The San Francisco call., 1906-09-02

. Ine moQerns eye, ldSnlon
plate OF the gentleman Of half
a century ago appears, so
far as color is concerned,
like a circular issued by the Con-
stsntinople police. aimed to locate
a refugee. from kiosk in ashes.
The gentleman of that period was
sleek. laced and fridescent; irresisti-
bic 70 the hoop-skfrted lady of his
time, but withsl an animated kaleido-
scope whose raiment would have de-
lighted a Siwash brave. Curve-gen-
tie. undulating and seductive-were
his aim. save for the hat. tall, black
and straight, not unlike a chimney
amid the debris. With a coat of
brown, a purple waistcoat and French
blue trousers. so tight they set TO his
muscles like a ballet dancers tights.
the gentleman Of this old day minced
his way TO success or ruin as the fates
decreed. Thus handicapped-from a
modern viewpoint went through
life, to- work. to fight, TO make love
and then-to die. Strong men and the
weak thus garbed tllemselves-it was
fashions decree.
Today the ge0tleBan of half cen
tury ago would be called a freak, and.
in truth, freak he was. All Of this
goes to show that say what we may.
the tanning OF male attire has been ac-
complished and the periodical appear
ance Of some fop the plaid OF whose
walking or outing suit is outlined in
squares Of green or red and the noise
OF whose yellow tie sounds to the
clouds only marks the momentary glow
Of the embers of the hfties, or farther
back, that neither time nor sta
ton can fan again to fame An effort.
in the not-so-long- ago of the short and
fat King Edward TO popularize colors
was sc frigidfy received by. those usu-
ally willing to rub. their noses in the
dust trod. upon by his royal boots that
its quietus was more sudden than its
birth.
In keeping with his reputation as a
deep thinker on such ponderoas sub
jects as style, King Edward, aware
that he alone woald have the right to
drape his poraly form IN royal purple.
conceived the idea that. were colors
again in vogue. he would be assured
greater attention. resplendent in tho
imperial hue. than now falls to his lot.
when. garbed in conventional evening
dress. eclipse often comes to him be-
hind q bigger man But those moro
favored by. The gods in height and
Drawn rebclled. and. quaniag before
the clash Of pink-tea spoons that
sounded the coming Of social revolu-
tion. the King bowed before the viii
Of his subjects and colors in male at
tire stilI sleep in history.
But to resDral again TO the styles OK
the middle Of the last century. Many
Of them represented such terrific COM
binstionE o. color and shape that the
candy % to-day IS as though draped in
sackcloth ard ashes. Where lives the
man with sufficient nerve to pick his
way through the bricks along Market
street withs his legs squeezed into a
pair Of tropsers woven in two colors.
dark shade to the knees and above
that sloping over well-padded hips. a
lighter cOlorP How would the be-
gI--nec laborers among the ruins re-
ceive a man whose trousers were
light Grab.s tighter than womans
SnCe. a4OlE the SlOe OF NIllcnf ran a
band Of .cOloged braid four inches wide2
He would be looked upon as q deserter
from the proud naxy1of Honduras, and
treated accordin aly.
And accompanying these trousers
were coats as fearfuiiy and wonder
fully wrought At times the shoulders
slope&sn san exaggerated manner. max
ing chests 50 narrow that the country
seemed TO be victim OF an epidemic of
tuberculosisg and a season later shoui-
ders woU1d he braccd with platforms
Of canvas and chests so we'll padded
that every man seemed able to throw
piano block. At one period the
sleeves were SO close fitting that the
hand would be chafed pushing il
through; At another they were loose
and flowing at the hand, and at an
other loose AT the elbow and gripped
like a wise an the hand and shoulder
And the vests-creations on which
colors riOted. The style of cut was
very long, sharply cut away at the bot
tom and the material of patterns that
shouted their approach Frock coats
were tight fitting and so literally
padded on breasts and hips that even