Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-19

@ARIS, France, oct. Especial
Correspondence of The Bee)-
- The United States treasury Is
kAST1M costing Paris millions of dollars.
~& The rigid customs examinations
now exacted at New York and other ports
are preventing the Introduction OF Paris
dresses, and the great firms here have had
a large falling off in their American trade.
As 1t is now no woman can take more
than 800 worth Of clothes into the United
States without paying duty. Everything
is examined, the passengers are made 10
declare just what they have, and there IS
no possible way of smuggling in without
lying.
1t costs from $50 to 800 to get even a
wooden dress made by the best Paris dress
maker, and silks and fancy gowns range
from 5000 upward. Much lower prices than
these are put on the bills given out by
the dressmakers in order That they De
shown to the customs officers and less duty
be paid. Such fraud is often detected. and
even when not the extra cost is enormous.
It used to be that a multitude of Ameri-
can women came regularly to Paris to re-
plenish their wardrobCs. Each would buy
81, 600 or more worth OF hats and gowns,
and the richer among them would go back
with eight or ten trunks hlod with dresses.
Many Of them would not even wear the
dresses before sailing and would pass them
in as their personal baggage. Others would
put on a half dozen different dresses In one
day, wearing each a few minutes in order
to say that the dresses had already been
worn. others sewed old Innings into the
gowns and all sorts Of schemes were USED
to make the new things look old.
The customs officers were lenient ana al
lowed such goods to pass through. New
York dressmakers came here and smuggled
back dresses to their customers and the
Paris d]ressmakers took orders for future
delivery and sent them home by American
friends. 1t is estimated that about 2O'oOo
American women took home dresses In this
way, and today, of the many thousands
who pass through Paris, 1t Is seldom that
one leaves without n new gown and nat
The Wholesale business has, however, been
stopped by the customs officers, and the
result Is a wonderful falling OH In the
Paris ressmakers' trade.
Indeed, many of these Paris
live on the business they do for foreign
ers. Some OF them have American custom
which Is worth hundreds of thousands o
dollars a year. | am told that the big de
artment stores sell millions OF dollar
worth OF goods to American tourists ever!
season, and that the fashionable milliner!
establishments depend much on their sale
to American women.
Paris sets the fashions for the world, ant
all OF our big department stores send thei
buyers here for fashionable costumes. The,
buy only a dress or so OF a kind to shov
these in their windows and take orders 10
copies. Such dresses are called model
and making them is n regular business
There is a large class of women here VIII
do nothing else but design new gowns. The,
live in the little dark side streets of Pari
working away, out Of sight, They will max
a complete costume for 700 francs ($14O
and upward, and it is such costumes tina
are bought by the American dealers. Som
times a design is shown In miniature,
doll being dressed up to explain the com
pleted product, but in general the costume
are OF full size, so that they can be sol
outright when desired. / am told that som
of our importers bring in hundreds Of sue
designs every year.
Few people have any idea Of the enormou
amount of work done in Paris. The cit
Is looked upon as the center of gaiety an
fashion not only for France but for tn
world: and 1t is a common saying that a
the world comes to Paris to shop. I'll
American tourist sees a crowd OF loater
old and young, strutting up and down II
bouleyards and the fashionable, well-dresst
throng of ladies and gentlemen driving G
the Champs Elysees and in the Bots