The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-12

A Few Secrets Told at the MOdistes'
Convention.


New York Evening Sun.
There is all the difference in the world
between a mere dressmaker and an artistic.
The dressmaker just makes clothes and it
ends there But when the artistic makes
clothes and her lady customer wears them,
why, all the lady customers friends say:
Now. l wonder how she got it? What
makes her look so grand?" So says Miss
White. the president of the Dressmakers'
Protective Association. Miss White is both
a president and an artistic and she knows.
Now, wouldn't you like to be an artistic ?
Wouldn't you like to be put in the some
thing-the what it is-the thing that battles
the mere dressmaker-the thing that an
swers the question. Now, how did she get
ft?" Listen, then, to Miss White she
enlightens the modistes of upper Maine, of
Oklahoma, Kansas and North Dakota
First, you must fix your woman's form.
Fit her lining [this refers to the lining of
the gown] that is the foundation. You
may try to fix ii up with padding later,
and so you may fix it up and 1T may look
smooth. But it's got to feel right as we'll
as look smooth, and If the lining amt right.
why. the gown amt right; and when your
fitted without having it made smooth with
padding or stuffing, why, she's had enough
OF you. II you handle her wrong you lose
her. She must not only look smooth; she
must feel nice. When the Innings right,
then dress her fgger, and when it's on, her
friendsll say, Now, l wonder how she
got it?
woman that comes in here and wants help,
l say to them, each an every one, Stand
in front of model gown for ten or fifteen
minutes and study it, That's the way to
be an artistic. Don't stop at the one design.
See II you can't make several gowns from
that IL may be in the trimming-may be
in little taffeta silk-the little change
may make the whole new gown. The only
way you can get an artistic. eye is to study
a dress an get its artistic qualities. Once
you get the idea and the foundation, which
means the proper molding on the woman S
form, an you can get a dozen different
gowns from the same model. An that's
the way you make yourself indispensable
to your lady customer. You've seen things
that she don't know how to see. You've
Now, this is a white season. Every
thing is thin. The hair-lined chiffon is
new. The Mexican lace is all the rage:
many of the new designs is Mexican all
over. An pearl buttons-I may say that
pearl buttons are decidedly the thing. The
little kimonos are all the rage, too-with
the fiat shoulders-very f1at-that are really
all the rage.
Now, as to some of the advantages of
this association. Everything that 1 know
everything that l have learned this winter
abroad-is at the service of each an every
one of you here. Those pattern gowns in
our exhibition room on FIT avenue-each
an every one of you is allowed to turn UP
those dresses an see how they are made.
Take the tailoring lessons. You may not
want TO make a tailored coat in your life,
but still it is always awfully nice to have a
tailoring an measuring lesson an see how
it's done. We learn every day If we're
broadminded. We must listen to learn, to
expand
Take the corset 1t may be an inch
lower this year or an inch higher. If il is
1 know 1t, an each an every of you
gets the benefit of it. Whatever is right,
/ get it. And each and every little woman
that is here goes back to her business
knowing that for six solid months she's on
the right track. Our people know this
they know that something grand is going
on. Look at these exhibition dresses here.
It's the first American exhibit In Amer
lean dresses. Some is as fine as was ever
brought into the country. Some isn't But
l say TO each an every little woman, She
done her best L think she had good cour-
age. There may be little slips here an
little slips there, but she done her grand
est"