1936 On the Continent

from the Place Vendôme to which she has remained faithful.
    And you shouldn’t forget either Jeanne Lanvin, that remarkable little seamstress who has climbed to the front rank of creative dressmaking, or Chanel, to whom we owe, among other things, the fashion of short hair, or Jodelle, or Robert Piguet, two of the younger dressmakers with a great future ahead of them, or Jenny or Louise Boulanger.
    Many of these dressmaking establishments have opened special hat departments; others present their models with hats specially created to accompany them by Maria Guy, Jane Blanchot, Suzanne Talbot, Gaby Mono, Rose Descat, Reboux, those fairy-fingered artists who make a success of everything they touch.
Fashion Parades
    The long established division of labour among the establishments of fashion has quite ceased to exist, and all the dressmakers now, show fur coats. They work these precious skins into infinitely graceful shapes, without a thought for their value, and the time is over when the fur coat which the bride receives as a gift on her marriage-day lasts, often mended, but never changed, a whole life-time. The furriers have naturally replied in kind to this trespassing on their territory, and Révillon—to mention only the greatest—adds each season to his department of wraps, sport costumes, etc., completely or almost completely denuded of fur.
    Each season sees the renewal of the ceremony of the presentation of the new collections. A group of beautiful girls files backwards and forwards in the salons of the dressmakers showing off all the perfections of the latest creations. And the type of mannequin is itself a sign of the house they serve; the slight and disdainful mannequins of Marcel Rochas, the tall graceful women of Maggy Rouff, the charmingly impudent mannequins of chez Schiaparelli with their curls imprisoned in hair-nets of a former age.
    But what are you going to do if you can’t afford these subtle refinements and the prices charged in these world-famousdressmaking establishments? Is there nothing in Paris for the new poor?
    Yes, Paris has something for everyone. The big department stores all have excellently equipped dressmaking departments. For instance, at the Trois Quartiers you will find just the gay little dress you want; at the Printemps, the loveliest blouse; at the Galéries Lafayette, the hat that just suits you; at the Louvre, the comfortable and elegant coat which will make you beautiful at very little expense.
    Some of the big dressmakers, too—for instance, Lucien Lelong and Callot—have recently opened a special department of models reproduced in a limited number of copies which, although they are perhaps less sumptuous than the models of their main departments, carry none the less the mark of their genius and talent.
    You should go also to the Samaritaine de Luxe on the Boulevard de la Madeline, that recently built and brilliant offshoot of the old “Samar” of Père Cognac-Jay, which has been for so long the store of the worker and small shopkeeper.
    Then you have the alternative of going to the many establishments on the Champs Elysées, where dresses are sold for 50, 150 or 250 francs and to which more than one smartly dressed Parisienne has recourse when she finds she hasn’t got just the dress she wants at that precise moment.
Important Etceteras
    Gloves and handbags for sport should be bought chez Hermès, the saddler of the Rue Faubourg St. Honoré, and for the afternoon and evening chez Alexandrine. If you have more modest tastes or less money, remember that Grenoble is the fatherland of beautiful gloves and buy at one of its Paris representatives on the Avenue or Place de l’Opera.
    In the Rue Royale, at the Grand Frédéric or Henri à la Pensée, you will find, together with their lovely knitted pull-overs, the thousand and one accessories which go to make, or unmake, an otherwise perfect dress; a well-placed clip, a smart belt, etc.
    For your more fanciful and artistic jewellery, go chez Lancel, who by the way also sells lovely little handbags—or take a walk along the Rue de Rivoli under the arcades and drop into any of the hundreds of little shops which sell unusual and charming stones that can be renewed or lost without financial disaster.
    But if you want to make other people feel that you are a real Parisienne, you must absolutely scent yourself with her perfumes. There is plenty of choice. Guerlain makes for her those subtle and discreet perfumes, which no one