The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-01-16
EXCLUSIVE DRESSMAKeRs.
view York Modiste- Who Are Particular
About Their Customers.

aooat fhetr Customers.
New YORK Letter in 81; Louis Giobe-Democrat.
IL is far easier for camel TO slim
through the eye of a real cambria needle
than IL Is for a rich woman 20 get her
name on the books Of those New, York
dressmakers. milliners, tallors. and cor
setieres who belong TO the smart and ex-
elusive circles of trade Nowhere else in
the world is there a corps OF such indie
pendent caterers OF feminine wardrobes
as on Fifth avenue and the nelghboring
side streets, and IL requires more than
mere money and more than eoaxIng
tongue TO induce these aristocrats Of the
needle 10 accept your patronage.
Nhea New York dressmaker has
touched the crest Of success she does not.
Ike the great Partisan modistes. build an
eIaDOfAte and richly upholstered estab-
lshment, enlarge her WOrkTooms and in
Nite general custom. Her first maneuycr
y 10 select quiet brown stone-fronted
mouse, use as small a brass doorplate as
can carry just her surname and bring
down her list Of patrons TO a limit thai
represents the cream Of good society.
There is no such thing known at an ex-
elusive dresSmaker's as accepting a Gus
toner who strolls in, says she wants to
see the proprietor. and orders d gown.
What is your nameg'
Have We ever served you before?'
Are you resident of New York;
w no recommended you here?'
These are some of the queries frigidiy
put ~ "A damsei of fashion-piate aspect,
who sits at a French desk In the small,
simply furnished recepuon-room. If you
are from distant city. recommended by
nobody in particular. your patronage Is
then and there politely but firmly refused
and formally bowed out by both buttons
and the lady in waiting. you go hang
dOggedly down the steps, feeling very
much as If you had been caught asking
aims or forcing your way into private
household.
IL yoI come recommended you have one
chance. Your name is sent in TO the head
of the house. along with that Of the per-
son who made the recommendation, and
madame, the prOprietoreSs. sits in judg-
ment ard decides whether she desires
TO register you in 9ilt-edeed Morocco
bound visitors book in the French writ
ing desk. Like as not word will be sent
down by page In livery 20 say that
madame has closed her book for the sea-
son, and bess TO be excused from taking
any further orders. This may be the
truth, or it may mean that you have been
locked up and found missing from BoS-
ton, Philadelphia. or Chicago's social reg
lister. and are therefore not worth bother
ing with.
To gain the genuine consideration of the
establishment you must come in the COM
pany OF some strong patron who ill in
lIOuuCt YOU anu SPEAK 10 Uldd1iIlN w your
behalf; but II you are turned down and
go on to the nearest attractive looking
brass-plated door you see you viii proDa-
bly, find yourself ia the next grade of eX-
elusive dressmaker. She will sake your
orders. but no matter if you place no lin
Il as TO price and offer TO put yOIr money
down in advance, she won't make you but
just a certain number of costumes, and
not the simplest wash dress Will be esti-
mated for less than S15O-
NpW this 2utOcrltic. but that is
Just what these dressmakers are, and
wish 20 be, and the corset and bonnet
makers are no less so when they assume
10 cater only to fashionable custom. I'VE
have decided not to enlarge our custom
any further" was what a stay manufac-
tprer's elegantly laced lady assistant an
nounced 10 q wOuld-be purchaser the
other day However" she added I'VE
have opened a waiting list. and II YOU
like you may put your name down and
take your chances OF being worked N,
should one OF our old patrons drop out.
though | ought to tell you that there are
twenty-five names ahead of yours
The wOuId-be customer refused the daZ-
zling offer but she found the miiliners
and tailors no less difficult to deal with,
end their devices for barring out what
they consider useless custom are strongly
suggestive. There is milliner OF re-
stricted but potent reputation who will
not sell a Rat 10 "A woman who lives cut
side the limits of New York City. while
to an undesirable patron the smart tali0r
won't promise 20 deliver garment under
six or eight weeks, or he refused to take
an order under limit of $50.
Now by no means does this signify that
there are not a multitude OF able aniable
and moderate-priced makers of good
clothes in New York. which only goes 10
prove what any woman can discover for
herself, that il is not much more difficult
10 get into what is popularity known as
smart society than ii Is TO patIoniZe the
gfqia liS " GT11a ~
abnormal prices for the beautiful. eXclu-
siVe fashions of every season