"She wears rustling black--and creates a small stir wherever she goes. She has a penchant for pale gloves, pretty hats. We think she's altogether ravishing," said an ad for Saks Fifth Avenue offering a Morris Kraus' suit in Onondaga rayon faille for $115; Monte-Sano's coat of Ducharne rayon taffeta at $185 and Monte-Sano's rayon faille taffeta suit for $135. At the Designer Collections on Fifth Floor. That rayon coat would be about $2000 in 2009 dollars. For rayon. Rayon was the prevalent fabric in the women's clothing being advertised in The Sunday Times that day from the most to least expensive.
Some more stuff for sale:
Tufted fireside chairs from the Pennington factory and show room at 16 E. 38th St.
Marlon chocolate dragees, a "delicious new candy-coated chocolate" with nut or fruit centers.
Mexican huaraches for $3.50 at Mary Lewis, 746 Fifth Avenue.
New day and evening courses at the School of Radio Technique, taught by network professionals at the RKO Building at Radio City.
Andrew Geller footwear at 537 Fifth Avenue..
A sculptured black Cara-Q rayon jersey was $17.95 at Franklin Simon, Fifth at 38th.
Muse, a "great new perfume" by Coty was here from Paris at $15-$100 at Best & Co.
A Henry Rosenfeld ruffled town and country dress of cotton was 12.98 at Arnold Constable iif the country girl look was your thing,
B. Altman had Golden Hour cosmetics from Harriet Hubbard Ayer.
Gimbel's on Herald Square had imported alligator bags in six colors and a variety of styles for $32.40 . Marcus & Co at Gimbels had a selection of fine watches for 40 per cent off. "When a well-known jeweler wanted to dispose of part of his stock of exquisite watches in a hurry, he naturally turned to Marcus & Co in Gimbels," the ad said. IThey sold from $180 to $225. Antique Victorian jewelry reproductions were in the jewelry department. A chatelaine or bracelet was $6. A white embroidered Saybury housecoat went for $10.95. A Kay Whitney rayon peppermint dress for gals 5'5" or under in red, blue, gray with white stripes was $5. Gimbel's was open Mondays until 9. Gimbel's also offered readers of The Sunday Times a variety of more practical goods that they were not likely to find at Bendel's or Bergdorf's. In one ad, Gimbel's had a long list of canned foods available in its street floor food shop. It was mostly standard canned vegetables, meats, spreads, stews and soups. People without help ate a lot of meals from cans back then, although the wartime metal shortage had forced them to actually cook again. But cans were back. Among the multitude of offerings was soy sauce and spaghetti sauce, elbow macaroni and spaghetti. Another large Gimbel's ad featured a variety of household goods more mundane than the jewels and furs up front in The Sunday Times. On the seventh floor they had a lot of stuff to ready you for the warm weather ahead including tubular chair pads. Adirondack chair pads, puffy beach rolls, chaise raincoats of rubber coated textured cotton, utility cushions of water repellent cotton, sling seats for beach chairs, steel back rests, replacement sets of back and seat cushions, covers for round standard- make washing machines-good if you kept them outside on the porch- and Vinylite cushions inflated with air. The street floor had the Perm-o-comb to keep permed hair wavy, moth sprays and vaporizers and garment bags. The stationery department had writing paper, paper towels and napkins. They were selling a weather forecaster, one of those little Alpine huts where Hansel and Gretel pop out in nice weather and the witch appears when it is bad. They had a metal typing table for $5.95. They had closets and accessories, wardrobes with floral patterns and plastic-coated cotton hangers