READY TO WEAR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21772, 11 October 1932, Page 15

READY TO WEAR

NOW AND THIRTY YEARS AGO. The summer school of the Drapers’ Chamber of Trade was recently in progress at Oxford. One of the speakers was Mr F, C. Scase, a member of one of the best-known Regent street firms. He made some interesting comparisons between the woman shopper of to-day and her predecessors of 30 years ago. In those days, one may recall, there was nothing like the variety available in ready-made dresses, nor were there more than five stock sizes kept. To-day there are at least 30 sizes always ready to suit the varying types of women customers. Stocks held must be very large in order to satisfy the fancy of every individual buyer as regards material, range, colour, pattern, and size. Moreover, in the years gone by the cheaper materials were badly cut and badly made up; always having a sloppy appearance; whereas to-day, all, the cheaper fabrics are cuf.on the most upTo-date lines, are well made, and are in a tremendous range of choice. The finished article is invariably quite smart and'is fresh to look at. These important points apply not only to frocks, but to tailored suits and to footwear. Indeed, shoes and boots continue to be turned out in a bewildering variety of leathers and skins, in endless designs and colour, and in remarkable colour combinations.

Following are some of- the remarks made by Mr Scase:— “This increase in the number of sizes is not because women to-day vary so much more in their build from their grandmothers, but because the modern woman demands a better fit,” he said. “ She also objects to having a garment altered to fit her. After an alteration has been carried out she loses faith in the garment, even though the alteration may not spoil the garment in the least. Twenty years ago women never bothered their heads about such details. “The attitude of the woman customer with regard to prices has also changed considerably during the past 20 years. Today a woman definitely makes up her mind over the breakfast table as to just how much she is prepared to spend on a garment, and nothing will make her change it. “In the old days we used to show a customer a garment at a certain price and be pretty sure we could sell her something better. Our task is not to easy to-day. The modern woman knows what she wants and how much she is goihg to pay for it, and if she does not find it at one shop, she simply walks out and tries at the next.

" “I do not know how many frocks the women students to this summer school have brought to Oxford with them, but I am certain that if they are going awav to the seaside for a holiday next week they will take dozens of frocks with them. Most girls to-day have a cotton frock for every day in the week, not counting their evening frocks and wraps.” Where women would spend £lO on a dress 20 years ago, to-day they wanted' four dresses for the same price. Mr Scase quoted as an illustration the difficulties he had had in selling an exceptionally fine line of women’s handbags. The bags were advertised on a Monday morning at 10s lid each. The following morning only 400 orders were received through the post, but a fortnight later the same bags were advertised af 10s each, and the following day 2300 orders were received by the first post.

“ The psychology of the customers in this case is simple,” he said. “ A woman sitting in her home reading the paper suddenly fixes her eye on the 10s. If she has not a 10s note her husband has, and all she has to do is to borrow 10s from him, put it into an envelope aud send for the bag. If the bag had been 10s lid it would have meant a special visit to the post office on wash morning for the odd lid in stamps, and in nine cases out of ten the woman would not bother about it at all. As for farthings, they are unpardonable in the price of goods. Round prices such as 10s or 20s are invaluable in the retail trade. “If I were a young man to-day 1 should be tempted to turn my store into a 10s and 20s store, and I believe that 1 should make my fortune.”