The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-03-29
HOW PARIS MAKES THE STYLES

PariA-"Who makes the styles?"
asked Me question of a notable
woman. the head of the famous Klein
establishment of the Rue Royale.
Madafne Klein is young, round. rosy,
very prelty-and stylish beyond words.
She probably changes her frock sew
en- times a day. Indeed, sometimes
think that the true object of the great
establishment is to supply madame
with new things. But 1t is mott makes
styles.
Who makes the styles?" repeated
madame, why, l answer you: the
streets of Paris. Everyone and no one.
The styles are an inspiration. an un-
conscious collaboration. One of my lit
tie work girls came in this morning
wearing a very small hat almost hidden
under an enormous Scotch plaid ribbon.
1t 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
selves Louis XIV. and Louis XVI. colt
fures. They fix up for themselves cos
tunes out of chiffons n remnants. 1t
is a mistake to watch them strolling in
the Rue Royale at the lunch hour-as
tourist gentlemen SO often do. Nor are
they at their best at the sortie in the
eVenlng-when they are tired and de-
in the morning. They come in delicious
little blouses-ot their fancy. Their
skirt hangs perfectly. Their hair is a
poem. Their hats make styles!"
You are making up your models now
for autumn and winter. madame" 1
said. II cannot imagine how a trottin's
summer blouse, however te%mptingly
adorned i'm front wifi nripino1l y f;pto5
ribbons, is to help you QUIT"
They give ideas don't say more.
We take an idea and by working it up
make it ours, of course. A sleeve in
splratlon is a sleeve inspiration, no
matter in what material. When an
girls, We pay her for it. Often girls
come to us from the outside with a
sleeve idea or a collar idea to sell us;
n have no doubt that our own girls
at times go %peddling their ideas to
other houses"
Perhaps they peddle your ideas as
Well" l suggested.
1T is a thing that cannot be helped.
Que voulez-vous? What will you ?'
laughed madame; such leaks help to
fix style, doubtless!"
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 in
novate long sleeves and the other
houses stick to short sleeves? Who
has to change and follow the other? 2"
There must be some secret here, for
madame did not answer the question
directly.
we make up fifty models" she
said, yet perhaps only ten of them
viii take There comes to be a rum
on them. And their essential ideas
not mere details-come to be used over
into the world ~continually-to the
races, the theaters and so on. Our cut
tiers do the same. We get inspirations
everywhere-because you must not
think that we depend upon our sew
Ing girls for styles. 1 only mentioned
true mode changes slowly-in a Par
isian revolution. Should you lock a.
dozen OF US up in separate rooms, we
would all, probably, produce very much
the same styles for autumn!"
Madame, o say We AS styles
cannot be kept secret long, what is
there to prevent the sensationally
~ctheap-price Paris establishments from
turning out pretty much the same
thlng as you others of the Rue Roy
They do, they dol" laughed mad
ohHS 1iSy SEM tlelf wives and
daughters and their cousins and their
aunts to buy models from us. Then
they copy them"
A low as S20!" 1 said.
The material in them never costs
40 cents a yard! Good English cloth
LOT tallor-made own must cost s1.4O
per yard, and oftenest costs a great
deal more. AS to their lining, you may
say 1t is nothing. AS to fit, the least
said the better. They travestv on.
model. But, as they exact from one
tilfd TO one-half of the price in adj
vance the customer is helpless. Tenez.
L will tell you how l recently made n
nice girl a present-without it costinp
me anything but an amusing ouartar
of an hour. w
As passed in front of one of those
concerns" said madame, 81 was struck
auhlp by the sight OF an autumn coat
OF most stylish idea and cut-and made
OF magnificent English material. We
OF the meter, monsieur, cannot be de-
celNed. That coat had cost, to mako
every bit of s5O-and there it was
marked retail their S15 model"
And You made it a present?"
II did. l did chirped madame. "rhat
very evening | said to this nice girl,
VINO is a governess and not rich. Co
TO that establishment and buy that
coat, She understood, monsieur!
Here is SIS for that coat she said
~ AAiS SolSSIlldll.
Certainly, mademoiselle, l will take
your measure. The coat will be ready
for The try-on next Tuesday,
But, no. she said, I want that coat
itself!' va"
"Of course. they would not let her
have 1t. 1t was a model discolored by
the sun, it would not fit her, she ought
not to want it. When she insisted.
they grew angry-and finally refused to
a her order.
All right she said at last, I'll now
give you five minutes, just, to hand
me down that coat in return for nv
SIS: Otherwise l shall return with a
policeman and charge you with expos
ing. goods with marked prices and re-
fusing to sell them!'
That was the end of the contro-
versy." said Madame Klein. "Thev
gave her the coat for $15-French law
being very strict upon the subject.
They saw that they were fairly caught
for once!"
Madame" 1 said, what are to be
h new autumn styles?"
AS h seemed perfectly un~hesitating
and frank in her answer, l believe she
gave me the real tip. If you, in turn.
can make anything out of it, here it is:
w are coming back to the short
waist" she said. But it must be a
- l--