The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-09
Have You Caught the Fever?

have caught 1t-tnls new lever lhdt
comes in epidemics usually in the au-
tumn and the spring. Any woman
unless she be as sensible as Mi
nerva-is liable to its attacks. but 1t
usually hits the woman who has money
to spend, the woman who travels about
a little and who has a liking for dress.
Where do you catch this fever? Oh
usually from some smartly dressed
woman from out-of-town. an after
noon tea at the dinner-dance. at the
Fort Myer drills. or perhaps at the
races, if you go. One of these women
wears a new kind of neck fixing with
a particular dash. Her hat is on at a
bewitching angle. Her boots somehow
look trimmer, neater than your own.
and, being a true daughter Of Eve.
YOU envy her Then someone says
How smart that Mrs. Dashly dresses
She has just come from New York"
New York. Charmed word. You
have caught the fever. You long to
have your neck finings look just as
smart. You wish that your millinery
gave YOU the air of distinction that
the other womans does or you are
fairly green with envy at the way her
boots fitted. You, too. must have New
York clothes.
Well, first you plan to make a little
trip UP to the metropolis You coax
your husband. or your employer or
YOUR mother, or whoever it is who
has a word or so to say about your
goings and comings, to cooperate
with you in making that New York
trip possible. You take your earn
ings-they have been hard to save
and off you go.
Or IL you can't get to New York
yourself you have some friend who is
going and you pour into her hands
those earnings with the direction to
spend them all for finery. Maybe no
friend is going. Then you read the
New York advertisements in that ia
vorite woman's magazine of yours and
you have an added attack and send a
money order to the Fifth avenue shop
that has tempted you with their very
clever advertisements.
OF course there are disappointments.
The ncckwear from New York-would
you believe twas just exactly like
the bargain-counter products you saw
down on q street week ago. The only
difference was that when it came from
New York it cost So and the G street
price was s275. And the hat; well.
,1tEf h1 70 doesn't
look at all dashing on your head. 1t
WAS probably the way that smart New
York women wore her hair that made
the effect. The boots that you ordered
were smart, TO be sure, hut they cost
S9-Iuite too much for you to afford.
SO your New York fever has run its
course and you are probably immune
from future attacks. But if you had
been sensible you would never have fall
en- a victim.
When you come TO think of it. the
Washington shops buy from the very
same wholesale dealers as the New
York shops Many of our establish
ments. in fact. have branches where
their agents can keep in constant touch
with changing New York styles. The
very day that the New York retailer
has an opportunity to buy the novel
ties so has the agent Of the Washington
store Perhaps the Washington agent
orders slight difference in the finish
or the trimming. just to give his goods
a look Of distinction. but in the cut
and style and finish ii is all the same
The only difference is that when these
things are unpacked in the Washington
stores and placed on the counters or in
the cases the tags that go with them
are marked quite often at a lower fig
IRE than are the tags that will be placed
on the identical goods seen in the New
York stores.
That is about the only difference, and it
is a natural one, because the rents and
wages and overhead expenses are higher
in the little congested island of Manhat-
tan than they are in our own fair city.
When you stop to think OF this. you
are in a good way to escape this New
York fever.