Shopping for the Well-Dressed Man

Some Observations on a Standard Costume for Golfers

ROBERT LLOYD TREVOR

ONE night—but perhaps it would be more accurate to say morning—early last fall I entered the subway station at Columbus Circle, and boarded an uptown Broadway local. I had been to the theater earlier in the evening. I confess also to having attended a small ⅛ but respectable, supper party afterwards. However, I am telling you this, merely to account for my presence in the subway at an hour when everybody but the milkman is supposed to be at home and in bed, and also for the fact that I was in evening clothes. Everything else about my person was quite conventional; I was (needless to say) sober, self-contained, and in full possession of my faculties.

Imagine my .surprise, then, to find the car seats completely occupied by men who were attired in everything but what one would expect to find on a man at that hour in the morning. It was only through the fact that each clasped a golf bag that I recognized them to be golfers bound for Van Cortlandt Park.

IN spite of the embarrassing position in which my evening clothes placed me, and the guilty sensation of being so absolutely and wickedly de trop, I followed these men to the park; for there was a certain zest and novelty in the idea of watching daybreak golf that fascinated me.

Once at the golf links in the park, I was impressed with the enormous number of men who play golf, and amazed at the appalling lack of regard among them for. suitable clothes.

Of course it could be argued that, at such an hour, men would hardly be expected to dress as carefully as they would in the afternoon. Granted. But if you happen to have ten fingers on both of your hands, go out on the links any afternoon and count the men who look as though they had selected their clothes one half as carefully as they selected their caddy.

AN idea for a golfing costume which was brought out about six months ago, and is having considerable vogue with New York tailors just now, is illustrated by the accompanying sketch. The coat is made in a plain dark material such as a brown Shetland homespun. The knickers should be about the same weight and quality of material, but in a brown check; while the stockings should be conservative and should match the coat in shade. The cap is of a design similar to the knickers.

These effects can be carried out, of course, in grays or greens, but the coat should be a plain cloth without design.

NOTICE the sketch on the right hand side of this page. Someone has realized that the golfing enthusiast, being in many respects a perfectly human being, must find some means of protecting himself when it rains and at the same time not impede his movements with a clumsy sou'wester. Hence the Swithin rubberized silk golf coat. This is an admirable garment; cool, well ventilated, light, and easy to roll up and carry in the golf bag.

So much for golf clothes. As it is well on into June and approaching the time when one begins to think of buying one's second straw hat, I have illustrated two examples of the latest styles herewith. You will remember, no doubt, that last summer witnessed some extraordinary objects that managed to pass off under the misnomen of straw hats. Narrow brims, high crowns, almost imperceptible hat bands, rough weaves, straw fedoras—nothing was too outlandish to make a bid for popularity. Well, the bid was successful in that it induced the exclusive hatters to revert to conservative models again. That is, fairly wide brims, and moderate crowns.

If you would, like to buy any of the articles shown here, Mr. Trevor will gladly tell you where they 'may be had, or the Vanity Fair Shoppers will buy them for you. There is no extra charge for this service. Simply draw a check, to the order of the Vanity Fair Publishing Company, for the amount quoted under the picture of the article you want. Describe the article, tell on what page of which issue it appears, mail this information with your check or money-order to Vanity Fair and the article will be sent forward to you without delay

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I have not illustrated any Panama hats for the simple reason that they remain the same in general style from year to year. In an interesting article on Panama hats in the Scientific American for May 15, 1915, Mr. A. M. Jungmann says apropos of Panamas:

"When you get ready to put on your Panama hat this season, view it with renewed interest. It is about the only article of apparel which is still being made in exactly the same way it was when these hats came into being centuries ago, before Columbus discovered the Americas. That is, of course, if your Panama is a real Panama. And speaking of real Panama hats, in point of fact there is no such thing. Panama hats are not, and never have been, made in Panama. They acquired this false name because the city of Panama was and still is, the great distributing center for this particular variety of hat."

"WHEN purchasing a Panama," he adds later, "it is a good idea to hold it up to the light and look through it to see whether or not there are any knots or patched places in it. Sometimes in making them the strands are broken and additional ones have to be woven in. This spoils the texture, although it is not noticeable in a cursory examination of a new hat."