The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-08-03
WHAT The TAILOR SEES.
PecuIiarities of Men Being Measured
For New Clothes.

out ones chest, just as there is a time
for everyt thing else" said the tailor
as he read out one of the measure
ments for the customers coat, while
the latter stood before him on the lit
tie pedestal.
Now you probably have no idea,
the tailor continued, as he stretched
/ the tape over the shoulder and down
under the armpit, what lot of trou-
bic is made for us by deceitful Gus
tomers-I mean those who, uncon-
sciously OF otherwise, seem to think
they must stand very erect to be fitted
properly. | am not telling you this
for your benefit, Mr.. Jones, as you
are always most natural in your stand
ing.7
Jones smiles, and the tailor notes
that Mr.. Jones figure straightens a
little.
"You see," continued the measurer,
''the customer is not always frank
with us, any more than the patient is
always frank with telling physi.
clan about himself. There are oppor-
tunities for deception in both cases.
For instance, it very often occurs that
a man with sloping shoulders comes
up to be measured, and instead of al
lowing us to size him up as he really is.
he throws himself all out of position,
and there is the deuce to pay generally
when it comes around trying on the
garment, for he cannot always strike
the same position twice, much less
keep it. Some men would no more
admit that their shoulders needed
raising or lifting as we say, than
they would be ready to confess that
their calves needed little reinforce
ment Imagine what we occasionally
get from a new customer-and it is
incidentally true that these deceivers
are the ones who do the most shifting
from one tailor to another as a result
of this lack of personal frankness!
They are the ones who seldom get suit
ed anywhere.
"Of course, there is an opportunity
Of using tact with this sort as well as
in many other ways of our business. 1t,
of course, would never do in the world
for us to say to some men, Shall
not put a little in the shoulder, just
to fill it out bitY
ITO be sure, we can say, and with
perfect sincerity, that coats are being
cut this season to set squarely as pos
sible on the shoulder, but there are men
who won't stand for that sort of thing,
as they know what they want AT
any rate they would have us believe
they know, and it is a temptation to
give a man what he wants, even if
one realizes there may be loss of bust
ness on account of it in the long run.
But it is not always loss of business,
for there are kinds of customers that
are almost perpetually loss-in wear
and tear on our nerves, if not in actual
work. Tailors have nerves, by the
way, although they are not sometimes
given credit for having any.
st is the best all round method to
give the man what we think he wants,
or, at least, what we think he should
have, taking down all the while with
the nod of respectful and obedient
understanding all that he prescribes
for himself. That's a confession, sir,
but one has to meet the grand bluff
with the same brand once in awhile.
"This man who throws out his chest
comes in many different species. One
may owe us trifle too much to be eX-
actly on the level, and his financial dig
nifty comes to the surface, something
by way of very ready help in time of
present trouble He doesn't want us
to assume any undue pressure and he
needs some clothes. We can tell him
as soon as he heaves in sight. But we
respect him by comparison with the
vainglorious ones who twist them
selves out of shape. We get the first
of the trouble when he is on the stand,
and it shows up when he tries on the
coat. When up before the three sided
reflector he usually expands the limit,
and the cutter may have to tell him to
stand perfectly natural, please After
doing the best we can, and the coat is
all made up, he will find something
wrong, or perhaps, it may not crop out
until his wife sees him as he is. There
are so many parts that show poor fit.
The shoulders may sag, the back
wrinkle and, worse than all things else,
the collar may sag down. The collar
obviously may set in perfect position
when he has his chest out and his head
erect, and when he falls into his Gus
tomary lag or stoop the thing doesn't
hang snug-and he is back upon us
with grievances. Boston Herald