Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-05
The Millinery Business
Bv Frederic j HaSkin

sons shapes. After all, 1t is the jobbers
who direct the current of the styles.
But perhaps a more cogent argu-
ment in defense of huge profits in mill
linery Is that which relates to the
selling end of the business. ANY busi.
ness man who complains to milli-
merry merchant of the unjust and un-
reasonable profit levied upon woman's
hats, is invited to spend the day in
the hat salesroom. There is not one
man in O million who would go forth
from such demonstration without be-
ing convinced that q milliner is JUS
titled in charging all that the traffic
will bear 1t is estimated that the
average woman in the city who buys a
SIS hat consumes the time of one or
more statesmen for two hours in each
of eight shops, total of sixteen hours
to hat. OF course, there are many
who devote at least u whole day in
each ono of these shops for the Sc
lection OF the fall hat, but there are
others who visit only one shop ana
these cut down the average. 1t is
not the fur and feathers and ribbons
and velvets and buckles and so on
that make the hat cost. 1t Is the
ephemeral character of the styles, and
the real difficulty and patience neces-
sary to sell the product to the ulti-
mate consumer.
Domestic manufacturers make arti-
fetal feathers, flowers and other
millinery trimmings to the value of
about $50,000,000 year; about three
fourths of this is made in New York
alone. This does not include straw,
braid, ribbon silk, velvet, wire, fur,
plush, or any of the materials which
go to make UP the body OF the hats.
Neither does 1t include the imported
millinery supplies. 1t is very difficult
to obtain accurate statistics concern
ing the millinery business as the man
ufacurers' prices are manifolded many
times before the retail shop-keeper
makes his sale. One conservative sta
tistician has estimated that 1t costs
$135, 900, 900 a year to furnish American
women with headgear. This is an
average of less than SO year for each
American woman, and probably Is
much below the mark. While there may
be some railing against the milliners
and their prices in the privacy OF
American households, at cnly enc
point have the milliners been attacked
publicly in an organized fashion. The
Audubon societies in seeking TO pro-
tect the wild birds which are slaugh-
tered to satisfy feminine vanity, have
made some serious attacks upon the
millinery business.
One writer estimates that more then
three hundred million wild bircs an
nually give their lives as a sacrifice
upon the altar of Dame Fashion. The
millinery trade journals vigorously de-
ures, declare that they are grossly
mallgned and that the tales of cruelty
to birds are vastly exaggerated. The
millinary trade journals vigorously de-
fend their calling against such attacks
fAff a Il
those made by some ministers. They
deny that the women create the vain
and foolish fashions eritised, and they
have courage boldly to assert that 1t Is
the whims and faneies of the men which
force the women to deck themselves
in such outlandish headgear. They
say that the average man demands
that the women of his acquaintance
shall follow the styles regardless OF
where those styles may lead them.
Styles in millinery are usually i'm
ported from Paris. The great design
ers there ransack the fashion plates Of
the past and the dreams OF the future
for ideas upon which to build new
hats. Living models, whose duty 1t is
to wear good clothing well. are equip
ped with the latest creations and sent
to the opera, the race-track and such
places to permit the world to get its
first glimpse of the new styles. If the
Partisan world does not approve, the
style is abandoned. Sometimes, how
ever, it is impossible to obtain clear
verdict This was the case with the
famous peach-basket hat Partisan mill
llnery manufacturers in this hat evol-
we'd something so ridiculous that the
French women absolutely refused to
buy them. The consequence was that
the whole stock was dumped into the
American market where 1t was eagerly
bought up at triple prices by women
who were willing to wear anything.
however ridiculous. If only 1t bore the
label "made in Paris" This peach
basket hat incident was the inspira-
tion of the present crusade for Ameri-
can styles for American women.
The millinery jobbers in New York
today will discuss styles and other In
terests of their business in serene Sc
curity. They are absolutely certain of
the fact that as long as there is any
money in the United States they will
have their share in the division. Fancy
millinery may have been luxury In
the days of our grandmotkers--it Is
now a necessity.
MI. ma -