New-York tribune., 1902-08-10
THE SECOND HAND DEALER
WHAT BECOMES OF HANDSOME GOWNS
SOLD BY WEALTHY WOMEN
WHO TIRE OF THEM

The money we pay you for your old clothes will
help you to buy new ones" So read the modest
little ad, and the man who advertised declared
that It true
People finding it and more" said
he. seating himself comfortably white
enamelled couch, with blue silk crepe gown on
one sf1e of him and embroidered China silk on
other. The sitting a curio shop in
itself. The piano was heaped with bric-a-brac.
each piece evidently bought by different hand
and expressing different taste A tall rosewood
case in the corner filled with cut glass and an
ormou cabinet filled with a variety of dainty
tri1es-fans, rings. pile of gold edged glass
plates and And everywhere were heaped
gowns: gowns and gowns and gowns; all the
colors of the rainbow, all the textures in the
market all the of famous artists of the
needle the belt
The proprietor slight dark man with nice
brown eye. fresh shrtwast and pleasant smile,
sat quite unmoved the midst of all this luxury.
1t is wonderful he said. meditativey. how
greatly the business has extended in the last I've
years. both as to selling and buying great
many more rich women are willing 10 sell Their
cast off gowns now, and great many more women
not quite so rich are willing to buy them. Shows
their good sense too. in both cases
TOO FINE FOR MAIDS.
IN the first place. there has always been more
or less incOngruty in rich womens giving their
gowns to their servants or TO poor people or any
class What can the washerwoman or the maid do
with Worth ball gown? Nothing but sell it, And
So unless the mistress really wishes to make her
present of that amount of money, she might as
well, sell it herself. Most women Of that class have
no relatives or friends VINO not wealthy and
moving in the same social circle as themselves, so
there is no outlet for the gowns in that direction
Some of them send clothes to charitable nstitu-
tons but they are sensible enough to know that
very few of their garments can be utilized for
charitable distribution.
II pick UP some very good things among the in
stit':t!ons though: yes. indeed Heads of depart
rrents, you know, write me. and go and find they
have very nice gowns sometimes spread out 70
show me. gowns they get $40 or $50 for and that
cost four or times that in the first place VINO
gets the money? On, well. now you oughtn't to ask
me things like that Probably the treasury or the
institution gets it. Why shouldn't it?
But it is getting to be more and more an ac-
cepted thing for rich women to telephone or drop
a note for the dealer come around. Then they
show him the accumulated dresses of the last
season. and often. being in the mood for selling
one will bring out box of jewelry for which she
cares nc longer. or she will toss out roll Of real
lace or take down a piece of bric-a-hrac OF d set
of cut glass that she wants to get rid Of
These women get tired of seeing things about
Why In the course of a year we haAile two thou
sand spoons picked in all the cities or
the world and all manner of souvenirs. bought IN
foreign travel and tired of before their owners
reacn nome Just about now the Paris gowns
begin to come in and from August to November II
we get our best supply People begfn TO get nome
from Europe in August. and as soon as my lady
overhauls her trunks she finds something that she
wants to sen-dresses that she has worn two or
three times on the other side perhaps perfectly
new gowns that having ordered and paid for, she
finds she does not like and has never ~orn' ana
summer gowns that she get rid of TO make
room for her winter wardrobe. 1t IS in early fall
that we get the handsome gowns that have been
seen at the summer cottages or on the Verandas
OF big hotels fashionable summer resorts.
WHOLE SUMMER OUTFIT
Sometimes people who have been suddenly
Obliged TO 20 into mourning bring their clothes
One woman who had Just got her summer outfit
completed brought II to entire for that reason.
Here some OF the gowns
There was a blue silk grenadine. with stripes