SHOPPING FOR THE WELL DRESSED MAN

The Question of Variety in Hats, and Descriptions of Men's Autumn Accessories

Robert Lloyd Trevor

MANS inconsistencies have, for years, been one of the chief themes of the philosopher's published writings. Without the inconsistencies of human beings, those learned gentlemen would have starved completely. Leaving aside the question of whether or not their starvation would have been a desirable thing, I am going to prey a little on an inconsistency myself. It is an inconsistency relating to a portion of man's dress: specifically, his hat.

Why is it that a man will, with painful care, buy suits for every occasion, gloves, collars, shirts, shoes for every occasion, but will only buy one hat, wear it on every conceivable occasion and not buy another until it falls apart? It is surely inconsistent. Yet thousands of men do it. They get up early in the morning,—relatively speaking,—footle away a lot of time puzzling out which tie will go with the pea-green suit and which shirt will go with the tie, and then, exhausted with the strain, they snatch the same old hat that they have worn every day for months and push it over their brows, regardless of whether it goes with the pea-green suit or not.

THIS is all wrong. It is all wrong because a man's hat is the most prominent part of his attire. You see it at once, and no matter how successful he may have been in selecting the rest of his clothes, the effect is entirely spoiled if he has chosen the wrong hat. It is not only the color of the headpiece that counts, but also the lines. A short, fat individual should never wear a squat, dumpy affair, nor should a man with a long, thin face wear a tall, straight model. That is evident.

And it is also evident that a hat which will go well with a dark blue suit will not go so well with a light gray one. A little common sense in making each choice, and a little liberality in choosing more than one hat for a season, will transform many a shabby person into a well-dressed man.

On this page I have shown two hats: a derby and a silk hat. They are both the very latest models from one of our best hatters. The derby is well-rounded as to crown, and crisp of brim. This silk hat is a happy blend of the English "bell-crowner" and the French "taper-top"; it is distinctive without being extreme, which is a quality much to be desired. Next month I will show you two or three of the best types of soft hats.

IN the middle of this page is displayed a shirt which should be popular with those men who prefer stiff-bosomed shirts to negligees, but who don't wear them on account of their inflexibility. This one combines the comfort of the negligee with the conservative respectability of the old starched armor, and is to be had in a number of attractive patterns.

Looking over the wide range of shirts prepared for the Fall, I have found that the tendency seems to be toward rather louder productions than we have heretofore indulged in. Broad stripes in vivid colors are everywhere to be seen, and the "exclusiveness" of a shirt appears to lie in its extreme gaudiness. Plain soft fronts are temporarily in disfavor, having given way to fronts that are not only tucked but pleated as well, or vice-versa. In the picture at the bottom of the page is a shirt that typifies the new fashion, but is, nevertheless, most wearable. Its pleats form colored stripes with a small pattern woven into them, and between the pleats are lines of small tucks. These shirts may be bought with stripes of any color. On this shirt is one of the newest Autumn neckties. It is a charming blend of rich colorings embodying reds, oranges and greens, something as of Autumn foliage, and is made in a variety of pleasant combinations. The necktie in the adjoining picture is equally new, though of a more conventional character. For purposes of illustration, I picked out a pearl gray silk with black stripes and figures embroidered in gray, but the tie is to be seen in many colors, such as plums and rich blues.

I AM strongly inclined to believe that the only man who is really comfortable in evening dress is the man who wears a made-up tie. He snaps it on (as easily as he does his derby hat) and has no further worry about it. But those of us who severely frown upon the made-up tie secretly wish we could wear one, as we go round wondering where our own irreproachable slips of pique are navigating at the moment, knowing well their tendency to bob up under the left ear at the most inopportune times. Here I show a new dress tie. It has all the virtues of the made-up tie and none of the horrid stigma attached to it. As you can see, the tie has a single tab, which is buttoned over the stud before the collar is fastened. The collar buttoned, one

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end of the tie is coiled round it, meeting the other end in front, whereupon a perfect bow will result— if you know how to do it.

THE question of gloves is one that should be given due consideration in connection with the rest of one's wardrobe. I have not illustrated evening gloves, because everyone knows what they look like, and because they do not vary from season to season. That is, the correct evening gloves do not vary. Every year, it is true, certain manufacturers come out with a glove on which there is some new sort of stitching; three rows of stitching instead of two, perhaps, or black stitching instead of white. These innovations, however, make no impression on the form of the correct dress glove, which is of white kid, with one or two buttons, not clasps, and which has little raised ridges of the leather on the back and not heavy stitching resembling braid.

More leeway, however, is permissible in the matter of stitching on walking gloves. In fact, it is frequently just this variation of adornment which distinguishes a smart glove from an insignificant one. In the picture on page 70 of this issue, I have shown the latest in walking gloves. They are made of Englis.i chamois—which must be a trade name, since there are, at present no chamois living in England—and they have black stitching, a rather attractive departure.

THE belt buckle illustrated here is not one of the cheap, tinny things you have seen on every store counter. On the contrary, it is made either of 14-karat gold or sterling silver. It may be had with initials or without; etched, engine turned (for engraved initials), or it can be pierced in any style of lettering. Apart from its decorative qualities, this buckle possesses the further advantage of being tongueless, that is to say, there are no holes in it. It can be made exactly tight enough, without being too tight or too loose. The belts that come with it are detachable, and may be obtained in any leather and any size.

DURING the past year, boots with cloth tops have become immensely popular. In fact, my remark concerning the loudness of shirts might almost be applied to shoes, too. I have pictured here a boot of the cloth top variety, which, however, is not at all displeasing. Its design is excellent and in accord with the best standards of to-day: straight, yet not too straight; flat, yet not too flat; and with a clearness of line that stamps it as first class.

IT is a deplorable' truth that nine men out ten give scarcely any consideration to the relation of their clothes to their personal characteristics. In any representative assemblage, one can see, for instance, lanky individuals stalking about in stripes that make them look infinitely more attenuated; and short, pneumatic people draped in checks and other designs that increase their appearance of pudginess. If the short man were to wear the stripes, and the tall man the checks, each would seem a great deal more normal.

Similarly, men are absolutely reckless with colors. Look at the first six men you happen to meet. Look at their complexions, their hair, their eyes, and then at the color of their neckties and suits. How many of the six are wearing clothes that harmonize with their own coloring ? Not many. If you doubt me, try it and see for yourself.

And yet, obviously enough, it is just as easy to buy the right clothes, as to buy the wrong ones. The performance calls merely for the exercise of a little judgment.

Ij by any chance you happen to have drifted out of touch with the shops or the fashions, a postcard to Vanity Fair will bring you the answer to any question. And if you are for any reason tenable personally to buy the things you want, the Vanity Fair Shoppers will gladly do your buying for you.