RETAILING: A Tailor-Made Lawsuit

Many department stores have a double standard when it comes to alterations on clothing: women pay extra but men do not. Most shoppers accept this inequality, but not Muriel Mabry and Lori Anderson, two California businesswomen. When they bought dresses this summer at a Saks Fifth Avenue store in Costa Mesa, Calif., they were each charged about $40 for alterations. Meanwhile, the women claim, Anderson's husband bought a suit and tuxedo that the store tailored for free.

The women took their case to Feminist Attorney Gloria Allred, who filed a class-action suit on their behalf this month in a California state...