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Twice a year, in February and August, the great Parisian couturiers held grand openings to show their new collections. About fifty designers displayed approximately five thousand designs at each semiannual exhibit. Guests at these closely guarded affairs included socially prominent Europeans, fashion writers, manufacturers, and buyers. Most important for American fashion was the attendance of big American department-store representatives. As Newsweek reported, buyers bought hundreds of gowns at the August 1936 show, each averaging in price from three hundred to five hundred dollars. Instead of selling these dresses, American fashion-manufacturers took advantage of an export loophole to make bootleg versions of Parisian originals. Export law held that if the dresses were returned to France within six months, the store paid no significant import duty. Meanwhile, the store made as many duplicates from the original as desired within the six-month limit. These copies were advertised as...
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This section contains 233 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) |
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