The New York herald., 1922-11-26
BY A BUYER.

|NI Dody exciaims. "Wnat
" could be easier? I don't
have to be taught to spend money. 1t
comes natural"
That is just where everybody is
wrong. Spending $4,000 day is one
Of the most difficult and arduous tasks.
I have done it, so know. Ny busi-
ness is spending money.
1t would not be so difficult II were
limited in the amount Of money that
I could spend. But I am not. As the
European buyer Of large New York
department store unlimited amounts
are at my disposal. I can spend as
much money as want and on what
ever I see fit. Whatever see At" is
the crucial point. I must know what
is At and 1t is that knowledge which
is so difficult to acquire and so precious
and well recompensed once It is ac-
quired.
To spend prodigious and lavish
amounts go to Europe twice a year.
sometimes by myself and sometimes
with others. am in Paris only two
or three weeks, but during that time
1 work under terrific pressure. But
my work is Of a very curious nature.
To most people, especially women. It
would be a delight and hilarious play
AS they say in slangy circles, I'm
on the town." 1 visit the smart cafes.
hotels and dancing places. I go to
the races and the tennis tournaments.
1 go to DeauvilIe, Monte Carlo and the
other famous resorts and watering
places. I go, in fact, wherever there
are well dressed women-women of
every station Of society. And all the
time that am laughing and dancing
and enjoying myself am watching
with eager, avid eyes to see what the
French women are wearing.
. OF course am not alone in my orgy
of observation, as all buyers are
equally vigilant. know New York
buyer who devotes two days a week
to visiting the smart hotels and res
taurants and the dancing club Of the
hour, even going to the big football
games.
Besides looking at clothes buy
them. In one day spent $40 900 at
the big dressmakers' The big dress
making houses Of Paris are very much
like ours in New York. Or rather,
ours are like those In Paris, because
we have copied them. In Paris they
are not run with our terrific efficiency;
they never quite know where they are
at, rather hectic. haphazard and a
trifle- untidy. The salespeople are very
polite to us. Of course; they want our
money. But then, too. they are nat
urally polite and they make excellent
salespeople. 1t must be because they
have the true "sympathie" and what
the French call the intelligence Of the
heart.
Buyer Has to Think and Think:
That Makes the Job Hard
But we never go to these Dress
makers until we know what the
French women are wearing and what
we want to buy. Otherwise they
would have us at their mercy ana sell
us any old thing they wanted and we
would be none the wiser. A terrible
situation and not to be imagined.
While these activities that I have
outlined may not seem difficult, but
rather the quintessence of all the joys
and good things of this earth, they
are really very hard work. because so
much depends on the accuracy of my
observation and the intelligence Of my
purchases. I have to think, and
thinking is always exhausting to us
poor humans. For on those few
weeks I spend in Paris depends the
policy Of the American buyers Of our
store for the next six months. What
buy In Europe is to be the inspira-
tion of the American manufacturer.
Paris clothes are the vision Of the
future. So they may be said to be the
cream of the business. while American
clothes are the bread and butter. But
Paris clothes are the eventual bread
and butter because American clothes
are dependent on them. This 10 why
1t Is so important what do when
am in Paris. This IL why I work
and play SO hard; 10 much depends
on II.
While It may sound contradictory.
1t is, nevertheiess, true that I DO not
necessarily bring back what II very
popular In Paris. For instance, there
Is at present In this country q tre-
mendous vogue for beaded dresses.
French women never wore them very
much; they were never very popular
In Paris. But the reason why they
are so much worn hero n that, for
one thing, American women like
beads. and for another. they can be
imported and retailed for something
like s35. putting French dresses with
in the reach Of great many Ameri-
can women. SO we bring them over
and sell great quantities Of them.
Besides dresses such as these that
we know Will sell. we import dresses
that will be a constant reminder to
us of what Americans will be wearing
In six months or two years time, things
that will be adaptable to the American
woman's figure. For 1t is true that
French clothes have to be adapted to
US. Paris fashions have to be made
wearable; Paris silhouettes have to be
modified
But this adaptation is much less
radical to-day than II was ten years
ago: much less modification Is neces-
sary. What does II mean7 Only that
American women are better dressed, II
we take Paris as our goal. Only that
we are getting nearer and nearer to
Paris. Just another proof of that very
trite statement-that the world Is get
ting very. very small.