Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-02-02
THE DUDE OF THE Present.
He !. Called 3T0p-Hafty" aid WeerS
Clothes That Are Very Re-
narkable.

THE rising generation OF clubmen Is
becoming in appearance particularly
top-hatty, a term that has even degree
more of meaning than that hackneyed
adjective SMART" writes the sartorial
crank "A top-hatty man has just
enough of sporty suggestiveness in his
makeup to give a tang TO his personal
appearance and to give him individ ual-
ity in a crowd without creating adverse
criticism. The young man who has ae-
quired the proper stooP when be walks
and has the proper apoplectic appear
ance about the face and neck IS top
hatty, but this new term in the vocabu-
larry of the macaroni Of the day is more
appropriately applied in a sartoriai
manner. For instance, the young
blood. to be really top-hatty, must have
a high turnover collar, the top edges of
which must meet in front The linen
must never glisten. He wears little
bow tie of unusual color and wide liar
ing ends. His sack coat is short and has
a fullness around the bottom that
makes the coat stand out from his hips
in q cute, effeminate way. BIS trousers
are very full about his hips and as he
walks the fullness of the seat is ex-
posed in a manner that is, l must say,
far from picturesque or artistic, but
nevertheless that peculiar baggy full
ness to the back of the trousers is real
top-hatty. His little dinky coat is IN
closed and furnishes a view of short
double-breasted waistcoat, with but
tons in the shape of a triangle. The
trousers are naturally long-waisted and
are gathered in tightly above the hips,
so that when the top-hatty man sits
his waistcoat wrinkles only in one deep
crease about in the region of the dia-
phragm. The waistcoat over his chest
remains full and rigid, especially full.
Now, this noticeable full-chestedness
of the macaronies of the day is rarely
natural, but is acquired in several ways,
naturally and unnaturally. Some men
resort to an unusually wide, deep and
heavy shirt front.
"Others resort TO the new masculine
stays that may be found at certain of
the advanced haberdashers and some
few resort to a method which is termed
'inhaling the abdomen or drawing it
| upward and thus swelling out the
chest. This operation narrows the
| waist, but expands the chest. It re-
quires much practice TO keep the alb
domen and the chest in this position.
Men inclined to superhuity of ab6o-
men find great difficulty in acquiring
| this necessary shape, and in cases
where the girth is greater than the
| chest measure he has to resort to the
method of building out his chest and
thus he acquires that charmingly
heroic appearance seen in many men
inclined to embonpoint. Clad in this
| armor the notwithstanding apoplec-
| tic knight becomes a decided sartorial
ornament. Two other necessary points
in the makeup of the top-hatty man
are his hat and his walk. With the abb
breviated coat and waistcoat goes q
small derby hat, low of crown and mar
row and rolling brim. The feature of
this hat is the tendency to settle lit
tie toward the left eye, just enough to
keep it within the realm of jauntiness.
"The accepted gait of the extreme
young man is peculiar combination of
| awkwardness and grace. He moves
| with his head and shoulders thrust for
ward and with his feet wide apart He
| appears TO be on the point of falling
| forward and endeavors to save himself
at each advancing step. position that
would be the quintessenre of awkward
ness but for the graceful and easy
swing that is given to the body and
arms. Of course, there are a few other
| finger points in the outfit of the top
/ hatty man, such as tiny turquoise
clasps TO hold down the band of the tie,
a jeweied watch chain, gray gazelle-skin
| gloves and buttons with the owners
initials on them."-N. Y. Commercial
| Advertiser