Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1895-09-05
KNICKER-
ROCKERS!
How Prominent Men May
Look When 1t Arrives.
SLENDR JOHN JACOB ASTOR
The Man With Thin Legs Op-
poses the Fashion.
SLENDR JOHN JACOB ASTOR
New York, Special

directions. There is bound to b. a COLI.
sion and those who claim to know saw tina,
knickerbockers will carry the day. Thin
legged ~masculinity may set up an awful
howl and hug its long pants with the
strength OF despair but it will have to
give in.
The athletic dude, the mar who can ey-
pose a tfteen-inch calf to the world, with.
out fear of whitening criticism, is doing al,
he can to hurry along the advent of the
knickerbockers. He wears them now in
the country all day long and only disca,ds
them when he dons evening clothes at
dinner time. But this doesn't satisfy him.
He wants to wear them in town when he
goes to business, and In the evening when
he returns home he wants to don an eve
ming suit with black satin knickerbockers.
The coming winter will see the advance
guard of The knickerbocker brigade accord
ing to a Fifth avenue tailor who il in a
position to know the condition of the
swaggar mind on the subject of clothing.
All that the rank and file is waiting for, is
for some recognized leader the initiatory
step. and then the change will have been
made almost In a night. Should the
Prince OF Tales take the step all swagger-
dom in both continents would Immediately
DO the same and in time the rest of the
world would clOthe itself according to the
dictates OF fashion.
In view OF this impending revolution it
becomes a matter of interest to look ahead
a year or 40 and picture how our great men
will looked CARRIED in the knickerbocker.
HOW MIR, CLEVELAND NAY LOOK.
There is Grover Cleveland for instance,
a man who pays deep attention to the con-
~yentionalities. If the change OF time
forces the knickerbOcker into the list of
conyenientionalities. Mr.. Cleveland will
surely be found In some dignitied style Of
small clothes. What would he wear?
There are more styles of knickerbockers
than there are in pantaloon suits but the
forme are so be-ribboned and fancified that
a quiet, sedate man like Mr.. Cleveland
may have considerable trouble in selecting
a hefitting style.
Mr.. Cleveland would first try and dis
cover something which would include a
VI IAIS bShoNVa 4ibth Nhdt- IL tC
looked over all the fashion plates showing
costumes back for several centuries the
best that he could find would be that worn
by the ~''lncroyables" Of just 100 years ago.
The Incroyables wore a double-hreasted
coat which almost reached to the knees;
skin-tight fitting breaches reaching to the
ankle and boots as high as the calf of the
leg. They wore ponderous stocks. and a
wide brimmed felt hat with a crown,
shaped somewhat like our silk hat.
Bunches Of gay ribbons were fastened at
the knee but these could be dispensed with.
In fact a very sensible modification of this
suit could be effected. Instead of the long
skin-tight breeches, loose knickerbOckers,
stockings and ordinary shoes could be
worn.
WHAT WILL PFRFFER DO?
Political men Of the Pfeffer stamp may
find it difficult to adopt the knickerbocker
costume to their ideas, but there Is some
hope for them in the citizenized edition OF
the Continental army uniform. It Is plain,
buisnesslike and matter-of-fact with few
frills and able to stand lots OF wear and
tear. OF course the three-conered hat and
queue would be dispensed with and 1t is
something Of a question to figure out, how
long flowing whiskers might disturb the
general effect.
The Continentals wore long coats the
skirts of which could be turned aside in
front and fastened at the back. Heavy
CATERS reaching to the knee were worn,
and this fashion can be revived for the
benefit of t~hin-legged men. The knicker-
buckers worn by tho Continentals were
snug fitting and the waistcOat was . trife
49, r,~., In hs,o ror u,oNnrn nan
Mr.. DKPEw's WORKING SUIT.
1t will be worth going q long way TO see
the Hon. Chsuncey n. Depew going to his
duties ct the Grand Central depot In the
work-a-day suit which the swell tatlors say
will soon be worn. This suit is purely .
modern affair and has nothing whatever
to do with the fashion OF long ago. II is
simply an offspring Of the bicycle and
rolf. What Is more Il IL eminently sensi.
Die, businesslike and comfortable.
An ordinary coat end vest Is worn, the
most suitable cost being the double breasted
affair. Loosely fitting Invertebrates
trousers tightly strapped In at the knes
with heavy solf stockings and ordinary
walking shoes complete the OUTFIT A man
in this dress will hardly attract any atten-
ton these days, by reason OF It's close re-
S0mOl0OC6 70 ulo oCC0psOu OsCyOAO SCDs~A
These stockings are now made thick
heavy which, together with the overlap q
the top, make pipe-stem legs appear OF
passable dimenti0ns.
The best stockings are those knitted BY
the Scotch peasant although the colors are
inclined to be ~extravagant The feet are
thin but from the ankle there Is an IN
creasing thickness. They are quite expen-
siye costing as high IS IS . pair. Inc
feature of the knickerbockers IL the deep
band lust below the knee. The band 10
made OF leather or canyas usually the
latter and 10 fastened with buttons which
require the aid Of . ~butt0nhook before the
.enas can be Joined. In rainy o. stormy
weather canva lcggings worn from tno
knee down will form . better protect.on
than the longpantiloons which 30 quickly
become water-s0aked.
JOY or THE swAGGER MAN.
The society man who loves to adorn MINI
self will have . limitless scope for ms POI
enjoyment whom the knickerbocker era i