Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-01-30
ONE KIND OF MODELS
ENGAGED TO DISPLAY CLOTHES
ON THEIR OWN PERSON.
REPUTABLE AND PlEASN
Many Young Women of Good Figure
Earn Comfortable Salaries by Try
ing on Garments for Wholesale
and Retail Furchasers-An Import
ant Adjunct to Trade.

Ihere are hundreds of young women
IN New York who make their living as
models; one authority says thai there
2re more than a thousand: which es
innate leads to the conclusion that
good looks are not scarce in the island
OF Manhattan, for these young women
owe success entirely to their fine phy-
slque, says the New York Tribune. The
models here alluded to are not those
VINO sit to artists, and whose charms
are transferred to canvas, but those
who try on suits, silk waists. Jackets.
cloaks and capes for the benefit of
the customers in the stores and dress
making establishments.
The more exclusive and expensive
or the uptown women's tailors all en-
ploy models to display their gowns.
The best firms in the shopping dis
trlcts have them, but the great major
lty of models find occupation in the
big wholesale houses in middle and
lower Broadway, a number of firms
in that vicinity employing as many
as a dozen the whole year round The
average downtown model is paid from
S12 to SIS a week, but an unusually
pleasing subject may command as high
as SIS. Those in the big retail es-
Establishments who combine the office
of model with that Of a saleswoman
get $40.
The available model must measure
thirty-siX inches about the bust and
twenty-three or twenty-four around
the waist, her height being in proper
ton, the trying on of gowns and
cloaks for women built on a less Iiberel
plan being intrusted to the misses
models; that is, to uniformed girls IA
or Is years old.
Il think our work is much preferred
to that of the ordinary salesgirls, -
said handsome model of the brunette
type, employed in a large suit and
clothing house in Broadway, a concern
which is said to be the largest of it's
kind in the world Our hours are
shorter, and for months at a time
there is scarcely anything to do. Of
course the very busy months are busy
indeed, but we are treated with great
respect, and we always get off at $50
the year around Some Of the firms in
town lay off many of their models as
soon as business gets slack, but this
firm never does; our salary goes on
just the same whether there is much
or nothing doing. We are always GER
tain of our vacation of two weeks,
and certain of our pay during that
time. Of course if a girl wants
longer vacation she has to pay for the
extra time
do you have to dress in any pre-
scribed style?" inquired one interested
in the subject. ooh, yes! We are re-
CURED to dress in black, all of us;
just a simple, tight-ftting waist and
a good-style, plain skirt. You mustn't
judge of our uniform by the way we
look this morning." she added, glanc
ing at her companion. "But as there
is very little doing this month we are
permitted to wear cotton waists, they
being cooler and more convenient"
and she adjusted a stud in her blue
striped shirt waist.
you try on the furs and cloaks?"
Yes, and that is warm and tiresome
work when the thermometer is in the
9Os''
How long do you have to keep the
garments on?"
ooh, sometimes the buyer does not
know just what he wants and we must
await his decision or try a number
of garments to see how he likes them;
then, again, in ten minutes man will
then, again, in ten minutes a man will
buy quantity of goods and we will
be released. In the winter, in Febru-
airy, when everybody is cloaked up and
wearing heavy clothing, we adopt
tight fitting jerseys and try on thin,
unlined summer costumes for the next
seasons trade. Trying on the thin
things in winter, though, isn't as bad
as cloaking up in the heavy suits in
summer.
II think it's great deal nicer to
be in a wholesale house than in an
uptown store" and went on, because
we are so much freer and have so
much more time to ourselves. In the
stores uptown the girls are on their
feet all the time and there isn't much
cessation in work the year round, you
see, because so many people from
distance come to New York shopping,
even in the summer"
Another advantage of her calling
which this shrewd young woman
pointed out was the fact that the,
models had the opportunity of getting
much less than actual cost. eve
rather pride ourselves on dressing well
and being in good STYLE she explain
ed. 1T is a part of our business"
And looking at the superb young
figure, straight as an arrow and in
beautiful proportion from head to heel,
one could but feel that pride in her
appearance was her just right and
most becoming.
mo matter how good a models
figure may be, if she doesn't walk well
she will never give satisfaction" said
the manager of an uptown firm. ga
certain grace of bearing and move
ment is quite as essential in her voca-
ton as a well-developed figure. A
woman comes in here to buy a gown,
for instance (our gowns worth 800
and over are all shown on models;
she doesn't know exactly what she
wants, but in looking over the assort-
ment finds one that suits in every