The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1875-07-24
swallOw-Tails and White Neck.Ties.

The Nation does it up in tins style "The savage
makes 10 change Of toilet for the evening He
dresses for war and religious ceremonies. but be goes
TO a social reunion or feas, in such clothes as he
happens 10 have on when the Invitation finds him.
The plain man Of civilized life. under similar circum-
stances, puts on a clean shirt and his hest suit Of
clothes. This suit, among the European peasantry
is apt to be simply Of the same cut and material as
the working suit. or, as il would be called in Brook
Ign, : the garb Of toll; among Americans il is a black
suit, like that Of a clergyman, and includes a silk
cravat, generally black. but permissably colered.
The whole matter is, however, one Of pure conyen-
ton. Now it has been found Of late years a matter
of convenience. especially 10 Woodworking men and
men Of moderate means, who are exposed 10 the
constant social demands Of the great cities Of the
world, to have a costume in which one can appear
on any festive occasion, great or small, which all,
gentle or simple. are alike expected to wear, which
is neither rich nor gaudy, and in which every man
may feel sure that he is properly dressed, and the
dress fixed on for this purpose throughout the civil
lized world is the plain sui: Of black, with the
swallow-tailed coat. commonly called evening dress.
Nothing can be simpler or less pretentious, or more
democratic. Nobody can add anything to il or take
anything away from it. Many attempts to modify
it have been made during the last thirty years by
leaders of fashion. and they have failed. because IL
meets one of the great wants Of human nature.
Nevertheless, it makes its way with difficulty. 1t is
only within the last fifteen years that il has obtained a
firm footing in American cities. People look on il
with suspicion, as q sign of some inward and spiritu-
al haughtiness, and regarded the frock coat, with its
full skirts as the only garment in which a serious
minded man, with a proper sense Of his origin and
destiny, and correct feelings about popular govern
ment, could make his appearance in n lady's parlor.
Why no one could tell, for there was a time, not
very far back when the sack coat was in itself an
innovation. OF late-that is, within perhaps ten
years-the swallow-tails of the world have exchanged
the black or colored for a white cravat, and justify
themselves by saying that it not only looks cleaner
of necessity than a silk one, and that you cannot
look too clean or fresh about your throat when you
present yourself at a lady's house on a festive occa-
sion. Nevertheless, the plain, blunt men are never
satisfied. They do not as yet feel sure as to its
meaning. They think it indicates either over-thought-
fulness about triaes, or else a leaning, slight though
il be. toward ~despotism and free trade. They will
now ell or nearly all, wear evening dress with a
black cravat, but even those of them who will con-
sent TO put on a white crayat do so with n certain
manufactures and sense Of backsliding and Of
treachery to some good cause, though they do not
exactly know which"