The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-10-19
WHY NOT NEW YORK
PARIS'S SUPREMACY IN DRIES
 AND ITS CAUSES.

the Artistic Atmosphere-A Dress- maker BIames American Women
 Outlook For Making Model Gowns Here.
 For several weeks every spring and
 fall whenever big ocean liner docks
 in this city or at Hoboken, any pas-
 senger not entirely engrossed with look
 ing after his own luggage is apt to mo-
 tice a bevy of anxious stocking women
 who are usually the first to declare du-
 tiable effects aboard ship, and who
 strain every nerve to reach the cus-
 toms officers on the pier ahead of other
 passengers. These are the dressmakers
 and milliners, who give their undivided
 attention to clothing wealthy American
 women in a fashion which has caused
 them to be favorably remarked the
 world over.
 Twice a year at least a small army
 of business men and women from the
 United States cross the ocean for the
 purpose of securing the latest Euro
 pean models in gowns. cloaks, bonnets,
 lingerie, and pay almost any sum to
 accomplish their object. Many thou-
 sands of dollars change hands in the
 transaction, and long before the covet-
 ed garments are spread out before ad
 miring eyes in the various private
 show rooms In New York and other
 large cities of this country snug sums
 have been deposited in the banks on the other side to the credit of European fashion makers. The American clien- tele of the Paris dressmakers is not, however, made up entirely of dress makers. Many wealthy women of America spend some part of every year abroad and few of them resist the temptation of getting few things from Paris before turning their faces homeward again. As a result the Paris headquarters of fashions do a steady business the year round, which is quite independent of what they call the trade.
 Ever since the infancy of the Amer ican Republic Paris has been the Mecca of fashions devotees, and from pres ent indications it may remain so for many years to come. The annual pill grimage of dressmakers miIliners buy CTS of all kinds, are more regular than ever and the resulting expenditures grow larger every year. Notwithstand- ing all it's native and imported clever ness, America, 1t seems, is quite un- equal to the feat of creating a bureau of woman's fashions.
 Tremendous strides have been made in the last score of years in the United States in the manufacture of various fabrics which enter into the compost tion of women's garments-cottons, lin- ems, silks, satins, velvets and laces, which in large quantities are turned out by American looms; but the fnak ing of them up into dress models sutfi- ciently novel and artistic to set the fashions for the home market at least seems to be an exploit almost impossi- ble to achieve. New York as a produc- ,r of original designs for women's fash ions is scarcely to be considered. France continues to lead all the other countries in this respect the models ,f London, Vienna and other capitals being, according to the authorities, to the authorities, merely adaptations of those created in Paris.
 American women, of all on the globe, Ire the keenest after novelties in dress
 American women" said the head of famous Paris house recently 'are the most critical customers we have and ve depend largely upon them to make ertain of our models popular. They Ire also among our most extravagant buyers"
 In the face of such a statement it nay be considered all the stranger that American invention should be unable 0 create fashion models.
 Never will there be headquarters or fashion models in this country" xcaimed the French proprietor of a ressmaking establishment in this city which Is patronized by wealthy women.
 But why not, Madame?" asked lis ener America Is noted for her in- entions and the willingness of Ameri- an women to spend liberally for nov lties ought, alone, to be spur enough 0 provoke splendid achievements in esigning dress models. Think, too, of he many gifted French men and wo- len in New York who might win fame y uCNOtiHS ticH CHtl6lS tD lLdL ,ork."
 The French woman shook her head nd repeated even more emphatically: You will never make models (she pro- ounced will never make mo-dels) in his country. You have not the atmo- phere." I What do you mean by atmosphere? why the artistic atmosphere? Over { ere the commercial atmosphere is the I lost noticeable Every one wants to lake money, to get rich fast By the Id of money in this country 1t is pos- ble to rise from the lowest class to le highest; therefore to get money is le chief aim of the workingman or oman, and none is willing to spend ours over work that will bring them tile or nothing"
 "Nothing!" echoed some one. Surely le designing of models for women's ,stumes is well-paid business.
 Not in France" was the reply Most aople imagine that the models shown the leading French houses are evolv- by high priced employees especially tied for that work. But it is not so
 Is the humble folk, the very poor tt, who do much of the work-people ho are willing to spend long hours