prove the most
troublesome. They seem to think that
we can put the fur back on the animal,
nd turn it, from being worn and rot
ten, into new material. We do any
thing which it is possible to do; but to
turn old fur into new is beyond the
limitation of even the cleverest fur
rler."
s'To return to the splendid paupers'
fur. What constitutes . complete
wardrobe of furs?"
"a long coat, short one, perhaps q
third, trimmed with fur, and muf
and cape. Such a wardrobe is worth
several thousands, and you would be
surprised to know how many ladies
have such wardrobe. They look upon
their furs as upon their jewels, it
seems. / know one customer OF ours
whose wardrobe of fur is worth SIS, 900,
and only the other day we made coat
for $4,000, and the trimming for the
coat OF another lady cost $1,000"
"Then abo..t fur coats for men. It
looks as if they were becoming more
popular. Is that SOP"
at is, indeed. Even six or seven
years ago Englishmen seemed ashamed
to wear fur coats, and if you saw a man
in such coat you set him down at
once to be either an actor, an artist or
foreigner. That is no longer SO, al
though there are still good many men
who are little shy about the matter.
They want fur coat, bat they don't
want it to be recognized as such. So
they have a coat lined with fur, but
they don't have fur collar or cuffs
And since we have made it for years o
special feature to make fur coats fit, it
Is quite possible for q man to wear q
fur-lined overcoat that looks exactly
like an ordinary ovorcoat.
1.-The majority Of men, however, do
not mind it being noticed that they
wear fur coats. And why should they?
Surely man who goes out to his club
or to dinner at night, in evening dress,
which is much thinner than the clothes
he wears during the day, requires fur
coat. But mems coats are far less ex-
pensive than ladies'. We make them
up to q, 500 or s., 900, but we also sell
good coats, lined with muslsrat (which
is the best fur for wear), at $50. That
is our cheapest coat. The average price
. man pays is from $3.50 to $500, but
there again the collar and cuffs form