For the Well Dressed Man

Common Sense Is the Foundation of Good Style

AMONG the great but hitherto unrecorded battles of the world is that which man is eternally waging against the styles in which he clothes himself. Aided and abetted by those who make it their mission in life to improve upon the human form divine by disguising it as much as possible, we seize upon all of the tricks and trappings which each succeeding season produces, only to find that they are a delusion and a snare.

We have put pads upon our shoulders and taken them off again. We have lengthened the coat-skirt until it wellnigh concealed our knees and we have shortened it until it all but revealed our belt-lines. We have closed up the vent and then opened it to such length as to threaten the region between our shoulderblades. And so the battle proceeds, until we sink back beaten, but unconvinced, to the tried and true form which time has proven to be right.

In the midst of this hectic turmoil, however, there is a group of men who are too wise to fight. They keep out of all sartorial wars and retain a calm balance which should eventually make the world safe for sane fashions. Nowhere are these gentlemen to be seen greater numbers than right here on Fifth Avenue. Notice the one who is walking briskly toward us. (1). Will any man in the audience kindly point out one feature of this costume which has not been present in every good suit of its type for the past fifteen years or more? It has survived because it is natural. The coat is a bit of cloth draped over the shoulders, rolled back easily at the front and neck to form unexaggerated lapels and collar and tailored with proper respect for the form of the wearer. It is no longer or shorter than practical use requires. In fact, it is a perfect example of that fundamental principle which forms the very foundation of good style—Common Sense.

By no means does the simplicity of this garment limit the exercise of its wearer's originality. His individual taste finds unlimited opportunity for expression in the vest and other accessories which complete the ensemble. It is in these details that individuality should properly assert itself. In this case, the waistcoat is double-breasted and of white linen. The collar is white, the tie a black and white foulard and the shirt is light blue. These colors blend admirably with the suit which is gray flannel, and the whole effect is carried out to a proper finish in the dark gray bowler hat with a black band, the white spats and black shoes.

The double-breasted suit shown in (2) is another example of the survival of the fittest. Though differing in type it embodies all of the virtues which characterize the single-breasted suit in (1) and it violates none of them. The overlapping of the jacket seems naturally to demand a broader lapel and this in turn demands a slightly longer skirt to obtain the proper balance. It will be observed however that the long skirt is obtained not by lengthening the coat but by, a slightly more abrupt curve, which indicates the waist-line.

THE gentleman poised expectantly in the doorway of the motor car (4) is unconsciously demonstrating the fact that the polo coat has more uses than its name implies. In fact there are few outdoor events in which this coat does not contribute a smart and appropriate touch to one's attire. While it is a decidedly beautiful and even luxurious garment, it is dedicated to the service of man in his hours of ease and should therefore hang full and easily from the shoulders. It can be worn with propriety at all times in the motor car and about the country club; in fact the latter is its habitat, for it is an excellent protection against chill after tennis, polo or golf.

The coat shown in the sketch is made of vicuna wool and is light tan in color with pearl buttons. With it are worn a gray homespun suit, a white shirt with fine green stripe and collar to match. The hat is a Homburg of taupe felt and the shoes are brown with taupe canvas spats. Polo coats can be had also in camel's hair cloth which, though a very fine material, is not so soft as vicuna wool. They come in a variety of shades, the one shown in the photograph being of mouse-colored camel's hair with bone buttons.

Another excellent costume for country wear is shown in (5). In this case the suit is of brown and white Shetland homespun cut rather full to allow for even greater freedom of movement than one demands of the sacque suit for city wear. There is an opportunity for color harmony here of which full advantage can be taken by the use of a champagne silk shirt, champagne tie with red Persian figures, brown wool socks and brown and white shoes. The collar is white silk, the points of which are held loosely together with a gold collar pin. We say "loosely" because we have observed a tendency to treat the soft collar as though it were a bandage and to pin it so snugly as to defeat its very purpose, which is, of course, to add to the wearer's comfort.

Styles, as expressed in the superficial characteristics of man's attire, move in cycles; so it will not surprise those who recall the practice of making shirts with the stripes running horizontally to observe that the best dressed men are again bringing this style into vogue. Many of them are seen on the Avenue now and they are a refreshing innovation.

To the question, "How to be comfortable though formal," there are two answers which the reader will welcome at this time and they are embodied in the dinner coats shown in (6).

Before proceeding with a description of these garments, let us recall that the dinner coat evolved from the smoking jacket. After attiring oneself for full dress, it was worn down to dinner, when dining en famille, in place of the tail coat for which it was changed before going out. It was just what its name implied ; a dinner coat or smoking jacket and nothing more, but in this sacque-suited country of ours it very often encroaches upon the province of the full dress coat.

