Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-09-21
MILLINERs' OPENING DAY.
Great Question For Femininity II
the Coming HIT.

Great Question For Femininity II
the Coming Hat.
| During the next week or ten days, to
the feminine mind, all roads will lead
in one direction, to the millinery open
ing. Ordinary bargain sales will pass
unheeded, and afternoon teas and card
parties will fade into insignifcance in
comparison with the radiance Of the
coming hat.
| On the part Of the wholesaler and re-
taller 1t has required not less than
three months to prepare for this great
occasion. the fall opening, which may
occupy one, or at the most, three days.
In June the wholesale buyers go
abroad in search of novelties not only
in trimmed hats but in materials for
their own designers to work up or to
be offered to the retail trade. They
must be home and their offerings
ready for inspection as early as July
80. Retail buyers who do their own
purchasing abroad sail about July l.,
and count upon returning to this coun-
try about August Is; but only the
larger and more exclusive firms send
their buyers to Europe, the majority
Of the wholesalers looking to the Amer
lean wholesale milliners for styles and
materials.
The millinery workrooms in retail es-
Establishments wear deserted look dur
ing the early summer, but with the
coming of August work begins to be
brisk. First the buyers return from
their vacations and swarm into the
wholesale districts, searching for every
thing that may come under the head Of
millinery from the complete pattern
hat to the smallest buckle or single
rose. The success or failure Of the
season for a firm depends largely up
on the judgment Of the buyer at this
critical moment. Next in Importance
Is the selection Of a head-trimmer or
designer. Such woman Is always in
demand and commands from S25 to
SIS a week, according to her ability.
The buyer makes daily trips to the
wholesale district for perhaps the first
week. Sometimes he. Is accompanied
by his designer, and they confer on i'm
portant purchases. Later his visits to
the wholesalers become less frequent.
The mass of the materials are then
purchased and his milliners are amply
supplied. From this time on, he
watches only for novelties in trim
mings or shapes, and buys more eau
tiously. If the retail store Is one which
caters to the outside trade, that Is,
sells millinery by wholesale to retailers
in smaller cities, the head of the de-
partment must have q good stock OF
made-up hats on hand by the middle of
August, as the out-of-town buyers are
then on the ground.
In the meantime work gets along
more rapidly in the workshop proper.
Designers and trimmers have grasp
ed the general styles to be followed FOR
the season, and from the humblest pre-
parer and apprentice to the designer,
the Opening fever" is upon them. The
head of the department, feeling that
the wheels Of the workshop are run
ming smoothly now, turns his attention
to another direction-the business Of
flee. He must confer with the manager
on plans for attracting customers to
the opening, and with the advertising
man in regard to the space his depart
ment Is to have in the newspapers.
AS a rule two days are allowed FOR
the opening proper, and no pains are
spared to make 1t gala occasion. En-
grayed invitations are sent to regular
customers and to others whose names
the firm would like to add to It's books.
The cunning Of the advertising man ls
tested to devise attractive announce
ments and a certain sum Is placed at
the disposal of the head Of the depart
ment to make the opening an artistic
success. From $500 to $1,000 Is fire.
quently allowed for incidental expens-
es including invitations, decorations.
etc.
In the most exclusive establishments
the decorations play small part. A
severely plain back ground Is all the
proprietor wants. On the other hand,
large department stores furnish an
elaborate back ground for their milli-
merry display. Palms and flowers are
used, sometimes an orchestra furnishes
inspiration varying from opera to rag
time melodies, and the humblest clerk
among the saleswomen must bring
forth her freshest gown, her best shirt
waist and her most engaging smile.
From the preferences exhibited by
customers and the sales effected on
the opening day. the buyer and the
head of stock determine the most pop
ular styles and the energies or the
trimmer are turned in this direction In
making up future additions. If the
opening be a brilliant success from
point of attendance and number or
sales, the head of department is pro-
portionately content, while the women
who have thronged the show rooms go
home to explain to husbands and papas
why half a yard of velvet, a bit OF
plated chiffon, a rhinestone buckle
and a crushed rose cannot be purchas-
ed for less than $25.-New York Sun.
THE REAL AssAssIN.-Since the as