Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-03
THE PARIS TA|L0RS
Endeavoring to Create New
Era in Mems Clothes.
USE OF MORE COLOR
How It is Proposed to Dress Chiefs
of State.
TO BE PATRIOTIC IN COSTUMES
Speaker in Red, President in White
and President of Senate in Blue
A Living Flag.
URGING USE OF MORE COLOR
TO BE PATRIOTIC IN COSTUMES

PARIS, January 16. 1906
Do yeu ina CINE men VIII always dress in
plain. SAD clothes? No, change is a hand,
ana you and l may shortly go about in
white embroidered with rose braid. in black
ard gold, in green and silver, or in red
dignified by black embroidery, or in blue
with designs of scarlet gimp.
There is in France a corporate body that
kas judged the present somber garb of men
and found il lacking. Il is a body powerful
in itself and sIiH more powerful indirectly.
l. happens. at this moment, 10 have men of
energy. alldacity and tact to direct it. Do
not, therefore, underestimate the power of
the academy of Master Taiors of Paris.
1t has allied 20 it like bodies in Vienna,
Berlin, Rome and many other continental
cities, and il London tailors smile superior
to their CLIENTS when they speak of these
academies they nevertheless attend with
diligence the meetings of this Paris center.
listening carefully to the debates. vhich
are international and annual. Do not smile,
therefore, when you are told that these
Paris master tailors have decided that, in
order to encourage trenchmen in the use
of color-and at the same time to touch the
Patriotic chord-the speaker of the house
of representatives shall dress officially in
red, the president of the republic In white
and the president of the senate in blue.
Thus, when they appear together they will
represent a living flag.
| will give you an example of the power
of this Academy of Master Tailors of Par.s.
Married in Gray Frock Coat.
Al the epoch when Paul Deschenel was
married, lately. he held the position of
president of the chamber of deputies-or
speaker of the house. Now, Deschenel has
a good part of his fame and his popularity
as one of the most carefully groomed men
of Paris and thfs, strange as it may seem,
with the democratic rank and file. They
like Il proper man. His neckties are Su
pelior in size and color to LIE Bargy's; and
while he does not show in pink shoes, like
Jean de Castellane. or in gold walstcoats,
like his cousin Boni. his constituents of
the great unwashed are well convinced that
he could do it; while it is known that he Is
one of the nine men In al Paris who can
take butloned frock coat of delicate ma
terial across a crowded room and keep its
lines pure. free from creases.
Paul Deschenel presumed upon his popu-
1arity. Elated by love-doubtless-he had
himself married. not in a dress suit, as is
the universal Paris custom, but in gray
frock coat sutton the pretext that ii was
4 function of the afternoon. LIE Bargy had
done the same thing a few years prev -ously,
but lie Bargy is an actor. Par-StanS look on
it a negligent, uncerenonious Anglo
Saxon eccentricity, and our argument tina
the dress suit ought not TO afront the day
has no weight with them, to whom it IS the
costume not of the night but of ceremony.
You should have heard the row that the
Academy of Paris Master Tailors managed
to raise because Paul Deschenel had him
self married in a frock coat. Paul Des-
cnenel was not a private man; he was a
public character the speaker of the house
of representa- tives, a depository of author
ity a vessel of order, figure of example.
70 such an one Parisians turn their eyes
with confidence.
In marrying he might have looseness In
mems dress and given fair picture OF The
OF n
rnonious costume, for ceremony. The
plain back dress suit is horror, truly, but
The frock coat is a worse one, and until the
ceremonious costume changes to a thing of
sweetness and light Paul Deschenel should
have respected it. 1t called on Paul Des-
chenel 10 confess formally that ne mad
erred, and, such is the admirable solidarity
Of all kinds of Parisddns Wnen the prestige
OF Partisan customs is brought into ques-
ton the Academy of Master Tailors had
the whole press with them and the whole
mass of Partisan opinion.
Deschenel Confessed His Error.
Paul Deschenel confessed that he had
erred If that does not show you the power
CT the Academy of Master Tailors, take the
other shining case of President Loubet ana
the opera hat. or Sibus You know how
that species of high hat-bult up on Jo!nted
wires and springs to make 1t capable or
being squashed fiat and then opened again
with a pistol shot report when wanted-has
been threatened with decline: Time was
when the Partisan never quit it, held II HAT
on his left arm pit, danced with 1t and car
ried it fat through receptions. Certainly 1t
was convenient at the theater and no one
knows why it went out of style.
Well, the Academy OF Master Tallors mas
q fiIiated to it many obscure syndicate
of handicr2ft 1t acts as head. These
bodies are it's members, SO it consolidates
its power and so, well, the members
call upon their head to act for them in
time of need.
The Paris Syndicate of Workers IN Opera
Hats, or Gibuses, exposed their sad state
to the academy; two-thirds or their num-
her worked half time, and the rest did odd
iobs at kindred trades The retail sale of
opera hats In Paris had sunk to mere
derision, and the few remaining makers
worked for export.
The Academy of Master Tailors did not
hesitate. 1t struck high, 1t struck the
chief of state. One morning M. Loubet
found a delegation of extremely we'll
DIRE ssed, grave and tactful-loolSing men of
middle age awaiting him.
1--WE are here in the name of Paris
trade" they said. Eve represent the mas
ter tailors of the capital, patrons, inter ALA,
of the Syndicate Workers in Opera Hats,
at present threatened with the total loss
of their bread winning.
Glad to meet YOU, said the president.
President Popularized Opera Hats.
1--WE are convinced they went on, that
the president of the republic can no more
be ignorant of the undeserved decline of
this peculiarly Partisan head-covering than
he can be insensble to the fate of its
humble but interesting producers. In the
name of Partisan trade. we beg the first
citizen of the state to take up the gibus-
to pop into popularity the fiattened opera
hat by one authoritative gesture, that OF
placing IL upon his august head"
Nj Loubet did 1t. He accepted nineteen
brand-new opera hats, forced on him by the
nineteen foremost Paris makers; and he
wore them in rotation every night
He was observed to flatten them with os-
teutation, to pop them triumphantiy
slightest provocation. Indeed. Loubet pop,
ping his opera hat became beloved pa
triotic figure, because the Academy of Mas
ter Tailors sent its tactful and persuasive
delegation TO the Paris press with weekly
bulletins till the most serious editorials
came to be punctuated with the popping
All this happened less than eighteen
months ago. Today the opera hat is in high
favor.
At the time 1t was pointed out that IL
the chiefs of state are bound to give ex-
amples of Partisan taste in dress. reprov-
ing Anglo-Saxon looseness, buoying up
r,o,tsiar trade they fafsrht .gn a sion furfber