Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-08-02
MAN IN SHIRT WAIST
THAT WILL BE SPECTACLE AN
OTHER SEASON.
so THE DEALERS DECLARE
New Garment Takes the Place Of Coat
and Vest and is so Cool as to be
Certain of Great Popularity
Has Come to Stay With the Boys
During the Warm Weather.

Shirt waists for men, garments
which will permit men to walk the
streets without being encased in coats
and vests, which will command the
respect of all and appeal directly. TO
the millions of sweltering individuals
who have CRASHED their teeth and Wept
because of fashions decree that com
pels them to appear in coat, no mat
ter what the temperature, everywhere
except in bed-such garment, such
boon to the suffering muscullnity,
such Knockout blow for the coat
makers, is to be tried On in Minneapo-
lis.
The masculine shirt waist struck
Gotham several weeks ago, not all OF
a heap, but in spots. Young men in
troduced the fashion by dropping into
the city from Newport attired N
soft white shirt, sans starched bosom,
sans suspenders, sans big, clumsy cuffs,
sans opening IN the back, but not sans
tails. The tail of the shirt remains,
but the remainder of the garment re
sembles closely the feminine shirt
waist. Of course, when worn by
man, it has very different appear
ance, the cut, shape and fit being al
together different but the fundamental
idea is the same in both.
A clothing salesman for a New York
firm, displayed two of the new tangled
shirt waists at local hotel recently
They are patterned after those worn
by the seaside young men on their oc-
casional trips to town when they
they seem to think everything is per
Missile. The garments look like
ordinary negligee shirts, except that
the bosoms are pleated clear across the
front-not in an effeminate, dainty
style, but in a bold, substantial man
ner. as if to emphasize the difference,
so to speak. The waists are of one
color, without figures and the cuffs,
which are short and close to the wrists,
are not starched. There is a
pocket on the left side low down and
| to one side, so that the pleated front
retains it's beauty. There is really
| nothing very novel or striking about
| the AFFAIRS, except that they are
called shirt waists, instead of shirts"
mems shirt waists to be worn with
| out coats or vests. The new gar
| ments have come to stay it is affirmed,
and all the prejudice in the world
cannot keep men and boys in coats
and vests or a hot day after this sea-
son. But little Roadway has been made
in introducing the new wrinkles, be-
cause the idea did not get started
east until late, but next year, look
out for them.
Dozens of prominent New Workers
have sworn to discard their heavy
coats, and light coats, too, next season,
and give the waist makers chance to
see what they can do. The waists are
not expected to put the coat and vest
entirely out of business, but merely to
hang them on the hook during the hot
DAYS of summer In the evening, a
light coat, double breasted, and Of
some dark material, will be worn with
| the waists.
Many of the silk shirt fronts which
! have been noticed in show windows
| for two or three seasons back, give a
good idea of the new waists, which
are really not waists at all, but simply
a pleated, abbreviated shirt, Of one
color, preferably white or cream color.