Arizona republican., 1896-02-04
FORTUNES IN FURS.
An English Furrier Gives Some
 Details of High Prices.
Coats ot Fur That Cost S5,OOO Altered Every Year to Suit the Latest Fashion-Fine Wardrobe of
 Fur Worth S75,OOO.


 with her description of herself as a splendid pauper" under the new Eng fish tax laws, furrier says to the Vest minister Budget:
 "As a matter of fact, S4,000 for lady's fur coat is absolutely nothing out of the way in our experience. On the contrary, it is rather low price for a fur coat of lady of means and of social position. There are large num- bers of such ladies who wear fur coats of about s4,75O to just over s5,OOO, and now and again, not so very rarely, we make coat up to s7, 7,5OO."
 "What kind of fur are these coats lined with?"
 s'There are three kinds of expensive fur-Russian sable, natural black fox and sea otter. But it is not the lining only that makes a coat expensive. The trimming is another very valuable often the most valuable Take a set of Russian sable tails; that alone costs s4O,OOO, nor is this surprising, since we pay s4OO for one tiny skin as it comes to us straight from Russia, in an unprepared state"
 ''Then, what constitutes such a set?" "Simply a 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"
 q suppose a coat like this lasts for ever?"
 Ut 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 S5,O0O 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. It 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, 2nd 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"
 ITO 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 a huff 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. 1 know one customer of ours whose wardrobe of fur is worth s75, ,OOO, and only the other day we made coat for S10,000, and the trimming for the coat of another lady cost 5000"
 ''Then about fur coats for men. It looks as if they were becoming more popular Is that sop
 Ut is, indeed. Even six or seven years ago Englishmen seemed ashamed to wear fur coats, and if you saw 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, but they don't want it to be recognized as such So they have a coat lined with fur, but they don't have a fur collar or cuffs. And since we have made it for years a special feature to make fur coats fit. it is quite possible for a man to wear a fur-lined overcoat 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 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 men's coats are far less ex- pensive than ladies'. We make them up to s2,5oo or sS,OOO, but we also sell good coats, lined with muslzrat (which is the best fur for wear), at $50. That is our cheapest coat. The average price a man pays is from s25O to $500, but there again the collar and cuffs form an important part of the value"
 Hard to Get Rid Of.
 John G. Whittier was greatly lovet by strangers, who not only called o1 him but thri insisted or, ,,,,++;r,