LADY DAWSON SUED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19098, 20 August 1936, Page 8

LADY DAWSON SUED

DISPUTE OVER SUIT VERDICT FOR TAILOR 7.LONDON. July J. . Lady Dawson of Penn, Wimpole street, W., was sued at Westminster County Court yesterday for £29 8s by Philip Lavinge, tailor, of Grafton street, Rond street, W. The claim arose out of l he ordering of a dark grey black-braided model suit. •Judge Dumas gave judgment for .Lavinge for the amount claimed with 'costs. The dress, he said, would be at the disposal of Lady Dawson. Lady Dawson’s defence was that she ordered the suit to be made according to a model from materials she selected. Lavinge said that the agreement was that the suit should be remade from a model . out of stock. He stated that 50gns. was the price for making such a braided costume, and it would lake three or four weeks. Lady Dawson wanted the suit in a fortnight. When he said the price would * be SGgns.,’she replied: “I have never paid such a high price.” He told her lie could alter a model in e stock in* the time, and she chose the model worn by a mannequin. There were * two fittings, and at the second fitting ” Lady Dawson seemed to be dissatisfied. “She appeared to have made up her mind that she did not like it, and .that ■ was an end of it,” said Lavinge. “There was no reason why it should not have

been made a perfect fit.” Judge. Dumas: Why should a braided costume take so long! Lavinge: Because it has to be done by an expert ncedleman. 1 did not agree to supply her with something specially made from the cloth. It was to be specially made from the model. Judge Dumas read in an order book the entry, “black-braided suit remade out of stock, including white waistcoat, 28gns.” He asked: “If you exhibit a model on a mannequin and a woman says: ‘I should like to have a costume made like that,’ you would not call that a model costume P’" “No,” replied Lavinge, “dial would be called ‘made to measure. Lady Dawson said that she did not choose a coat and skirt worn by a maniierpiin, but one she bad tried on herself. “1 mentioned I was going away,” she said, “but there was no diificulty about the time. Nothing to my knowledge was said about taking three or four weeks to make or alter a model, and there was no mention of 60 guineas.” “The first, mention of that, was in a letter. I have never bought a coat and skirt made out of stock, but have always had them made for me. There was only one fitting.” Lord Dawson of Penn gave evidence that his wife was in bed suffering from the effects of a broken kneecap on the mormufc of March 20, the date when the second fitting was stated ‘to have taken place. Later the same morning she motored to their country house. Judge Dumas stated that he believed the bargain was as entered at the time in LavingeG books, and that Lady Dawson subsequently became doubilul übout the possibility of the suit fitting.