The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-12-03

shopping among the gorgeous jewels displayed on each side of the street. Indeed, she hardly knows where Worth Callot, Jenny or PaQuin are located, unless by some lucky chance she has an invitation to their exhibi- tion of new styles each season. She never thinks of buying hats or gowns at the big houses. If she is fairly well off she studies the style books and photographs of the frocks de- signed by these masters; and then goes to her own little dressmaker who lives three or four flights up on a court in back street, and tor gether they plan out and copy the famous model she chooses. In this way she gets her dress for one fourth the price.
 An American woman told me this week how she waited in a dressmak- ing establishment while one of the Paris society leaders, the wife of a prominent French newspaper owner, explained to the dressmaker just how many steel buttons there were to be on each side and how many loops of ribbon were to be tackled on the back of the gown she had ordered The lady had been to an exhibition by Worth, and picked out the design, but the little dressmaker made the costume.
 A Visit to n French Dressmaker
 The other day 1 went with my daughter, whe' has been living in Paris the last two years, to buy a new gown. She has learned thrifty methods in France, and the estab- lishment we visited had no sign fac ing the street. It is just like one of thousands whence come the clothes not of the actresses, wives and daugn- ters of rich profiteers, but of the French women of moderate circum- stances, who now on account of high prices must make every franc count.
 We directed our taxi to narrow street in the business section of Paris. The dressmaker lived on g court, and we climbed up three flights of stairs, because the house had net even one of the. pill-boxes that serve as elevators in most French business buildings. Madame Marie met us with smile. She brought out her models and the pie lures of the new fashions. The ma terial of the dress had already been chosen, and the who lesale dealer had sent in bolt of lovely brown velvet to be tried for the effect. Then the little filter, Mademoiselle Jeanne, was called in; and under her magic, like the mango tree of the Hindus, the beautiful creation grew under our eyes. Jeanne threw an end of velvet over my daughters shoulder; she put pin here and made tuck there, and presto, a copy of one of the most famous dresses designed this winter by one of the masters sprang into being. A twist of another kind of m rial ad a dra OIa within five minutes we had, in the mirror, the gown as it will look when the material is cut and all the stitches put in. The French seldom have pat terms, and each dress is made, as it were, on it's future wearer.
 Hats While You Wait
 I am told 1t is the same with fine headgear. There are ready made hats. such as one sees in the windows. but the artistic Paris milliner builds his hat on the head of the buyer. The scissors clip out the lines most be- coming, and, with a plentiful supply of pins to bend and twist, the trick is performed. Every woman now wears some sort Of wreath Cn her hair in the evening, and this she buys at a department store or in some small shop which has copied the cFedIlDHS OI lHG IluH dt alA-
 The styles l see here in Paris do not resemble the ones I left in New York, nor those Cf the nouveau-riche we brought across on our liner. The short skirts which call down so much wrath on the heads of our American flappers passed away from Paris more than two years ago, and the skirts of the present are so long they come almost to the ankle. The necks are cut high and even when there are no sleeves at all the neck is as high as that of our afternoon dresses at home. As to the rolled stocking. I am told it has never been known in wicked Paree."
 Window Dressing in Paris
 There is nothing which shows so well how Paris is working as a visit to the shops. There are tens of thou sands Of stores, all full of goods and all busy, and outside on the streets