Imperial Valley press., 1920-01-03
$193.75 to $217.00 S476.50 to48

ana I'LL
The foregoing applies to what the
shoplieepers regard as moderate
wardrobe. Serges formcly the cheap
est and most common dress material
and which before the war, could be
bought for 81 to S1.25 a yard, are now
retailing at 81 to S. for the same quail
ity. Nelveteens. another popular
dress material, could be bought five
years ago for 81 and S1.25 yard and
now are bringing $3.50 to $3.50. The
/ biggest advance dealers say, have
been in cotton and wool and not so
much in silk. Babies buckskin shoes
+ which formerly sold at $3.50 are now
/ priced at 81 to 50 a pair.
$3.50 Silk Stockings
! Many women of means, the retailers
say, are paying as much as $3.50 and
j up for pair OF silk stockings but
these are beaded with pearls and art
decorated with fine hand embroidery
j The public demand for furs, in spite of
the advance of so to rs per cent since
/ spring, dealers say, is so percent great
er this winter than last season. Fur
/ coast costing many thousands of dollars
are more in evidence than ever befol c
4 in New York.
/ An artist for a New York fashion
paper recently sketcher a coat, suit
and dress at local factory, the com
bined wholesale price of which was
/ 1915. The coat, coarse wool fabric
was marked 1915, the georgette dress
at $275 and the suit at 1926. Here
we've three garments which, sold at re-
! tail would cost the buyer at least
/ 1900, it was said. Such instances in
Fifth avenue shops of how the high cost
Of living has hit the rich are by no
means rare.
Furs Way Up
"Untold millions are being invested
in furs this year by American women
said j. w. Argenbright, a Brooklyn inn
porter, "and the demand is less eXclus-
i've and more widespread than ever
before, showing that prosperity is
general. Coats costing from $4,000
to $685. 900 are uncommon but they are
being bought.
America is not only importing the
finest Russian sables but is producing
the best specimens of the black and
silver fox, mink, seal, otter, beaver,
fisher, wolverine, bear, lynx, badger,
skunk, raccoon and muSkrat. All
these and many others, in hundreds OF
valieties, from the richest and costli-
est to the moderately priced are domes-
tic products"
Reports that wealthy Americans had
representatives abroad buying up So
called royal" furs were dismissed as
nonsensical by Mr.. Argenbright. For
Is years, he said, there had been no
such thing as Grown" sables. Eimine
also is less popular than ever in the
history of the trade.
Sell Furs Direct
at is an old and mistaken idea" he
said, that the finest Russian sabes
are not shipped outside of that market
these skins being supposed to be the
former crown Russian sables. In former
years, when Russian sables We're not
so expensive, natives in the interior
used to pay their taxes with pelts. In
those days the entelprising fur collect
orhad not penetrated the wilds of 81
berian forests. 1t was the custom OF
the trappers TO dispose of their seasons
catch to the Russian government but
since sables have become so much II
demand and the prices are so high, the
natives have found they can do mucf
better selling directly TO the collectors
who come from all parts of America
and EurODe"