THE CIRCULATING WARDROBE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8840, 17 June 1907, Page 4

THE CIRCULATING WARDROBE.

We cannot say whether the circulating wardrobe has arrived in this country, hut it is said to be iu full swing iu the Old World. It is possible, savs the Daily Mail, for the woman who desires to dress well, to do so.by paying an annual subscription. * Mantles, opera cloaks, motor clothes, everything, iu fact, from shoes, gloves and fans, up to Court dresses can be obtained at these establishments, the subscription to which depends on the frequency with which a coustomer wants a change, the style of things she wants, and her figure. A “stock size” clieut pays less than one who is stout or slim. The lady who wants a change ouce a fortnight, exhausts the resources of the establishment, aud pays accordingly. She can have a complete outfit from hat and veil down to patent leather shoos. Where do the dresses come from? Many smart society women wear the loveliest productions of Loudon and Paris but two or three times, aud then send them without pity or regret to a dress agency, where they are sold outright, or to a circulating wardrobe whore they are worn iu turn by mouey subscribers. “A divine inspiration of the Worth or Paquiu which made its debut at a Court function, framing the charms of au aristocratic beauty, descends gradually through the various stages of a circulating wardrobe to the less exalted sphere of a dance at a suburban town hall.” It is said that the same system on a small and private scale is ended out by many wellknown women in society. Inquiry among friends, or by advertisement, discovers one or two feminine doubles in dimensions, and those ladies contract to take so many gowns annually from their owner. A substantial discount is taken off for the satisfaction of the use of au article, aud the garments are handed down to the second social generation, at half or one-third the original cost. “The second lady sometimes has au understudy in the background, who takes|her clothes at third hand. Tims each in her own social sphere ’establishes a reputation for possessing a large aud chic wardrobe. The fact that it is circulatory does out iuvaribly transpire, although the circumstance is frequently suspected.” One good point about the circulating wardrobe is that it prevents the getting of expensive goods on credit. The Daily Mail should give us a companion article, on men’s circulating wardrobes, ’ for surely there are such things.