The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-10
SHOPPING In JAPAN.
A LITTLE PLUTOCR4T VINO
BOUGHT
Wealth Of Clothes For Mere
Song,


SC" and she talked clothes all around
the world as he sat surrounded by the
spoiIs of a seasons globe trotting.
why" she said, they can make
dress in twenty-four hours in Japan,
and cover it with embroidery into the
bargain. | don't know how they do it.
but they do.
when you land at Yokohama you
viii find the corridors of the hotel lined
with Cinnamon, runners from the
dressmaking houses. They give you
their cards, come to your rooms to get
your orders and give you fittings, and
The next day they will send the dress
home. Jack ordered a broadcloth suit,
with a froek coat. and it fitted him
better than any he ever had in his life.
It costs him SIS, and it was as good as
any suit he ever paid $50 for on Fifth
avenue.
..Now here you see this little pongee
dress that they made for me. You see
1t is all embroidered in red and blue
silk, and / never before had skirt fit
me like this, and it cost me SIS.
"Then here's a white flannel, with
sailor collar and cuffs embroidered in
pale blue. They charged me SIS, and
it is a regular Paris fit. Here's white
India line. You see the skirt is COM
posed of clusters of fine, vertical tucks
alternating with drawn work. 1t took
them four days to make that, and they
charged me Sc. Here's a linen frock
for child, embroidered with a vine
pattern in blue silk, that they made for
So.
.aThey are japanese who run the
shops, but the workmen are all Chinese
and they are simply wonderful. They
can take Paris or New York gown
and reproduce it SO that you can't be-
lieve your own eyes. They tell a story
in Yokohama Of the man in the early
days of tourist travel who tore his
trousers on board and had them mend
ed. He sent them to the tailor when he
landed to have them duplicated, and
they sent back the new ones with the
darn neatly reproduced; every stitch
just like the old one. But seriously
women have awful times with their
clothes in trip around the world. AT
ter three weeks on board every stitch
of silk gown will fall apart. There
was one bride who reached there in
despair. Every gown in her elegant
Paris trousseau was ruined. But she
had them all exactly reproduced, so
you couldn't tell the difference and at
one-seventh of the cost. Her 5000
gowns they duplicated for $50. That's
what living on rice does
TITS just the same with materials"
continued the experienced traveller.
do you see this magnificent piece of
cafe au lait brocaded satin, yard
wide? got that for rs cents yard,
and 1t would cost "a in this country.
Z And just look at this" and she flung
out opulent lengths of cloth of gold,
shimmering and beautiful "This was
ordered by Lady Curzon for the cor
onation," she said, land then she didn't
take it. I got 1t for 81 yard; it would
cost SIS or $40 in this country. I'm go
ing to have it made into gown cover
ed with Irish crochet. Now cast your
eye upon this tablecloth.'
The tableeloth was large enough for
twenty-four covers. 1t had hem of
drawn work a third of yard wide,
and the rest of the surface, excepting
the spaces left for candelabra, was
covered with embroidery, which stood
up half an inch or more. There were
twenty-four napkins, a yard square,
with hens of solid embroidery.
THAT tablecloth was ordered by
somebody and never taken" said she.
1.-THE original price was $3.50, and got
it for STE. The napkins I ordered, and
had to pay SIS apiece for them. The
set is worth $4,000 in this country.
And we expressed 1t from Honolulu for
Slips"
That's the way you get around the
duties, is it?" said the interlocutor.
.sOh, that's not, the only way" said
the little plutocfat, wisely. I've learn
ed an lumber of ways, but I will say
that. the Japs. or rather their Chinese
workmen, are the cleverest people at
the business I ever saw. Will you look
at HAT"
IT was beautiful, pleated skirt of
pale blue silk poplin, apparently never
worn.
when the Chinaman brought that
I'M said she refiectively, II was scar
ed. I said 'Oh, John, you've cut into
my goods He wagged his pigtail, No,
no. said he; 'Chinaman no foolee.
And he wasn't" Then she did some
thing or other to the skirt, and it sud-
denly collapsed; rolled on the floor in
shining azure lengths, seemingly fresh
from the counter.
THAT'S one way to get them past the
custom house." said she calmly mo
man would ever know it wasn't made
up. brought one trunkful of that
kind of clothes. But never saw any
thing like the indignities to which
travellers are subjected at this port
now she continued, with rising in
dignation. ''They used to have one
man, but now they have two, since this
new Raines law, or whatever it is,
went in. Or is the Raines law about
sandwiches. or something? Well, no
matter; this second man takes you and
questions you after the first man has
been through your trunks. He will
say to you: You have declared SIPS
worth Of goods. Now what did you
purchase out of that $125?' and all such
questions as that! It's very embarrass-
ing, for it would be so easy to contra
dict oneself, and one has to keep think
ing about that all the time. One hun
sdred and tWent y-five dollars!' in tone