Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-12

PARIS, Aug. 13.-"Who makes the
styles?'
asked the question OF a notable
woman, the head OF the famous Klein
establishment of the rue Royale. Ma
dame Klein is young, round, rosy, very
pretty-and stylish beyond words. She
probably changes her frock seven times
q day Indeed, | sometimes think that
the true object Of the great establish
ment is to supply madame with new
things. But 1t is not-it makes styles
who makes the styles2' repeated
madame. why, / answer you: The
streets of Paris Everyone and no one.
The styles are an inspiration, an un-
conscious collaboration. one of my
little work girls came I'm this morning
wearing a very small hat almost hid
den under an enormous Scotch plaid
ribbon. It was original and delightful
Paris sewing girls originate the
styles?'
"In Berlin, monsieur, you find the
trottin very clean and neat. In Paris
she Is dirty, but her hair is beautifully
done. We have girls who make them
Louis XV and Louis XVI coiffures.
How Styles Originate
"They fix UP for themselves costumes
out of chiffons and remnants. 1t is
mistake to watch them strolling in the
rue Royale at the lunch hour-as
tourist gentlemen so often do. Nor are
that at their best at the sortie In the
evening-when they are tired and de-
pressed. You must see them arriving In
the morning! They come in delicious
little blouses-of their fancy. Their
skirt hangs perfectly. Their hair is
poem. Their hats make styles"
you are making up models, now,
Co., I'D win
said. II cannot imagine how trot-
tins summer blouse, however tempting
ly aiouree in front of originally-tinted
ribbons, is to help you out.
"They give ideas-I don't say more.
We take an idea and make it ours, of
course. A sleeve inspiration is sleeve
Inspiration, no matter in what material.
When an idea Is directly traceable to
one of the girls we pay her for 1t.
often girls come to us from the outside
with a sleeve idea or a collar idea to
sell us; and l have no doubt that our
own girls at times go eddling their
ideas to other houses"
Perhaps they peddlc your ideas as
well?" l suggested.
ut is a thing that cannot be helped
Que vouleX-vous? What will your
laughed madame. such leaks help 10
fix styles, doubtless"
All Models Do Not "Take"
There is one thing 1 could never
understand l said. You are making
up your autumn models-in secrecy
naturally. The other establishments of
the rue Royale and the rue de la Paix
are doing the same. Suppose you inno-
vate long sleeves and the other houses
stick to short sleeves? Who has to
change to follow the other?'
There must be some secret here, for
madame did not answer the question
directly.
1--WE make up fifty models" she said,
"yet perhaps only ten of them VIII
take There comes to be run on
them. And their essential ideas-not
mere details-come to be used over and
over again. We ourselves go out into
the world continually-to the races, the
theaters and so on. Our cutters do the
same. We get Inspirations everywhere
because you must not think that we
depend upon our sewing girls for styles.
[ only mentioned them to illustrate an
idea Thus the true mode changes
slowly-in a Partisan evolution. Should
you lock a dozen of us up IN separate
rooms we would all, probably, produce
very much the same styles for
autumn
"Mada me. you say we AS styles
cannot be kept secret long, what is
there to prevent the sensationally cheap
price Paris establishments from turn
ing. out pretty much the same thing as
you others of the rue Royale"
They do, they do!' laughed ma
dame. '"They send their wives and
daughters and their cousins and their
aunts to buy models from u.s. Then
they copy Them
LAS low as $2O?" 1 said.
Tricks of the Trade
"The material in them never costs 40
cents a yard! Good English cloth for
tailor gowns must cost $1.40 per yard
and oft enest costs great deal more.
AS to their lining, you may say it is
nothing. AS to fit, the least said the
better They travesty our model But,
as they exact from one-third to one
half of the price in advance, the Gus
tcmer is helpless. Tenez, l will tell
you how l recently made a nice girl a
present-without it costing me any
thing but an amusing quarter of an
hour!
"As I passed in front one of these