CLOTHING THE MAN

Waikato Times, Volume 93, Issue 14538, 9 December 1920, Page 3

CLOTHING THE MAN

TAILORING TRADE QUIET IN SOUTH. WILL PRICKS FALL? .lust now the tailoring trade is having a remarkably slack time (says the Christchurch Sun), whereas, normally, this season of the year is one of the busiest periods. For one reason or another, the average man is not ordering Ids usual "summer suit,” and the customary suit for the races seems also to have been dispensed with. The natural assumption is that, since tailored cults have soared to such a high price, the ordinary man Is taking belter care of his clothes, and making them last longer. However, this explanation does not entirely meet the tocts, because until August last the better-class tailors in Christchurch seem to have been doing a large volume of business, and the wave of economy seems to have come only in the past few months, during which there has been no sudden rise in prices.

One tailor, in conversation with a fun representative, said that the only reason he could give was that customers were waiting, in the hope, that prices might fall. Personally, he d:d not think that this was likely to happen. There were no large stocks of imported material in the country, and the prices of recent shipments showed no downward tendency, but rather the reverse. ‘■Trimmings,” lining material, hairclotn, thread, buttons and the like were dearer than ever, and, in the case of buttons, shippers ■ were declining to fill orders at less than 100 per cent, over recent prices. Apparently there were fairly large stocks held at H6me, because the Continent, owing to adverse exchange, had not yet resumed buying on a large scale. However, the cost of production was still high, and, in the absence of free buying, it was possible that the Lnglish manufacturers would curtad their output. Thus it was unlikely that prices would drop— at any rale, so long as the public, the merchant tailor, and the importer all held hack in anticipation of a slump. “So far as the customer is concerned,” remarked the tailor, “I am inclined lo think that lie fancies that no Sort of a suit can be had under 13 guineas. That is not correct. If a man wants a suit of line English worsted, he will have to pay 13 guineas for it, but lie can have one of really good English tweed for 12 or Id guineas. If he cares for colonial tweed, the-price should be 10 or 11 guineas. As a mailer of fact, line, worsteds are out of fashion in England, and in ray class of trade I handle lit tie of them.” Another tailor look the view that merchants’ stocks were fairly well n.aintained, but declared that there was little chance of a reduction in prices.

One factor of importance to the “bespoke” tailoring trade is the development of the chart-made suit and the ready-made . suit. Inquiries amongst manufacturers of these classes of clothing, however, show that "chart” tailoring is also having a quiet lime. Makers of ready-made or “stock" suits, on the contrary, are as busy as ever. The supply of ready-made men's and boy’s clothing has been much behind Iho demand ever since Hie outbreak of war six years ago, because English imports I avc been cut off, and a general shortage of hands has prevented the local manufacturers from extending as they would wish. In spile of the steady demand, there is nevertheless no evidence that the male population in general is abandoning tlie shop-tailored suit in favour of the “chart” or the readymade article.