Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-04-15
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CLOTHING IN ENGLAND.
Prejudice Against Ready Made and
American Styles-Great Difference
Between Wholesale and Retail Prices.

Consul Albert Halstead at Birming-
ham, Eng, and other consular rep
resentatives have sent report on the
ready made clothing trade in the
United Kingdom to the Bureau of
Manufacturers. Department of Com
merce and Labor, part of which Is as
follows:
There is a comparatively small de-
nland for readY-made clothing in
Birmingham and vicinity, as there
are many tailors here who make suits
to order from % shillings 1850 up.
One can obtain a very good suit for
Steps. and the best tailors will make
q suit from a very fine grade of cloth
for $3.50 to $3.50 a sack suit of
the finest cloth obtainable can be
bought in birmingham for 5000. An
evening suit, made by tailor in
Birmingham, who even sells his
cloths in Austria, and who is noted
particularly for his make of riding
coats and breeches for the country
hunting set would cost $50, made
throughout of the finest materials and
with coat and waistcoat lined with
silk A heavy silk-lined oVercoat
would cost about s33. These are all
hand sewn which the English re-
gard as preferable. and we'll made.
One does not, as a rule, get the same
fit or style as in America and the
trousers are not so well designed, but
the quality of the cloth is always ex-
ceptionaily good in first class clothing.
A decided prejudice exists among
those who can pay as high as So or
SI4.50 for suit of clothes against
anything that is ready made, and
those who would buy suit for $3.50
prefer to have it made to order.
This, for one thing, is because the
cut and make of the ready-made
mems clothing offered for sale here is
not attractive. In boys clothing the
cut of ready made clothes is good,
the cloth good, and the prices excep-
tionally low. There is a great diff
ference between the British and
American styles in boys clothing as
in mems suits.
leading tailor in Birmingham
stated that there would be a decided
prejudice in the United Kingdom
against ready made clothes that were
on what they called the American
style. Any of those characteristics
that are seen in certain types of
American ready-made clothes-the
broad shoulders, the heavy seams,
large flaps to pockets, distinctly low
cut waistcoats-would prejudice
possible customer. An Englishman
does not like TO have his clothes in
cut or fit such as to attract atten-
ton. An Englishman also objects to
ready clothing because of the
frequent duplication of patterns. He
likes what he regards as something
distinctive for himself, but this does
not apply to tweeds or serges. one
sees here far less of the dark clothes,
HE clay diagonals. the black cloths
with the indefinite stripes than in the
United States
Though English clothes are cheaper
than clothes in the United States,
suit does not hold its shape so we'll,
even when frequently pressed. 1t
seems they do not shrink cloth as
much as do American makers, and
little horsehair is used in building up
coat. linen or canvas being prefer
red. despite the fact that some of the
best horsehair cloth in the world Is
made in this district.
In preparing statistics upon the cost
of living in the United Kingdom in
1910 the following statistics of the
cost of ready-made clothing were
gathered by this consulate general.
showing the range of wholesale ana
retail prices: