, 1888-02-03
MAKING A MAN OVER.
A "Eormulator'' Givep Away Some OF
tho Secrets of His Art.

tho Secrets of His Art.
Formulating lone here" read a sign
on Ono Hundred and Twenty-fifth street
over q store. A reporter who was igno-
rant of the meaning ventured in to ask.
lie went into a close, dark apartment on
the second floor of the building, and as
he entered he heard the remark: eff they
were not as vain as women 1 wouldn't
be hero today" The speaker was a little,
stubby man, with small, gray eyes, full,
red beard and IN u%nctuous, flabby face.
Scattered around him on the bench on
which he sat and about tho floor were
pieces of silk, satin and serge, bundles of
horse hair and packages of half open
cotton. The little man was busily stitch
ing a blue satin quilted article that looked
like u cushion of a baby carriage.
Eyes, l am what tailors term a formu-
%lator," he continued, in a thin, squeaky
voice. ''T"e word is indicative of my
trade, or rather profession. My occupa-
ton is truly the latter, inasmuch as it is
IN art-the art of improving, embellish-
ing or modifying 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 nave
beer doing it since the day of Joseph.
There il n trite saying among our craft
that his coat of many colors' was made
by q formulator.
II speaker separated n thread with q
finger nail close to the garment. Then
he held the pad toward the light, scruti-
nizing it critically, seized his tape line
and began measuring the garment, re-
ferring constantly to a small piece of pa
per with the measurements on it.
THE man 1 refer to is q creature of
dissatisfaction. Nothing about his own
personality or make up contents him.
He is essentially a being of observation.
If he has n friend who is short and fat,
whi!o he himself is tall and thin, he
forms tho idea that he, too, would like
to be stumpy and adipose.
"a tailor can do little for him, but we
can. Liberal but discriminating padding
will make him corpulent, and if his make
up is expertly perfected 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 1eshy,
and the artful deceiver will launch into
such n dissertation of ~gastronomy that
the horse hair appliances in his artificial
III "hl piLINCl up III Il uOuDlS DoM
knot with surprise.
These forms are not limited entirely
to the trunk Of the subject. The calves,
hips and knees all come in for its benefit.
You know hat the knee of q mans
trousers i'll less than a month after they
are made become "baggy." This neces-
states any amount of running to the
tailor's and having the garment pressed,
if the wearer desires to be well dressed.
Although constant bending of the knee is
i'll part the cause OF this eyesore to men,
the construction of the member is the
principal reason of such n state of things.
Now look here" and the little man
stretched n of his fat legs straight out
before him. Feel my knee; you see
the knee cap sits like a hiNock over the
points. Below it the limb swerves in.
Now how are o going to make a trou-
scr leg sit smoothly here without catch
ing? Can't say? Then I'll tell you; use
forms below and above the cap, and the
trousers will fit like q 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
nay 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 n little doctoring at this
member itself is q valuable aid to the fiji
Of the leg easement.
"You can imagine how extensively
padding is carried on with professionals.
OF course, tho ballet is q whole collec-
ton of fats, but as it is composed more
or less of the fair sex, it Is not my prov
incc to comment on them in my talk
with you. But actors-tragis, comic and
melodramatic-nearly all pad.
Fats are made of q variety of ma
terials and worn in n variety of ways.
Chest INC spinal articles are made like n
sleeveless jacket of one continuous piece
of material. There is a hole for the head
and the garment is slipped on by extend
ing the arms upward and perpendicularly
n letting the article fall ON. Over the
muscles of the chest the garment is
padded to any extent desired. The small
of he back is also touched up as neces-
sity dictates. The body of the article is
of silk or channels. The chest pads in
cold weather are always 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 artificiality 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. New York Star.