The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1896-10-16

the contrary, it is rather low price for
a fur coat of a lady of means and of
social position. There are large. num-
bers of such ladies who wear fur coats
of about $4,750 to just over $1,000, and
now and again, not so very rarely, we
make cont up to $780,"
what kind of fur are these coats
lined with?r sea
"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 $4,000, nor is this surprising,
since we pay s40O for one tiny skin as
it comes to us straight from Russia, in
an unprepared state"
''Then, what constitutes such a set?"
"Si1nply n plain front, collar and
cuffs, and deep garniture round the
coat. But remember how many tails
go to such a set, and remember, also,
that this is the most beautiful fur that
could possibly be had"
81 suppose a coat like this lasts for
ever?"
1T 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 $1,000 fur coat worn whether it
is made fashionable or not?''
"Oh, no; great number of these
coats come back to us every year to
be altered according to the latest
fashion"
'Are your customers of this class
very fastidious and troublesome about
these costly garments?"
"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
firm would supply nothing but what
was thoroughly good and genuine. 1t
is the people who want TN 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,
and 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
rier."
''To return to the splendid paupers
fur. What constitutes a complete
wardrobe of furs?"
"a long coat, a short one, perhaps a
third, trimmed with fur, and muff
and cape. Such wardrobe is worth
several thousands, and you would be
surprised to know how many ladies
have such a wardrobe. They look upon
their furs as upon their jewels, it
seems. / know one customer Of ours
whose wardrobe of fur is worth S75, 900,
and only the other day we made a coat
for $4,000, and the trimming for the
coat of another lady cost $4,000"
"Then about fur coats for men. II
looks as if they were becoming more
popular. Is that SOP"
''It is, indeed. Even six or seven
years ago Englishmen seemed ashamed
to wear fur coats, and if you saw man
in such a coat you set him down al
once to be either an actor, an artist OF
foreigner That is no longer so, al.
though there are still good many men
who are q little shy about the matter.
They want fur coat, bat they don't
want it to be recognized as such. Sc
they have q 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, ii
Is quite possible for man to wear a
fur-lined ovcrcoat that looks exactly
like an ordinary overcoat.
"The majority of men, however, dc
not mind it being noticed that they
wear fur coats. And why should theyf
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 q fun
coat. But mems coats are far less ex.
! pensive than ladies'. We make them
up to $4,000 or $4,000, but we also sell
| good coats, lined with muslxrat (Which
is the best fur for wear), at $50. That
is our cheapest coat, The average price
man pays is from $3.50 to $780, but
there again the collar and cuffs form
an important part of the value"