Since, in the beginning, it was worn instead of the tailcoat it is natural that the white vest should be worn with it. Particularly is this true in the summer time when comfort is a primary requisite, for white is cooler than black. So both because of its origin and its practicability, the white waistcoat is preferred at all times to the black.

In the figure shown on the right the waistcoat is of white pique with a soft rolled collar. When laundered this collar should be ironed flat and rolled back when it is put on. It is held back by buttons on the shoulders.

The jacket is of very lightweight fresco cloth, which, though very porous, holds its shape well, and the shawl collar is satin. This collar is now seen frequently upon those men whose taste is beyond reproach and among whom good styles have always originated. So while the notched lapel in no way violates the canons of good taste and will no doubt always be quite correct, it is nice to know that one can exercise his individual taste even in formal dress and at the same time strike with absolute propriety a slightly different note. The collar for formal dress is no exception to the rule that collars must be comfortable. The bold wing shown here allows the fullest comfort at the throat.

The costume is made complete by the black Homburg hat, white stiff shirt, black satin bow tie and low varnished black shoes.

The Homburg hat, by the way, is a very desirable adjunct to the wardrobe. It comes in a variety of colors and shades and the wellrolled brim with its slight dip in the front, together with the conical-shaped crown makes it a verv finelv balanced hat.

The figure on the left goes even a step further in the direction of comfort. The jacket is made of light-weight worsted with satin shawl collar. It is double breasted and so cut as to permit its being worn without a waistcoat. While dispensing with the waistcoat in the case of dinner coats may seem a wide departure from conventional standards, that at least is the only possible objection that can be urged against the idea. On the other hand we must remember again that common sense and personal comfort are factors in every correct costume and both of them are emphasized in this gannent when one is compelled to wear dinner clothes on a hot and sultry evening in July or August. The jacket is kept buttoned and the absence of the waistcoat is not obvious, so while this costume is designed to give comfort to the wearer when he needs it most, it in no way violates the principles of good taste. Consistent with the humane object of this very sensible jacket is the white pleated shirt and low collar, the boater straw hat and patent leather pumps.

We are showing here a few accessories which may be of interest. The automobile trunk (7) is intended to be permanently bolted to the running board. It contains two suit cases, each five inches wide, and both trunk and cases are covered with black enamelled canvas. The tie rack (8) folds flat like a wallet, the hanger dropping inside, and keeps one's ties in good shape while traveling. It is covered with very dark green Morocco leather and is lined with green silk moire. The three sticks shown (9) and (10) are new importations and will be found suitable for every-day use.

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IT is remarkable how slowly we are coming to the realization that stiff cuffs, when worn, belong on the wrists and not around the neck. We have already pointed to the obvious fact that the very foundation of good style is just plain common sense. Certainly there is very little sanity and absolutely no good style displayed in a collar which functions like a guillotine when one's head is bent forward.

A very sane and graceful collar is shown in (3). It is high in the back but it swings down naturally in the front allowing the greatest

greatest ease and comfort to the wearer. To some men this style may not be most becoming, but a few experiments will bring forth a collar which is properly balanced for the wearer and which at the same time is suggestive of comfort, When such a collar is found the wearer has achieved good style.

It may be inferred from the tenor of this article that the common sense idea when applied generally to men's clothes will eventually lead to such a uniformity of dress standards as to make all men look monotonously alike. There is no more danger of this, however, than there is of the human race becoming stereotyped because each individual has the same number of features per face.

It requires but the slightest curve in the eyebrow or an almost imperceptible difference in the contour of the nose to make one man look totally different from another whom he resembles very closely in other respects. A slight change in the lines of a jacket accomplishes a similar result. This is illustrated in coats having a slight ridge in the sleeve where it joins the shoulder. This trifling change in a single line appears to raise the shoulders at least an inch. That is why the high-shouldered man seldom if ever looks well in this particular style.

So the problem of the clothing fraternity of this country is not to see how' obvious and radical they can make their styles, but rather to apply more subtlety and art to the work of producing an individualized garment which in no re-r spect fractures the rules of good taste.

We have already indicated another direction in which the inherent indi/ viduality of man can express itself, namely, in the choice of accessories such as hats, cravats, shirts, shoes and other articles which he is constantly buying and with which he is unconsciously experimenting,

This is particularly true with regard to fancy vests. We use the word "fancy" with some trepidation, for it seems to have the same effect on some men as "personal liberty" has on the anarchist. It has led to excesses and such flagrant disregard for other people's eyesight as to arouse one's suspicion that the wearer has been subsidized by the optical goods industries. This is no reproach to the fancy vest, however, and as there is reason to believe that it will soon enjoy greater popularity we will take time to discuss it in the near future.