The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-06-11
HAS FINE FEATHERS
The Wonderful Outfit Of the First
Gentleman Of Europe.
Albert OF Wales and His Numerous Cnl.
forms q Regular Gold Mine to
Tailors-Gsudy and Ex.
pensiv0 Attire.

In chatty article on the prince OF
Wales and his clothes, a writer in Cas-
sells Saturday Journal says: As a
in Europe" does spend a great deal of
money with his tailors. 1t should be
remembered, nevertheless, that much
of this is for uniforms. The prince is
popularity supposed to possess seventy
military uniforu1$and this total is
about accurate.
When we remember that a cavalry
outfit may cost about ESQ, as a low es-
innate, and that subalterns entering a
line regiment rarely begin with a lower
disbursement than ESQ or $50, the
amount that the princes uniforms have
cost him is easily to be gagged.
The prince, of course, possesses, for
the most part. colonels uniforms, but
as field marshal he is compelled often
to renew the terribly expensive outfit
suited to that rank; and it is in this fine
tunic that he appears at most military
ceremonials, and at royal weddings, or
other great occasions of state. In adj
dition he possesses many naval uni
forms and the dress of a large number
Of German, Russian and Austrian regi-
mentS-
Putting aside the question of uni
forms, upon which his royal highness
cannot spend less than three or four
hundred pounds year, we come to his
ordinary dress. It is admitted univer-
sally that very few men in town manage
things with more taste, or have quick
ler eye for good cloth. There are
youths, no doubt, whose tailors' bills
are far larger than the princes, for he
is by no means extravagant, although
exceedingly particular about his
CLOTHES.
Nor does he, says the writer, pay alb
surdly fancy prices, as many people
suppose, being charged at the usual
rate of a west end house. This means
that frocl coat may cost him twelve
lguineas, which most people would re-
gard as very fancy" indeed; a dress
suit somewhere about fifteen, trousers
four guineas, and an ordinary ditto"
suit from eight to ten guineas.
When in town the frock coat Is in
ivariably worn by the prince. No
doubt, during the London season. he
consumes a large number of these ar
ticles-perhaps two a month, of which
one will be light gray one.
And it is a habit of his never to wear
coat two seasons running, even if it
has only been used two or three times
by him. As he is in town perhaps six
months in the year, his total of
''froclSs" may be set down roughly at
twelve.
In dress suits he is supposed to be
particularly extravaganza; but this is
not really the case. Any man about
town has five or six dress suits a year.
The prince may have dozen, but the
story told in a contemporary recently
that he had one q week is pure nom
sense.
When the prince is going to Newman
ket he often wears a ditto suit
with light covert coat over it. In
ditto" suits, perhaps, his total would
astonish the humble man who pays his
tailor thirty pounds year and consid-
ers that heavy.
II is certain that he never wears one
of these suits more than two or three
times, and his stock of them is tremen-
dous. OF shooting suits for the autumn
he has an immense variety, using diff
ferent style of dress for battue work to
that adopted for ordinary work with
the dogs. Here alone for country dress
he can scarcely spend less than hun
dred pounds year.
At Sandringham there is hat room,
with a man whose chief duty it is to
keep the princes titles in high con-
dition of polish. In the same palace a
number of vast wardrobes contain the
bulk of the uniforms and clothes which
are not IN regular use.
Those large scarfs which are now
worn with frock coat often cost half
q guinea. There are scores Of up-to-
date youths who have fifty pairs of
gloves per annum; three dozen shirts
would be regarded as an absolute mini
mum. So far as the prince is concerned
he never wears pair of gloves twice,
and in this, and in the matter of boots,
he is unquestionably the best dressed
man in the kingdom.