The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-29
SHIRT WAIST MAN" Is HERE
FOUND DOWNTOWN CHIEFLY AND
HE ISN.T EFFEMINATE.

ness Di$triCt feOpit Ahke hhau ~
Of Co~urse-incidsats u the Experiment
The man with the nerve to 60 about his bust
ness In a nsgligs shirt, leaving his coat and
waistooat at home. has appeared In New YORK.
He looks genuinely comfortable. New YORK
has been a little behind in this matter OF nesllge
shirts. For u long time II has been the proper
thing TO wear them without the coat. AZ GER
tain summer ~resorts. where merciful women
have consented to forget conventionaliies
and allow tho men 20 go about thus attired. Al
these places. II Is said, the concession OF the
women has worked wonders with the men,
Never, say the women. have men been 80 con-
sistently good tempered and so willing to do
as they're told as since they have been allowed
to leave Of their coats. It's the old story OF
keeping the brute man comfortable and you
can get anything you want out OF him.
And 80 the "shirt-waist man" has become an
| accepted fact at some summer resorts. They
call him the "sAirt-waistm man., but that Is a
misnomer. lie Is no more the shirt-waist man
than the man who wears his coat over his negliae
shirt. lie wears the same old style OF neglige
shirt that has been worn by men In the summer
| for a long time. the only addition OF the present
year to the style being q succession OF pleats
down the front, which doesn't add any To the
| style Of beauty Of the garment and does detract
from It's comfort. As a matter OF fact the
| plain neglige shirt, with soft bosom and cutfs
attached. Is the most attractive garment yet
| worn by the men who are beginning TO leave
| of their coats In the street.
There are some summer resorts where the
s%hirt-waist man Is 5trictly out OF II. where the
man who comes around in a neglige shirt without
his coat is mo gentleman" but even these
| places will have to yield In time II there IL any
thing in signs. The neelige shirt worn without
| the coat Is about the most comfortable thing
that the summer mar has yet found. and now
that 1t has become established it Is a pretty safe
PREDICTION that II will not give up its grip with
out a fight. SO much for the summer resort.
1t is In the city that the strongest sig MS OF the
perpetuity Of the shirt-w aist man are to be
found. You can commit a great many crimes
In the dressing line at a summer resort with
out subje?ting yourself to more than passing
criticism. Flannel aud dusk trousers and
knee brooches were worn at summer resorts
long before any one venturesome enough to
sally forth to business In them could be found
In the city. But the shirt-waist man in the
city Is about only two weeks behind the shirt
waist man at the seashore and in the noun
tains. He isn't to be found everywhere, OF
course. and one mustn't think that every ono
he sees ~coatless and wearing q neglige shirt Is
the real thing In a shirt-waist man. II that
was the criterion. shirt-w aist men would be
found driving coal carts and ash wagons. and
they would also be found In the corps employed
by the city and directed by Mr.. Nagle. In
fact, shirt-wGist men would be found every
where and there wouldn't be anything odd
about th1 now style.
The shirt waist man belongs In a class by
himself. You cannot find him everywhere.
but before the summer is over he probably
will have spread himself out over quite q bit
OF territory and II would not be surprising II
he was found even in Brooklyn and Harlem.
The best examples of the new creature are to
be found down in the financial district.
Down in Wall and Broad streets there are
shirt-waist men galore in the middle Of the
day. They go to luncheon that way. they at
tend to business that way and they go home
on the surface and elevated trains that way.
Some rude people stare at them, but they are
Indifferent TO that. because it really ought to
men,. young and old. merry and dignined
walking and riding around town and dining
at hiKn-priced restaurants in what the unin-
itiated would call. their shirt sleeves" There
IL one restaurant downtown in the centre OF
the Wall Street district which il patronized
by many bankers and brokers, and during the
AlAltc VI loul NV ~ llN Ntta NV blllIk
room was dotted with men In neglige shirt
and minus their coats. In the women's res
%tanrant, which Is supposed TO be very. exclu.
the rules OF dress make a man Ineligible. the
shirt-walst man is de r,gueur.
To call a man a Shirley waist man" scent
to convey an impression OF efeminacy. IL
Boston. whore the shirt-waist man IS lncreaslrs
with great rapidly. and in Philadelphia
whore he Ia struggling along toward %recogni-
ton, the printed accounts OF him are more oil
less OF "A guylQ0 nature. lie Is held I'm as aY
object OF ridicule and Is accused of being Z
Miss Nancy Maybe that's what, he Is in Bos
ton and philadelphia. IL isn't what he Ia here
in New York. On tho contrary. he is the youns
man Of muscle and parts in the metropolis
and II you don't believe 1t go downtown soms
day, and laugh at him. lie is the young man o.
years and experience. As a matter Of fact
Il isn't entirely a matter OF style here at ali
p rs 1s mG Ssv q m fonnd an e eseuse for = t gfe@ eom mismy
they have crayed for years In what some folk
In other cities have chosen to make a fashion.
There were as many as a dozen young mer
StSs1 night Oh a fTHaS sy att rn a a Il Iit' 'R'' a% f1ty %;
at at , fiTs5; a SSi e s' + 5a sTsI1S z Re sa1 o fsrs soys to , lSSI
a thought after that. They looked very nea
and comfortable and the absence of coats
didn't shock the uneducated eye over much
way there is also a sprinkling q shirt wais
men every night now. j was difficult at frs
for the BE- g roof ,. sSr Dc Be9p sIss s Hss the h,t Te 81 Sn1,,s,
they had to do It. The woman who object,
70. the new style because she does not know
II IL a new style, and regards u as an afhront Il
have q man without a coat dining near her, Il
put down as a plain Rube," along Broadway.
Having started in to educate tho public n
this matter Of comfort the shirt-wniSt man !.
not going to. be discouraged by any little set
back. His idea seems to be TO secure rs many
converts to his cause as possible The shir,
waist man was rev 10 the proprietor Of one ri
the Oldest and beat known hotels in tho lovel
part OF the CITY, and accordingly when one Of
them walked into the restaurant OF the hote
the other day about noon time the head walter
descended upon him ut once,
we cannot serve you here" said tho walter
with a bow and superficial politnness.
You can't serve me?" demanded the shirt
waist man. apparently very much surprised
why mott"
we simply cannot serve you, that "a all,
said the head walter.
The man appealed to the cashier, demanding
at ienst an explanation.
You ought to know" said the cashier frig.
Idly, that u decent rcstauran NJ Will not serve
a man who comes in In his shirt sleeves. Here
you rome in here with no coat on when the
restaurant Is full OF women and expect TO be
Won't eh2" said the man without a coat
the lines about the corners OF his mouth tight
ening. We'll see about that"
He went In search OF the proprietor, and when
he. found him told him mis- story; The pro-
prictOr said that the head waiter and the cashier
were right
but, my denr sir, my style Of dress IL 'us,
what men Of fashion are wearing at this time
y on only show your Ignorance Of what Is good
form and what Il not good form when Won
refuse TO serve me. | don't want TO make
threats. but unless | am served at once | will