For the Well Dressed Man

A Discussion of the Origin of Fashion and the Assimilation of New Ideas

THE origin of fashion is a much disputed subject. There are those who claim that the designers and makers of men's clothes are those who originate new ideas, but it is more true to say that they adapt ideas to the public use than that they originate them. The originators of ideas in dress are certain conspicuous persons in the world, who, at that moment, are noticeable and very often copied. Take any fashion of the moment and it can be traced back to a prominent person or group of persons, who have started the fashion.

The Prince of Wales, for example, has caused certain types of wearing apparel to become extremely popular. He himself so far has originated nothing, but certain young men have followed fashions, which he himself has approved and adopted, and in turn have influenced the rest of the masculine world thereby.

Some ten years ago a well known man about town in Paris and London had the happy thought to use gabardine as a sport suit material, and was seen to wear this material at all the beach resorts in France and Southern Europe in place of the flannels and cheviots popular at the time. His tailor, who was quick to recognize the success of this experiment, recommended gabardine and twillets to his private clientele to such an extent that, the season after, it was not at all uncommon to see suits of this material worn everywhere by the smartest men. The tailor who was responsible for pushing this idea gained a reputation for having created it, which was not strictly the case. Witness the success of gabardines in America during the last season. Almost everyone wore them, and their popularity will continue. Where is the young man who ten years ago created this fashion? Because it is actually to him and his type that we must look for what will be worn. Last year in France he was wearing odd jackets and trousers for semiCountry wear, not homespun coats and flannel trousers, but trousers and jackets of two different materials, in the same colour of grey, tan and various mixtures.

Tracing the origin of fashion as we have above, it is obvious that fashions originate in Europe, which is the logical place for their origin, because there is a class of men in Europe such as we do not have in this country, who give time and attention to their clothes. These men do not change from season to season, nor do they strive primarily for originality. They make slight changes in their clothes in cut, material or colour from time to time, when the change seems to them an improvement. In this country we make a change, for better or worse, so long as it is a change. A good thing will sell. It even happens that occasionally we want to buy a duplicate later on, as in the case of a disappointed shopper * brought to our attention recently, who had ordered a pair of shoes which could not be duplicated six months later, because the model had been discontinued, and something new was advised in its place. The something new was quite all right but it was not what the man wanted. Until we entirely change the idea of the modern man's wardrobe we cannot hope to compete with the change and variation which is possible in women's clothes.

In sketches 3 and 6 are illustrated two practical ideas of the latest waistcoat. All changes in men's clothes should be "to form", just as the architect's facade is to scale. There is nothing radical about these two waistcoats which are coming into fashion. They are in no way original or freakish, but they are good style, and they are a change. The great thing to achieve is a change which will be permanent, practical, and in good taste, for if it is none or all of these, it is far better to do without the change at all. With the exception of the very few, the future of the well dressed man in America depends on, and is in the hands of, the great ready-to-wear manufacturers. This is not a custom country. At this stage of the game, it is a question of quantity production. Can quantity production be improved? It has been in motor cars. Why not in clothes? How long shall we have to wait for the ready-towear manufacturer to build us a pair of trousers which in width is up to the standard of fashion, and, what is more important, the standard of comfort and proportion. Where can we buy these trousers, which ought to measure from sixteen to seventeen inches around at the bottom, and with an increased width of three inches at the knee? The scale on which trousers are built at present by ready-to-wear manufacturers is inadequate to the ordinary man's proportions.

The great clothing manufacturers have made magnificent strides. In fact, they have set such a standard for themselves that we expect much of them, and in this same vein of thought we earnestly ask of them such questions as the one above. One of the greatest examples to the business world of to-day is the achievement of the Arrow Collar. The manufacturers of the Arrow Collar went into the custom shop, duplicated their best collars which before could only be obtained for 50 or 75 cents, turned them out in quantities, and at prices which we could all afford. This is the idea that will win, not only win for us what we want but also fame for the far-sighted business man. We all want to be well-dressed, but we have not the time to fight for it, so it will have to be served out to us.

The luxuries of life are not always things we can afford. The pyjamas illustrated in C (page 76) are both luxurious and expensive, but many luxuries can be copied in another form possible for any of us to have. Jewelled shirt buttons and studs are more than most of us can afford, but there are equally good things within our means, if taste and selection are utilized. Any of the three sets of shirt buttons illustrated in D, E and F are very simple and in good form, and therefore quite as correct and effective as valuable buttons from the best shops in the world. The safe rule is, that if the thing is inexpensive, it must be simple. The same thing applies to the dance shoe on the shopping page, illustrated in K (page 78). This dance shoe, Jfhich is correct and fills the bill ($7.50), is a find for the man of moderate means. If all woollen socks were alike there would be no point in showing the two illustrated in H and I (page 78), which are exceptional in so far as they are woven in a manner which fits the ankle perfectly, do not bulge or wrinkle over the top of the shoe, and are long enough to go well up the leg, which the average inexpensive sock does not do.

The linen collar we show on the shopping page is a one-ply, all-linen importation from England which, when washed, is a semi-stiff collar and very durable in quality. The semistiff idea is a new note in collars and bids fair to be very popular. Certain very interesting innovations in collars of this type come on the market, and have met a crying need among men who are discarding the soft-collar type of shirt for a low stiff collar, which, when semi-stiff, is more comfortable than a highly starched one. The advantage in these one-ply collars is that they cannot be laundered very stiffly even by the worst laundress to be found nowadays, which is saying a good deal.

The tie illustrated with this collar is also imported. It is made of an excellent quality of silk which has body enough to stand the wear, and at the same time is reasonable in price. This is the ideal and happy combination to be sought for in neckwear. The tie must be made of a durable quality of silk or otherwise it will soon lose its shape, no matter how well the tie may be made. It is the body of the silk which gives the tie the full, rich look all good ties ought to have, and prevents them from easily creasing. This particular tie comes in a combination of two shades, brown with blue squares, grey with light grey squares, or any other colour combination you may desire. At the present moment in London there is an unusual run on one colour. Ties, silk handkerchiefs, mufflers and knitted waistcoats are to be seen everywhere with yellow or combinations with yellow. Yellow is the predominating note in colours this season in London.

It would be very interesting to speculate on the possible influence of the stage in men's fashions, should ever the men on the stage become well dressed. At present the young actors on the American stage have a fashion all their own, which is imitated in certain quarters, but they cannot be said in any sense to set a standard. It is true that a number'of the older actors, such as John Drew and William Faversham, are very well dressed, but it cannot be said that they have had a very wide influence —even on the fashions of the stage. Abroad the stage has more influence, but this is probably due to the fact that the actors imitate those who set the fashion, rather than that they actually create a tendency themselves. It is noteworthy that the best dressed young men on the American stage are almost invariably Englishmen.

In this connection we wonder how many of our readers know that extraordinary essay df Bernard Shaw's on the influence of the modern masculine costume on acting. On one occasion Shaw, having nothing to say about a rather inane dramatic composition, devoted himself at great length to showing how the drabness and rigidity of modern costume destroyed the freer gestures of the theatre, and that the school of acting followed in the romantic drama was due less to the spirit of the piece than to the wearing of more decorative garments.

It is certainly true that actors who have long been accustomed to doublet and hose find great difficulty in repressing their gestures when forced to play in knickerbockers and morning coats. This was noticeable recently with William Faversham in The Silver Fox, a somewhat satiric melodrama by Cosmo Hamilton. Mr. Faversham showed a constant tendency to return to the Elizabethan postures and delivery of The Prince and the Pauper, in which he starred last year.