Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-02-05

changes
season If he will have the ample
bags" eliminated from his trousers
it will be about the only thing he
must do to make his stock OF suits up
to date. According to the dealers,
most of the new styles in what men
are to wear haze been fixed already,
and by the Gof next month the re-
tailers eitL.-<Will have their goods on
hand or at least will know exactly
what they are going to put on show.
Makers of neckties are turning out
great numbers of flowing four-in-hands
to take the place "f small, stringy
knots of 1902. The little knot must
as were worn years ago. Bows, it is
announced will be even less popular
than last year, and AscOts are to be
regarded as unfit for use except with
frock coat. In regard to color, ties
are going to be quieter, solid tints TAX
ing precedence over fancy combina-
tions. Full dress ties hOuld be ribbed
bows, rather smooth ones, and the
widths are to be considerably in
creased over what they have been in
the fall and winter.
In Warm-Weather shirts solid cOlOrs
are to prevail largely, and most OF the
fancy shirts that remain on the mar
ket will be distinguished by stripes.
Polka dots and other fancy designs
are being tabooed by the dealers. The
prevailing solid color, they say, is to
be blue Of different shades, the striped
species being confined almost entirely
to combinations of white with blue,
brown. or black. Red, even in small
quantities, is declared to be growing
more unpopular each year. The mold
of the shirt will be tight fitting, as it
has been for several years, and fewer
cuffless shirts than ever are being laid
in at the stores. The attached cuffs,
following the cue of last season, will
be very narrow, and the proper sort
of cuff button is plain gold one, with
neither engraving nor jewel.
Only a few years ago. said a we'll
known furnisher the other day, 1T
was stylish for men to wear extremely
fancy cuff buttons, twice or three
times as large as those used today.
Every year there has been an increas-
ed tendency to seek simplicity, and
the most popular button we sell now is
one with each of the two links in the
shape of thin gold oval
The same dealer commented on the
the contrast of style changes in under
wear as compared with the changes in
outside clothing. 1t seems that while
articles for exterior dress have been
simpler and simpler each year, mems
underclothing has grown proportion
ately more gaudy. The stocks ordered
for the coming spring are variegated,
even dazzling. But the dealer will
tell you that most of the men who buy
fine things for show pay little atten-
tlCn to either the color or quality Of
what does not show.
"A majority of the well-dressed men
who come into this store" said the fur
nisher. spend money lavishly on out
side dress, and then go away to seek
whatever else they need in some de-
partment store where they get it
cheaply and without frills. l have
business in several large cities, and
notice that New York men do that
more than those of other cities. Those
of my customers who do buy eXpen-
sive underwear pick out the lCudest
colors they can find, no matter how
quietly they dress as far as their out
side clothes are concerned
Mems hosiery, coming under the
classification of visible wearing APP
parel because of the fact that it shows
itself occasionally, follows the rules of
the exterior rather than those of the
undertaking. Socks of many cOlOrs
are to be retired to a great extent this
spring. Solid black ones are most in
demand. Next to them are the gray.
The striped varieties will be very
modest. and the bright red or yellow
or green specimens of the past years
are said to be out of the race. at least
temporarily.
Belts, in which there has generally
been more latitude of selection than
in almost any of the appurtenances of
spring clothing, will be narrow this
wear An inch or an inch and quar-
ter will be the proper width, and few
dealers are ordering many broad
ones. Black is to be the prevailing
color, but by no means fiXedly obliga-
tory.
The average man who has kept his
eyes open does not have to be told that
the turned down collar has come to
stay Except for use with a Tuxedo
coat. in which case there is a gradual
disappearance of the turned down, the
dealers have little trade in high neck
wear these days. This is the case
even in winter, and in any large store
they will tell you they do not have
two calls day for high collars for
street wear. AS the spring comes
on, the number of men who want
standing collars decreases. The turn
downs get lower" to use the trade ex-
preston, every year.
If you try to corner a fashionable
furrisher on questions Of style, how
ever much his oyer-accuracy may in
press you at first, you will be surpris-
ed to hear him hedging One of them
confesses this much when he was
asked too many questions last week:
Il have two customers, both of them
considered exceptionally well dressed
men, and one of them wears dress
shirt with tucks down the front, while
the other snorts with disgust if you
dare to show him a tucked one"
The tailors. in preparing for their
cnripg cuts are planning to make their