Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-26
WINDOW DRESSING.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

III By Frederic j. Haskin. HI
The National Window Dressers' Asso-
ciation which will meet in Chicago next
week, will send out thousands of new
ideas that will tend to make the shop
windows of this country even more beau
tiful in the future than in the past.
At one time the credit of the most ar
tistic shop window dressing belonged to
the French. and doubtless the Paris win
dows always will be good examples IN
the arrangement of feminine luxuries. In
the United States. however. the finest IN
yenuity of the Yankee mind has been
applied to the decoration of the windows
in a manner that will serve TO bring pa
irons into the store and also to demon
strate the different kinds of wares Of
fered for sale there. In this way they
serve both a unitarian and artistic pur-
pose.
The Importance Of the art of window
dressing has been so substantially recog-
nized that experts are paid high salaries
Formerly window dresser was depend
emit entirely upon his own ideas and had
no means OF obtaining training for his
work except through experience and OBJ
servation. Now there are schools for
which teach each branch of the work
as a special department. The school or
college for window dressers is distinctly
an American idea, and 1t is doubtful II
such an institution of learning could be
found in any other country In the world.
1t is comparatively new, but already
students from Australia, England and
Germany have come here in large num-
bers, and the English graduates are es-
pecially enthusiastic in praise of the
methods EMPLOYED,
Usually the assumption that window
dressing and advertising go hand in hand
is correct.
Text of Advertisements and in
illustrated in Windows
window dressing is considered an i'm
portant phase Of advertising Frequently
the text of an advertisement in the daily
newspaper is illustrated in the store
windows. although there are numerous
instances where the window dresser car
ries out an individual line of thought
without regard to the printed advertise
ment This is especially true at the
beginning of a season or upon holt
day, when the windows may often pre-
sent a series of historic scenes significant
of the event commemorated by the holt
day.
In connection with window dressing
there has sprung up an important trade
in the supplies required. The making or
feminine figures is especially important,
since these must change with the pre-
vailing Mode. The slim. f1at-chested model
which shows up the narrow styles of the
present are distinctly different from the
voluptuous figures of a decade ago. and
nil
unless they possess attractive heads.
In this case they may be used in back
grounds. although the newest figures
have adjustable heads. which the window
dresser may take Off at will.
This also is true regarding arms. hands
and feet. The figures used for showing
evening gowns require beautiful waxen
arms, which are exceedingly perishable
in the glare of the window. Therefore.
it is economy to have two sets of arms
for a 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 are again called
into service. The same is true regarding
adjustable feet. which needed if
short gown is worn. but may be dispensed
with il the dress is SO long In front that
the iron standard is completely hidden.
of large department store presents a
most I'M.
Dlessers' Storeroom canny ap
Uncanny in Appearance. vii,
contain headless figures of men, women
and children of various sizes and styles.
A heterogeneous collection of arms and
limbs may be in evidence, which are fit
ted to the figures as wanted, while in a
glass case protected from the dust will
rest number Of heads to be added to
the said bodies.
Often. after a figure is dressed in a
new shade, it will be found that the color
plexion. AS the new shade Is a feature
Of the decoration. that will not be
changed, but the models head will be.
If the head is blonde one brunette
will be substituted. and if a brunette's
head does not quite produce the desired
effect perhaps a type between the two
may be chosen. The same figure may
serve as a support for many heads, from
the deliberately coiffured lady to her
silver-haired grandmother or neat
uninterrupted 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 much in demand
among the best window dressers. Most of
these figures and heads have been design
ed and sometimes patented by window
dresser who saw some special need. The
large firms sometimes have factories at
tached in which figures are made after
the special designs of their head window
dresser.
One of the more important duties of
the hair dresser of a store, in the estab-
lishments where such a department ex-
lists, is the care of the heads of these
Law figures The hair OF the waxen
ladies is shampooed, marcelled and
dressed on an average of once a week
throughout her life. When her hair sup
ply runs short, as happens early in her
existence, because AIR is easily pulled
out from it's waxen setting, false hair in
the form of switches and puffs is added,
just as for a real. live woman.
Incidentally the supply of these models
is one of the greatest expenses of mod
ern window
Supply of Models Ono dres sing.
Of Greatest Expenses. cos, is .nor-
NOUS. and they are not durable. The
changes in the style OF figures lessons
their value each season, while the re-
newing of their complexion and hair Is
no small item of expense in the stores
where they are literally used
II Is predicted that within few years
the place of the waxen model will be
largely supplied by living models. AL