St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-29
WHERE TO PUT POCKETS.
Napoleon the Great Used Those OF
His AideS-de-Camp, .Ila

His Aides-de-Camp. .a1a
London Telegraph. fsfs
The present pocket, both for ladies
and gentlemen, is an extremely difficult
feature to make thoroughly we'll, both
i'll dressmaking and in tailoring. There
is q story of an English couturiere who
thought that she had all but perfected
herself in the art of dressu1aking. but
who took a journey to Paris in order
to go through tlnal course of instruc-
ton in the atelier of celebrated
robe artlste. She paid a handsome fee
for a years instruction, and. after sign
ing articles, she was put to what seemed
to her the frivolous task of inserting q
pocket in a dress. When she had fin
ished her task madame" shook her
head with kindly gravity, and told her
pocket-making had yet to be learned.
1t is fact that the devoted student was
kept for six whole months toillng at
pockets; at the expiration of that
period she was permitted to try her
hand at sleeves; and she returned to
England Sadder but wiser SeamStreSS,
destined, however, it is to be hoped, to
blossom into a court dressmaker of the
grandest type.
AS with ladies' pockets so is it in de-
gree with those of gentlemen. Man.
kind desires its trouser pockets, its coat
and Overcoat and vest pockets, to be
conveniently placed, easy of access, and
not given to getting unsewn., To be
perfect, they should be entirely unob-
trusiye. Emperor Alexander [. of Rus
sia. when he was in Paris, was DESTROYS
of having his neither garments made by
a famous "culottier' who had supplied
Napoleon with his buckskins. "But
the pockets?" said the emperor, when
the tailor had finished measuring him.
81 am sure" replied the "culottier,"
''thaI | should not know where to put
pockets unless | cut them in your mai
esty's flesh" The car was more
amused than angcred by the explana-
ton. "But the other one. Napoleon"
he pursued, "what did he do for
breeches pockets?' His aids-dc-camp
were his pockets" replied with quiet
dignity the small-clothes artist.
Later breeches makers may have
thought out some means of maintaining
symmetry while providing pockets in
buckskins or cords; but, speaking
broadly, the re sources OF the tailor ara
taxed to the very utmost in designing
pockets which shall hold what gentle
man requires without pushing them
selves into Objectionable prominen ce.
There are great many things that we
are bound to md room for III our pock-
cts. Happily we are absolved fiom the
necessity of carrying rcvolvcrs beneath
our garments, but it frequently happens
that small silver flask. holding some
form of alcohol, occupies modest place
in travellers pocket. and of course he
must have due rcceptGcles Tor his cigar
case. his keys. his handler chief and.
if he be we'll stricken in the vale OF
years. his spectacles. 1t is only the en-
tirely competent and experienced
coat artist who knows how these pock-
cts shall be placed. an,l what shall be
their exact breadth and 4spih. Thus,
to the practiced sartcrial eye q breast
pocket may really appear Ridiculous"
it may be the eighth of an inch .oo high,
too low, too narrow, or too b:oad. 1t
may be '.too straight in the .o.epart."
or Just hair s-hreadth too much askew
for symmetry or for coIlfcfL; bet it is
pity that the estimable artists in coats
cannot settle their estimable little diff
ference without bringing the refine
menls of their craft into the law courts.