Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-05
Hing Edward and His Love for Dress

the proprietors enjoy the exalted priv
ilege of doing business with his mai
esty.
But it isn't everybody who can do
business with him. 1t doesn't follow
because a man can pay the price he can
order a suit of clothes from them and
then swager among his friends, boast
ing that he has been rugged out by
the kings tailors. If they traded on
the kings name that way they would
not be the kings tailors long. They are
aristocratS of the tailor world. They
serve only customers whose social stat
us is vouched for by clients already
on their books. This applies as much
TO visitors from the ''moneyed" side
of the Atlantic as from this. And even
their own customers are not permitted
to see the garments they make for the
king. They can't get tips in advance
on coming fashions that way. The
kings clothes are all made in a room
especially set apart for that purpose.
His tailors have a standing order to
provide him with so many suits for
spring, so many for summer, and so on
for the other seasons. Apart from mill
tary uniforms and court dresses, they
number about 100 suits a year. and
cost anything between $50 and $100 a
suit. The king selects the patterns and
is exceedingly particular, but his choice
is quickly made.
Several Thousand Uniforms
King Edwards military uniforms and
diplomatic outfits constitute the most
expensive and extensive portion of his
wardrobe. The gold lace on a single
uniform often costs from 5000 to $500.
Highly paid experts alone are employed
on work of this sort, and it frequently
takes four men as much as a whole
week to make up a single tunic. The
honorary commands that are bestowed
on the king cost their donors nothing,
but it costs the king mint. of money
to provide the uniforms necessitated by
them. He holds complimentary naval
and military appointments in a dozen
foreign countries besides being honor
airy colonel of a score of British regi-
mentS, regular and volunteer. Each
one of these necessitates three uni
forms, full dress, undress and mess,
besides overcoats. swords, etc. Robes
of the Garter, St. Patrick, Thistle and
other knightly orders come high, but
the king must have them. Besides his
nine orders of British chivalry the king
has fifty foreign ones. He has also
the regalias of different degrees of
Masonry.
There is only one other man in the
world William "the second to none"
who possesses more uniforms than King
Edward. The kaiserS outfit, it is said,
includes 1000 of them. But the kaiser
delights in donning gorgeous costumes.
King Edward wears them only when
the exigencies of the king business de-
mand that he should make show of
himself He is, however, most par
ticular about what might be called the
official part of his outfit. He has an
inventory made once a month Of his
uniforms in stock accompanied by a
carefully prepared statement of their
condition. They are never allowed to
get shabby. The slightest blemish on
a uniform condemns it and it becomes
the perquisite of the superintendent of
the wardrobe or one of his minions.
OF these latter there are four, and two
of them are expert tailors. There are
many sinecures in the royal household,
sut the men who look after the kings
wardrobe and see to it that every gar
ment therein is spick and span always
fairly earn their pay.-Kansas City
Star.