El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-07-26


cago next week will send out thous-
ands OF new ideas that will tend to
make the shop windows OF this country
even more beautiful Ia the future than
in the past
artistic shop window dressing be-
Ionged to the French, and doubtless
the Paris windows will always be good
examples in the arrangement OF femi-
nine Injuries In the United States
however. the finest ingenuity OF the
Yankee mind has been applied to the
decoration of the windows IN man
ner that will serve to bring patrons
into the store and also to demonstrate
the different kinds Of wares offered
for sale there. In this way they serve
both a unitarian and artistic purpose.
window Experts Highly Paid
The Importance of the art Of win
dow dressing has been so substantially
recognized that experts are paid high
was dependent entirely upon his own
ideas and had no means Of securing
training for his work except through
experience and observation Now there
are schools for window dressing and
store decoration which teach each
branch of the work as special
department The school OF college for
window dressers is distinctly an Amer
lean idea. and il is doubtful If such
an institution of learning could be
found in any other country IN the
world 1t is comparatively new, but
already students from Australia, Eng
land and Germany have come here in
large numbers and the English gradu-
ates are especially enthusiastic IN
praise of the methods employed
Usually the assumption that win
dow dressing and advertising go hand
in hand is correct, and in most stores
window dressing is considered an i'm
portant phase of advertising Ere
duentIy the text Of an advertisement
in the daily newspaper is Illustrated
in the store windows, although there
are numerous instances where the win
dow dresser carries out an individual
line of thought without regard to the
printed advertisement This IS eS-
pecially true at the beginning OF
season or upon a holiday when the
windows NAV often present a series of
historic scenes significant of the event
commemOrated by the holiday.
Models Are Necessary.
In connection with window dressing
there has sprung up an important
trade in the supplies required Inc
making of feminine figures IS es-
pecially important, since these must
change with the prevailing mode The
slim, flat chested model which shows
up the narrow styles OF the present are
distinctly different from the YoIuptu-
Gus figures of a decade ago, and
these last are relegated to the junk
pile unless they possessed attractive
heads. IN this case they may be used
in back grounds, although the newest
the window dresser may take off at
will. This is also true regarding arms,
hands and feet. The figures used for
showing evening gowns require beau
tiful Waxen arms which are exceed
ingly perishable in the glare of the
window Therefore, it is economy to
have two sets Of arms for window
figure. When long sleeved dress IS
worn. plain unfinished arms are used
and the beautiful waxen members are
carefully wrapped in soft tissue paper
until they arc again called into ser
vice. The same is true regarding ad-
Unstable feet. which are needed if a
short gown is worn but may be dis
pcnsed with If the dress is so long in
front that the iron standard is com
pletely hidden
b window Dresser's Store Room
The store room OF the window
dresser of a large department store
presents most uncanny appearance
1t will contain headleSs figures OF men,
women and children of various sizes
and styles A Heterogeneous collection
of arms and limbs may be in evidence
wanted. while in glass case protected
from the dust will rest a number OF
heads to be added to the said bodies
Often. after a figure is dressed in a
color does not quite become the WaXen
complexion. As the new shade is a
feature of the decoration, that viii not
be changed, but the mOdeIS head VIII
be- If the head is a blonde one, a
brunette will be substituted, and IL
bPunette's head does not quite produce
the desired effect, perhaps type be
tween the two may be chosen. Ihe
same figure may serve as a support
for many heads, from the deliberately
coiffured lady TO her silver haired
grandmother or a neat white. capped
maid. Many figures Of course are
used with the head attached but these
are not as useful as those which may
be changed. and. therefore; not so in
he hos in lou g.
ers. Most of these figures and heads
have been. designed and sometimes pat
ented by a window dresser who saw
some special need The large Trims
sometimes have factories attached in
which figures are made after the spe-
cial designs of their head window
dresser
Hair Dresser Necessary.
One of the more important duties Of
the hair dresser Of a store, in the
establishments where such a depart
of these lay figures. The hair of the
waXen ladies is shampOOed, marcelled
and dressed on an average Of once
week throughout her life. When her
hair supply runs short, as happens
early in her existence, because hair is
easily pulled out from its waSen set
ting, false hair in the form of switches
and puffs is added just as for real
live lady. Incidentally the supply of
these models is one of the greatest eX-
penSes of modern window dressing
Their first cost Is enormous ana Iney
are not durable. The changes in the
style of figures lessons their value
each season, while the renewing of
their complexion and hair is no small
item of expense in the stores where
they are literally used.
Living Models Expected.
It is predicted that within. a few
years the place Of the waxen model will
largely be supplied by living models.
Already these have been used with
good results. In one store in the
middle west last spring a window
dresser kept three girls in his most
prominent window to show the new
dress goods which were draped di-
rectly to their figures in full view Of
the public. 1t was arranged that one
should stand in the window fully
dressed while the process of draping
the second went on When that was
finished the young woman who was
being draped took her place at the
side, the one who had been standing
to exhibit the style retired, to be dis
rObed and enjoy a brief rest period,
and the third one entered the window
and acted as lay figure for another
demonstration of draping. Managed in
this way, the task of standing was not
arduous for anyone of the models. and
the window dresser was so enthusi-
astic over the effects that the use of
live models is to be one of the topics
discussed at the Chicago convention.
In a large New York store living
models were used at a recent opening
They appeared not only in the win