The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-06-26

patterns that drew that money 1u; =
v picked mp every idea that could f.
uned 20 make a smart looking cos,rtB..
for elderly women. l had l-arnrd tisr
lace and alk can b. had Tor much -. y
New York than ideas. never vOAI
recommend my customers or wOmE,
Wishing 70 go In the dressmaking { Il.
ness 10 buy materials abroad. - X
my experience teaches me We can r.. III
We want in that line on this side %. Nh.
Atlantic. but when Il comes 20 dpa.
learning the proper way 70 90 the thIug
you should 20 90 Paris.
Before the formal opening Of our shoI
selected the most attractive Of NY Ta
signs and with them made q rouni %
calls on elderly women Who | knew vguII
like % appear az their hest and were aLls
% pay for Il. | devoted q week 20 ti.s
making more than aeventy-fve -,ls
but only slcceeded In getting two or-lsr.
both from women whose figures wen.
generally admitted 10 b. hopeless.
my partner later admitted that d
was discouraged &C my lack Of succa-.
but ! was not. for ] was sure when or-.
thOae women appeared In the costume
l had planned for them their imprur..
ment would b. 40 great that We would
UllNE - NNNAN'lA WYNN ~ W NNIAIiN no. NJ
effort WASH Z 10 change their figures bur
improve their appearance, | had deter
mined 90 let them remain NJ they Wpr,
hut 20 make their costumes o. such mn.
terials and IN such style az IN fu-r.
people 10 admit them to hs snartIr
drpssed in spite o. their figures
One woman insisted that shp c0ulir q
wear anything bat blnck IN spite 0f frp
fact that she knew Il was about the mos
unhecoming thing she could put m 4
mean unbecuming as 81 hor face; black .
always safe for a woman with poor Hg.
ure ~ well az n poor dressmaker We'll
had planned 70 make her blue suit W, r
touches Of lighter shade but when 4
found that nothing but black would gi'
her | took her order and when the SUI.
was finished she was 80 much pleased hy
the touch Of green and gold that I had
added without consulting her that she
was sorry shs had not let me have my
way and turn her out n blue COSTUME
She was back again within a month f1r
the blue.
Though | didn't find that customer
came az fast az had expected we mana pod
% ray expenses and have a little balance
on the right side Of the ledger that first
year Elderly women are more timid than
younger women. and when once a dress.
maker gets the idea wen rubbed On hat
they ara too old 10 expect becoming
clothes Il takes time 10 make them SEQ The
falsity of the idea We might have done
a good business with younger women
that first wear had ! not been convinced
that by a little patience we would reap a
much larger reward by sticking 90 our
original idea.
when people began 70 understand
that We could really make elderly women
look smart. that the first few costumes
We turned out we're not accidents. then
! trade came in In a steadily incrsa, sing
/ stream By the end Of the second year
We had 100 women all past 50 on our ls.
] Of regular customers Many OF thess
| were not able 30 get more than one dres.
Of us. but they one and al said thew
/ dreaded putting on their old costumes
| because the change was 80 great that even
| their families noticed that they were not
/ looking a. well as they might
Having done ~ well IN one city W
are now thinking OF opening a branch
elsewhere. perhaps In New York ASIDE
/ from the idea Of specializing our most
/ valuable possession ~ the experience n
economy which gained while working In
I Paris I have adapted IL 70 American
conditions, just AZ | DO all fashions, but
We are careful 20 see that nothing Is ever
wasted
III 10 hadn't been for that I am SUR
we would not have had balance % our
| credit that first year. while our hank &C.
count would have been very much smaller
| 10 many women are opening specially
shops for children that ii seems hard 70
understand why some Of them don't ra-
member elderly people. SO far a. ! can
Judge there ia n good opaninn for such
an establishment in every large city on
/ tho land, and / should like 70 say
have never known customer ~ easily
pleaeed and 10 sincerely grateful Tor b.
coming clothes as the majority Of elderly
women