The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-10-19

of @ skirt, the curve of bodice, the
 arnangement of a bit of trimming and | they too, find ready market. Later l on more skillful designers study and compare the various models, and select their most attractive features to com bine in the imposing models of bro- cades, broadcloths, silks and laces
 which are of set the fashions for the women for both Europe and America" :" | why is it that French women are
 willing to- work for so little money?" l Because they spend so little; class | distinctions are such in France that
 the working woman never tries either
 in dress or style of living to compete
 with those above her. In America the
 maid, on her Sunday out might often, by her attire be confounded with her 1 mistress the shop girl strains every nerve to dress like the woman she waits
 upon. In France, as you very we'll
 know, there is no such competition i The wives and daughters of artisans
 and tradesmen dress simply and mex
 pensively, domestic servants wear uni formly the plainest of clothing. This is
 one reason at least why the incentive
 eo Ceil II lul SG io llcl SO SISdl as i it is over here.
 "A bureau of original fashion models in New York;" cried madame in con- clusion, at the same time waving her hand in farewell, ''never!"
 At one of the pioneer dressmaking
 establishments of this city, which is perhaps the most renowned of them all,
 the proprietor, who is Irish by birth, took more optimistic view of the question.
 Why certainly, we can design fash ion models in this country" said she, land it Is the fault of the rich Ameri- can women themselves that 1t has not been more generally done long ago. The fact is, New York women have become so accustomed to having their gowns imported that they have begun to be- lieve Parisian model a necessity and to please them and keep their custom we are obliged to import many models from abroad.
 "Tn spite of that, however, we design great many models in our own work rooms for individual customers who say they prefer them to the imported, and some of our most successful creations dFe dudpldllOHS Ol liie ICIiCii iliOuclS to American ideals.
 Yes" she admitted rather unwilling ly q dare say that what we cai our original designs may owe something to those we bring from the other side, yet I am quite confident that even though we never saw a French model and provided our customers would uphold us in the experiment we cou'd turn out quite as becoming and artistic cre- ations as we do now. But as long as the first question we are asked every season is: Have your Paris models ar rived yet? What can we do?"
 Judging from what was said at rep resentative dressmaking establish ments in New York and by the head women of the dressmaking depart ments of leading dry goods houses, T a bureau of original dress models is ever established in this city, it will owe it's inception to the French. That there are several well known French couturieres here is true, but it is quite as certain that the majority of the most fashionable and successful houses were established and conducted by Irish women, and that certain of them have catered for more than genera ton to wealthy women of New York. |. It is also said to be true that, of the | host of filters and forewomen employ ed in the dressmaking establishments of New oYrk, by far the greater pro- portion hail from Ireland or are of | Irish descent-New York Sun.