The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-07-28
PRINCE OF WALES'S DRESS.
Convenience Rather Than Setting the
Fashion Is His Chief Thought.

Fashion Is HIS chief thought.
The influence Of the Prince of Wales on
the dress of New York men who devote
especial thought to what they wear is
very much less than some persons have
supposed. It would come of course
through the London tailors who supply
clothes to New Workers, although even
by that means it would be difficult to
trace the vogue OF any particular fashion
to the heir to the English throne. This
is caused in large measure by the
different attitude of Englishmen toward
the fashions. There the craze for novelty
in mems styles is not developed to the
extent it is here. A new fashion may be
worn by well addressed men in London for
several years before it is put within the
reach of persons who pay very little for
their clothes. The situation is quite
different here. A style sent over from
London by the best tailor is likely to be
put on the market within the next two
months at prices which persons OF the
most moderate means are able to pay.
Tt is not probable that English tailors
would declare garment the style merely
because the Prince OF Wales had worn it.
His taste is more likely to be regulated
by convenience than by any desire to be
a pioneer in fashions. What he wears
is usually the result of his conclusion
that such garment would be more COM
Portable for stout mlddle-aged man
than any other kind. The new single
breasted frock coat is said to be the result
of his Royal Highness s unWillingness to
have any more thlcknesSeS of cloth than
absolutely necessary over his stomach in
the warm weather. His Discrimination to
pose as an extremist In styles was shown
by remark made to tailor who dresses
the Duke of York. This tailor was fit
ting the Duke one day and the son urged
his father to give his tailor a chance
The tailor also murmured his claims OBJ
sequiously.
NO. was the answer of the Prince.
50 YOU'RE all right for the young man,
but you're too smart for an old man like
me-"
Some of the peculiarities of the Prince S
dressing have been copied, although they
were solely the result of his physical pro-
portions. Most sJriking of these is the
fashion OF leaving open the last button of
the WaistcOat. Now most London ia lors
arrange this button so that it cannot be
closed. This came originally from the
Prince difficulty in but6On1ng a waist
been more generally adopted than any
other innovation in dress attributed to
this exalted source during recent years.
Despite few valiant pioneers the fashion
of wearing a silk hat with a sack coat
could never be made popular here.
Turned up trousers in all weather have
been an accepted Vagary Of fashion for
the past three years and the habit is said
to have originated in the greater comfort
that comes from wearing long trousers
turned up, rather than those of the ex-
act length, which would necessarily have
to be held tightly by suspenders. The
Austrian hats worn IN the TyrOl and in
all parts OF the country by gentlemen
there. gained no vogue here because the
Prince of wales, when at Marienbad was
photographed wearing one Of them and
an attempt was made through that fact to
boom them here. Men who knew their
use recognized their appropriateness to
this country, while others were not at
tracted by the combination of a green hat
and pheasant's wing. On the other
hand, the soft gray haas, described vari-
ously as HON bOurg, Fedora or Alpine
owe their Ortinnued popularity here too
the fact that the Prince of Wales prompt
ly adopted the new style. That was an
other case in which his personal comfort
was again ths motive that led him to
take to a new style.
The single breasted frock coat Will in
all probability have to be added to the
list of those fashions which could not be
made popular, even through the Prince
patronage. There may be need of such a
garment in London, where the hot
weather extends well into the summer
months and full dress is required in a
temperature that makes the prospect OF
wearing a frOck coat seem torture The
additional lightness gained by dispensing
with one layer of cloth is not to be de-
spised by a fat man who has to wear a
frOck coat on July afternoon. Here
the frOck coat as q social necessity does
not exist after the first of June. Even
at weddings, a short coat is permissible
after that time. At such places as Bar
Harbor and Newport the tenn erature is
usually suited to the garment whenever
1t is needed and that is not often.
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