The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-07-24

wear are sensible. A man needn't wear
1ewelry or expensive waistcoats or fan
ey shirts. Ii he does, he simply shows
that he is lacking in taste. The same
thing is true of women's dress. The
shlrt waist costume is simple and in
expensive, and yet it makes every wom-
an look like a blooming summer beauty.
why, If a woman were a queen she
couldn't devise any costume more beau.
tiful and appropriate"
Mr.. Sanford spoke with enthusiasm.
The trouble is" he said, shat peo
pie put too many ornaments on them
selves. A man with a tweed suit, a sim
gle watch chain and a plain bow neck
tie is a swell. But when he gets red
shoes with blue tops, striped trousers,
checked coat and vest, pink shirt, red
necktie and a white hat with a black
band around it, why, he's a monstrosity.
And, besides, his clothes cost him twice
what he should pay.
You know a hundred years ago the
people of wealth and position wore the
fancy costumes, and the poor people Of
the ervant class had to dress plainly.
How is it to-day? 1 board in a house
right across from a swell family out on
the South side. The other morning !
saw the girl come out. She wore q
sailor hat, a light shirt waist, a plain
belt, a cloth skirt and English walking
shoes. No frills, no ornaments of any
kind, understand, but she looked like
an empress. In a little while l saw the
maid servant come out, and, say, she
had a hat a foot high, with a bushel of
flowers on it, and more jewelry and
ribbons and truck than you could get
into a show window. It's the SANE
way with the men. A fellow who's
really swell hasn't any jewelry on him.
He carries a plain bamboo stick and a
pair of gloves, maybe, and the only
color in his makeup will be his cravat
or his hatband. Then you'll see some
race-track tout come along with a sill
Ter-headed cane, a speckled vest, a dia-
mond pin in a flannel shirt, four or five
loops of a watch chain with a big charm
on it, and a pair ofshoes that you would
use for cracking ice. Now, it wouldn't
cost that fellow half as much for clothes
If he would initiate the swell, but, you
see, he thinks he has to decorate him
self in order to impress people. 1 can
TAX nine-tenths of the men who are
walking the streets to-day in tailor
made clothes, lead them into a depart
ment store or a ready-made clothing
place and fit them out so that they'll
appear better dressed than they are
now. A man can't make himself well
dressed by paying large prices. It's all
in the selection of clothes and the avoid
ing of contrasts. For instance, a man
can wear a light soft hat if his suit is of
one uniform color, but if he has a light
of n shade, light pair of trousers
Of another shade and L fancy necktie
with both of these shades,
then the man is dressed like a jay. |
make it a rIle never to wear more than
one loud or fancy article. If a man has
n quiet hat and a subdued suit of clothes
he can wear a gay ~cravat, and it will
look all right. If he has a dark coat
and a dark pair of trousers he can wear
fancy vest, but if he changes to light
trousers then he looks like a bunko
man."
Mr.. Sanford was reminded by one of
awed listeners that the show win
1ows were full of the gayest and fan
riest patterns of shirts and cravats.
why are they put on the market if
not the real style?" he was
They are the style-if used in mod
eration," he replied. Nearly all of
styles in fancy shirts, cravats, golf
stockings and the like are borrowed
rom the English. These rainbow
are intended for outing wear.
\ man who goes boating or wheeling
'r who plays golf has a right to wear
.hese loud clothes. They are really uni
orms, the same as our baseball uni
orms. But the trouble is that about
lalf of the young men in Chicago have
bought these peacock shirts and cravats
nd are wearing them during business
The result is-well, you can
zee for yourself. They have come in
With an epidemic of loud hats and yell
ow shoes, and the whole effect is some
hing horrible"
Mr.. Sanford spoke with much ear
.-estness, and one of the listeners, who
.appened to be wearing a notified blue
tie against a BACKGROUND of
ed anu black shirt, turned up his coat
ollar and changed the topic of CONVEX
by asking the result of the ball
ame.-Chicago Record.