Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-07-26
MAKING OVER 3 NAN
Handsome Figures Supplied to Order
Dealing in Fats"

formulating done here" read a
sign over a store. Within sat a little
stubby man, with small gray eyes, full
red beard, and an unctuous, fabby
face. Scattered around him on the
bench on which he sat and about the
floor were pieces of silk, satin, and
serge, bundles of horse-hair, and pack
ages of half-open cotton. The little
man was busily stitching a blue satin
quilted article that looked like a cush-
ion of a baby carriage.
Eyes, | am what tailors term form
ulator," he replied to a questioning
visitor, in thin, squeaky voice. THE
word is indicative of my trade, or rath-
er profession Ny occupation is truly
the latter, inasmuch rs it is an art. the
art of improving, embellishing, or mod
flying the masculine figure, as the case
demands. Padding? Yes, some might
term it that. Didn't you know that
men pad, Ell? Why, bless your soul,
they have been doing it since the days
of Joseph.
1.-The man I call patron is a creature
of dissatisfaction. Nothing about his
own personality or makeup contents
him. He is essentially a being of OBJ
sergation. If he has a friend who is
short and fat, while he himself is tall
and thin, he forms the idea that he,
too, would like to be stumpy and adj
pose. A tailor can do little for him,
but we can. Liberal but discriminate
ing padding will make him corpulent,
and if his makeup is expertly perfect
ed it will give him the appearance of
being considerably shorter than when
in his normal state. His friends will
remark how well he is looking, ask
how he has grown SO fieshy, and the
artful deceiver will launch into such
dissertation of gastronomy that the
horse-hair appliances in his artificial
chest will shrivel up into a double bow
knot with surprise.
sfThese forms are not limited entire
~ to the trunk of the subject. The
calves, hips, and knees all come in for
benefit. You know that the knee of
a mans trousers in less than a month
after they are made become @barpy."
This necessitates any amount of run
ming to the tailor's and having the gar
ment pressed, if the wearer desires to
be well dressed. Although constant
bending of the knees is in part the
cause of this eyesore to men, the con-
struction of the member is the princi-
pal reason of such a state of things.
Now, look here,n and the little man
stretched one of his fat legs straight
out before him. ''Feel my knee; you
see the knee-cap sits like a hillock over
the points. Below it the limb swerves
in. Now, how are you going to make
trouser leg sit smoothly here without
catching? Can't say? Then I'll tell
you; use forms below and above the cap
and the trousers will fit like glove
and won't bag.
"You see the form being stitched to
the lining of the garment makes it stiff
and prevents the cloth straining. You
may have noticed that the cloth never
stretches at the knee-cap, but above
and below it. A little dressing about
the too-large calf and little doctoring
at this member itself is a valuable aid
to the fit of the leg easement
Flats are made of variety of ma
terials and worn in variety of ways.
Chest and spinal articles are made like
a sleeveless jacket of one continuous
piece of material. There is hole
AOA Iho Aoau aItu Iue SdIHsEut IL SIppeu
on by extending the arms upward and
perpendicularly and letting the article
fall on. Over the muscles of the chest
the garment is padded to any extent
desired. The small of the back is also
touched up as necessity dictates The
body of the article is of silk or chamois.
The chest pads in cold weather are al
ways worn next to the skin By this
arrangement the effect is natural and
consistent, and it is almost impossible,
even by feeling, to discover the arti-
ficiality of the padder's figure. Why,
there is no limit to our possibilities. A
good many of our business men wear
padded undergarments, not particularly
for the effect, but because the clothing
fits more comfortably"