Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-01-13

THE DIFFERENT KINDS KNOWN TO THE TRADE
THE IMMENSE NUMBERS SOLD ANNUALLY IN
This CTTS-THE STYLES OF THE PRESENT DAY
From the Philadelphia Press.
Adam wore no cuffs and to SolOmon's zoe
wives was denied the delight of seeing theil
liege lord decked but In clean shirt and collar
How the dandies of those DAYS managed to look
respectable is matter Of melancholy conjec-
ture The history OF the modern cuff is start
ling confirmation of Mr. Darwins theory of crea-
ton. 1t was evolved from nothing What aw-
full and fantastic shapes it may yet assume no
man can tell. Fifty years ago the cuff was as
much curiosity as was linen shirt fifty years
before. The gentlemen ofthe revolution wore ruf:
fies or ruffs of lace crumped linen about their
wrists. 1t was about thirty years ago that the
first linen cuff was made 1t was plain band
OF linen sewcd to the shirt sleeve and was fast.
tened by an ordinary porcelain button. It's use
grew rapidly in public favor. and in few years
there appeared i'm the market cuff buttOpino
separately to the wristband. There had been
still no provision made for the ornamental but
ton. but several years after cuff was made
having in one end the much-cOveted hole, and
from that day the success of the invention was
assured piece of white linen was good
thing, but piece of linen and a chunk of gold,
and the first sleeve buttons were coined Of that
precious metal. combining as they did utility
and beauty. comfort and elegance, at once found
their way INTO permanent popular notice.
THE CUFF OF TODAY.
The linen cuff Of to-day is as unlike that of
twenty years ago as Is man and the monkey.
There are now sold by the trade three classes of
cuffs. respectively made OF linen, percale and
cellulOid. The celIuod cuff VIII en- first 1t made
its appearance created a genuine furore; but
now it is worn as rule only by traveln. sales
men. who have to do their washing on the 1y.
and poor people in the summer time. The per-
Gale cur likewise once high i'm the estimation
OF the wealthy and the esthet!c has gone into
at least temporary oblivion although whole
sale 1obbers say they find ready sales for both the
percaie and cellu,oid cuffs In the extreme south
and west: The cuff which laps over aud buttons
at one end is now considered barbarious The
ultra fashionable kind is the cuff which is bound
together by link button. 1t should be at
tached to the shirt-sleeve by two delicate Sins
extensions from that Fart of the cuff which a
saiicr would call ''amidships.n One reason why
the percalc cuff went out Of fashion was because
they cost more than a good linen article and
were not nearly so decent in appearance. About
niteen years ago the paper cuff. likewise the
paper collar, were held up to the atmiring gaze
or consumers. Millions were manufactured and
IL was thought the deslderatum had at last been
found. but the paper cuff. like the percale. is
now only used in the south and in the extreme
west around Galveston and among the Black
Hills Nine-tenths of all the cuffs sold in this
country are manufactured in Troy. N. Y. Some
years ago great many were imported from
England Now none are brought across the
ocean On the other hand. American cuffs are
nndlng large sale in London and Paris
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TRADE.
Some idea of the Importance of the industry
may be given whenit isstated that over 500. OOo
pairs are sold annually in this city alone. Six
years ago cuffs We're made in two or three pieces.
and one style in particular was about nine
inches long and then doubled over to within a
half inch of the starting point All of the cuffs
OF to-day are what Is known as four-ply-that
Is. they are made OF four thcknesses of linen.
Win the lnternlngs of cotton. All linen cuffs
are but little worn. They cost from sixty to
seVehty-nve cents per pair. and have not half
the capacity for holding starch and keeDnp stiff
that the " a,iulterated' goods possess. There
are three general shapes i'm cuffs-s1uare cor
ners. round corners and chopped off corners
In New York and Boston the round corners are
fashionable, III Philadelphia the square corners
are ell the go. and iii Washington and Baltimore
one sees nothing but the chopped cuffs
in Chicago they like big cuff, as big as they
can get 1t. In New Orleans the bOn-tOn wear
dlninutive wrist bands. and out in the bound
less west they wear anything that happens to be
handy from dish rag to a pair of nippers. The
att. IL 'iic uii-pfeNaliIg style In some places
in Colorado and New Mexico. Then, again.
there are what is known as single and double
cnils The former are now but little worm and
never by fashionable people. Different denODi-
nations wear different kinds of cuffs. Quakers
want small single cuffs that lap over and button
at the end. Actors wear big cuffs and largely
patronize the gaudy percale with polka dots and
rainbow stripes, like bill posters 1t is permiss-
Idle to wear tight-fitting cuff in the winter,
although the present style favors a roomy one
that will come down cleverly over the wrist and
yet not stick in the coat sleeve. like fat man in
al alley. None but fOps wear their cuffs down
to their knuckles. The best distance Is from an
inch to a half an inch. To vary much from this
standard is to display excessive modesty or un-
becoming loudness dirty cuff is hing to be
washed and not talked about