The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-25
NO BARGAIN COUNTERS THERE
BERLIN SHOPS MORE LIKE THOSE AT
HOME EXCEPT IN PRICES.
Paris Goods Are Enticing, but in
Some Respects the Shops Are
Inferior to Our own.

daily trip to the fascinating bargain
counter in search of the specials" that
are so seductively advertised
When the American woman visits foreign
cities, especially London, she feels a dis
tinct cense of disappointment after she has
made round OF the shops If she starts
out hunting for a bargain she probably
comes home without it. The bargain coun-
ter is thing almost unknown. She feels
that she has crossed the ocean in vain
The shops, too, are a disappointment They
are small cramped and badly lighted They
suffer in comparison with those of any
large city of the United States In Lon
don none of them has elevators Tor lifts
as they call them, which is d decided
drawback. Shopping is fatiguing enough
under the most favorable conditions, but
when it involves climbing long flights Of
stairs it is eXhausting
l found little to tempt me in the London
shops. The hats were without exception
hideo1s. l spent two entire mornings trying
to find what is known on this side of the
water as an English walking hat" There
was not one to be found. | asked in one
shop for simple, sensibly-trimmed straw
hat, suitable for morning wear or. for trav-
cling. The saleswoman offered me a blue
chiffon affair trimmed with cheap poppies
This, she assured me, was VERY smart"
found nothing in any or the shops but
these tawdry, fiower-laden things, which
showed no taste in either color or arrange
ment, hats that in New York -rouId never
find their way out of Eighth avenue or the
Bowery. But 1 think 1 did not realize how
hopelessly ugly they were till L came back
TO London later, after a visit TO Paris
The English tailor-rlade suit was another
disappointment TO me. The ready-made are
badly cut and have absolutely no style.
The shops seldom have more than one of
kind, and that one is not numbered ac-
cording TO size. To tell them you wear a
thirty-eight or forty means nothing to the
saleswoman. They have what they call
stock size" If you can wear it well and
good; if not, they promptly say We've
nothing to fit you,' and suggest making one
for you. The ready-made suit is invariably
higher priced than the same suit would be
in New York, but you can have one made
to measure for the same price. This sur
prised but did not tempt me, for | had
been told in more than one shop that L was
''stock size which encouraged me to con-
tinue my search. The British materials are
a suit made from them in three days.
RAIN RESISTERS" EVERYWHERE.
1 had less difficulty getting a travelling
coat, although l had some amusing expe-
riences finding one. In most of the shops
L was asked Immediately if l wanted a
rain resister" Climatic conditions make
waterproof garments a necessity in the
British isles Though l assured the sales
t1,o.
wanted, every garment that was brought
out recommended as rain proof" In
one shop before they showed me anything
they said. II suppose you wish an aqua
scutem cloth" Though 1 explained that in
our climate waterproof garments were not
a necessity, they continued to show
coats that had nothing TO recommend them
but their ''rain-ressting" qualities. In Ire
land one rarely sees any other outer gar
ment worn. 1t rains so often and so inces-
sanity that waterproof coats worn in
sunshine and shower. And they are so
ugly. Most of them are made of a ginger
colored material which is several degrees
uglier dry than wet. They are cut like an
old-fashioned bed gown, perfectly shape
less, with deep yoke and enormously full
sleeves. A stiff. coarse sailor hat is
with them and / saw no other costume in
the streets of Dublin at any time of
day or under any weather conditions. In
a country where an incessant drizzle from
morning till night is spoken of cheerfully
as fine, soft day." these things are a
necessity. In London, where, If ii is not
raining it is threatening to, they are almost
as much needed. The large American
stores, too, advertising the ''rain-resist-
ing qualities of some of their garments as
a special inducement. With our clear at
mosphere and sunny skies they cannot be-
come a necessity, but 1 am sorry to say
they bid fair to become fad.
But to return to my search for a coat In
one fashionable shop in Regent street,
where 1 explained that / wanted a plain
dark cloth travelling coat for steamer wear,
the young woman brought out a long gar
ment of white alpaca. with billowy ruffies
of white chiffon. In languid tones she
sured me that these were considered very
smart" 1 don't know how 1 managed to
keep my face straight while l pictured my
self crossing the ocean in this frolicsome
garment. In another shop in Regent street
a series of ''divinely tall" saleswomen was
paraded before me. wearing opera coats.
automobile coats, coats for the races, car
riage wraps-everything in fact, except
what 1 had asked for.
The women who show suits and coats in
London are very much overdressed, usually
in the shiniest OF black satin, than which
there is nothing more trying or unbecom-
ing They are loaded with cheap trimming
and have long trains. Most of them have
frowZy blonde hair and wear stiff false
fronts which make no effort at initiating
nature When the well-dressed. dignified
American woman climbs a long flight of
stairs in a London shop and reaches the
top painting and breathless ii is rather try
ing to be met by one of these overdressed.
artificial looking women, with her bewigged
blonde head in the air, inouiring in a high
keyed English voice with a patronizing
manner what she would like TO see.
The saleswomen behind the counters are
less offensive. They dress neatly and are
usually polite. although 1 caught two OF