Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-09
A SWELL FOR s1eo A YEAR.
"A Well-Dressed Man Tells How He
Manages 1t for Little Money.

| IT COSTS SOME MEN MORE TO BE sLoUcHEs THAN
1T DOES OTHERS TO DE DUDEs-How TO TAKE
CARE OF CLOTHES, SO THEY WILL ALWAYS LOOK
TIDY-A LITTLE TINE AND LITTLE PAINS.
Smiffkins il the sort of man of whom every
one is accustomed to say: 'Whata well-dressed
fellow he is-always looks as if he had just
stepped out of bandbox; 1 wonder how he
manages it on his income?" For Smiffkins is
| department clerk at q, 200 year, or a little
less than s25 a week. and he has a young wife
to support How he succeeds in being a swell
at that rate without running into debt-and de-
partment clerks at $1,000 have not usually
large credits indeed a problem. However,
this is the explanation of it which a STAR re-
porter succeeded in eliciting from him in con-
versation day or two ago. Said he:
1T will surprise you to hear me assert that
the average man of very moderate means could
dress handsomely on the same amount of
money that he spends in being SLOUGH At
all events, with the expenditure of a very few
additional dollars for clothing, he might al
ways be well attired. What he needs is the
know how and the willingness to take pains.
Most men are i'll dressed through sheer iazi-
ness; they will not take the trouble to be other
wise. They will have best suit and get
themselves up for occasions. when they in
variabiy look dressed up because it Is not
their habit to be so; but during nine-tenths Of
their time they will be indifferently clad, and,
very likely, imperfectly shaved. The young
bachelor, as a rule, is exceedingly solicitous
about his apparel after 6 p. m. and on Sundays,
when he is apt to be on view before the young
female Of his species but he is too often ne
glectful of his person at other times. And
once married, he Immediately abandons all
concern regarding his toilet and lapses perma-
nently and hopelessly into the condition OF a
SLOUGH. How many married men do you know
who are habitually well dressed?"
THE PHILOSOPHY OF DRESS.
Precious few" admitted the newspaper
man.
Il should say so. And if you ask such q
SLOUGH why he doesn't pay more attention to
dress he will almost invariably tell you that he
has not the means to be swell, even if he had not
so many serious responsibilities in life of moro
importance than the decoration of his person.
The explanation sounds very plausible; but the
fact is that it takes only little more time to
dress oneself well than to dress oneself badly,
and means, as said before, are not needed if
a man knows how and will take the trouble. 1
don't know anything much better worth taking
pains about than dress up to a reasonable
point. 1t is source of happiness to the wearer
and of qualification to others; 1t makes man
more respected and is likely to help him in
business; it is the outward and visible express
sion of the inward and spiritual grace. l, my
self, have been obliged to make study of the
subject, because my income is so small that
must make every penny's worth OF expenditure
for clothing do its utmost But don't spend
any more money on what / wear than does
many a fellow Of my acquaintance who goes
around shabby and seedy."
Pray, how do you manage itF"
''rn tell you In the first place. let us con-
slider how much it costs to be a siouch. BY that
term i mean to designate the typical man of
10 rho hr,,, of
clothes year-he can scarcely get along with
iess-and wears them in such manner that
they never look new or nice, even when they
are fresh from the tailor. He pays Sl10, say,
for the two suits, and the boots, hats and haber-
dashery that he must have run up the cost of
sum he succeeds in being always i'll dressed. One
hundred and sixty dollars per annum is pre-
cisely the sum expend for my attire, including
every detail. Would you like to know how
do lt?''
Very much indeed"
Two suits year are all can afford, but
get them of n first-rate tailor, and inasmuch as
| always pay him cash down he is willing to
make me IN his best style a walking suit OF
black diagonal with trousers of different ma
terlal In delicate stripe for $50, and sack
suit of some pretty check with two pairs OF
pantaloons for $50. / make no variation in
the thickness of the stuff used from winter to
summer, because / wear the two suits in all
seasons; it Is much easier to make the under
clothing supply the difference in warmth that
Is requisite. The sack suit | buy new each
spring, and it serves me as business costume.
But do not wear the coat at my Office ever.
When l reach there l take it off at once, hand
it on nail and put on black silk coat, cost
50 for years wear, for the day. When l start
for home | assume the sack coat again. The
two pairs of trousers | wear alternately and so
they are made to last through with care. Tho
cutaway suit | wear when am out anywhere in
the evenings and on Sundays or when have
leisure for taking a walk abroad And here
comes the first important point. 1 never wear
either of my two good suits while at home save
when there are guests and at dinner: Upon re-
turning from a walk on Sunday, for instance, I
take off my coat and waistcoat without delay
and hang them up; the trousers | put away,
folded on the closet shelf as carefully as if they
were not to be used again for months. After
dinner, unless l am going out, go through the
same performance, never wearing my best
clothes in the house an unnecessary moment.
The suits of the year before, always in q good
state of preservation, are for home use. 1t is
really astonishing how long clothing will keep
its fresh and new look when treated in this
way"
''oUr, DAMNED SPOT"
But my clothes always get spots on Them"
THAT is something which should never be
permitted to happen; there is no good reason
or excuse for it. Care will prevent it. Grease
spots and good dressing are incompatible
There is a popular delusion, apparently, to the
effect that grease spots come out when sub
jected to proper treatment. As matter of fact
no real grease spot ever comes out of wooden
cloth. Get such a spot on the front of your
diagonal coat-a splash of gravy at dinner will
do it-and you can never eliminate it by any
means short Of burning up the garment You
may send the coat to the cleaners and have it
put through the dry process and the steam pro-
cess and it will come back looking like new
without visible stain. But the grease is still
there and as soon as it has had a chance to
catch little dust it becomes rs conspicuous as
ever. Therefore, realizing the indestructible
quality of the grease spot the man who would
dress well must, by being always on his guard
avoid such Affections. And they can be avoided
successfully. But so far / have only told you
how SIl3 out of my allowance for clothes of
$50 is spent Up to this point have only my
two suits of swell garments and my black silk
coat"
CARE OF THE CLOTHES.
"And you have only SAT left"
''That is all, but it is plenty. Three pairs of
nice-looking shoes, always perfectly BACKED, at
SIS pair, last me year; three hats-a silk a
derby and a straw-stand me in another SIS
My hats always look new. because take care
of them and never wear the silk one, for
instance, on a rainy day or otherwise than for
very best Shirts. underclothes, collars and