El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-02-25

all the dressmakers have a chance to
inspect them and make sketches or
notes Of those that please them. One
firm furnishes each dressmaker with a
book filled with outlines Of the fem
mine figure. On these outlines the
dressmakeF can easily add other lines
representing new effects IN draperies
and trimmings, even though she has
no experience in drawing. Color cards,
showing the new shades, are also dis
tributed each year with rules for their
combinations. and suggest lions Of the
material in which they will appear to
the best advantage Generally there
are artists from abroad who give infOr-
NAL lectures upon the new color combi-
nations.
Selling Imported Costumes.
The sales of the imported costumes
often give rise to interesting incidents.
Having served their purpose of trade
demonstration it is understood that
they are to be sold to the dressmakers
at moderate prices, which enable them
to make a handsome profit from Gus
toners Few of the dressfakers in the
largest western cities come to New
York without having an order for one
/ or more genuine imported costume
from some customer The interest is
keen when two or more modistes de-
sire the same gown. According to the
ethics of the case it should OF course
go to the first purchaser, but there
have been instances when some other
course was followed.
In most stores the travelling sales
man who has made the acquaintance
with the dressmakers along his line is
retained in New York during this ex-
hibition period. If he does not actu-
ally show the goods in the store he
helps to entertain the women, and aid
the sales by his influence. If modiste
has particularly ingratiated herself
with some salesman he may see to it
that she secures her choice in import
ed gowns at any cost.
Substituting Costumes.
Last year a Kansas City dressmaker
selected a model in French blue and
ordered it shipped. What was her dis
may when, upon its arrival at her es-
tablishment, the box was opened and
found TO contain a totally different
design with a color scheme of old rose.
As the woman for whom the dress was
ordered reveled in tresses OF Titan red
the dressmaker lost her sale and had
also the humiliation of disappointing
her best customer. She had no redress
from the firm excepting a very courte-
Gus letter regretting the mistake"
and offering to refund the purchase
price. As the model she selected was
the only one in America substitution
was impossible Later in the season
she found that a modiste from Omaha
had purchased the blue dress on the
last day of the exhibition, securing it
through the influence of the salesman
who circuited her city.
To the uninitiated the dressmakers
trade seems simple. but there is no
business more complex and more de-
pendent upon the wheels within
wheels The dreSsmaker is hampered
by every restriction in manufac turing
that may come up, and the ever-chang-
ing whims of her customers make it
impossible for her always to gage her
needs. The tradesmen make her very
low prices on all goods purchased in
quantity, but the seemingly enormous
profits are curtailed by the losses from
change in style. Modistes Of the better
class almost invariably supply most Of
their own materials. It is a special
favor to a customer to permit her 10
bring her own fabrics Even when
this is done, there are certain trim
mings and findings which the dress
maker always furnishes. When she
does not. carry q. full line of dress ma
terials the uptodate modiste will be
able to show a complete line of sam
pies Of goods which nay be purchased
at a first class store. When the dress
maker has these goods in stock she
viii often be able to sell cheaper than
the store because she has secured her
stock at a lower figure If she gave her
order before the public spring open
ing.
May Get Other Ideas.
In addition to dressmaking materi-
ais. the dressmaker during her stay in
New York will give attention TO the
newest ideas in corsets and lingerie,