The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-02-03

New York, Feb. s.-That men are
no less salves Of fashion in the mat
ter of dress than women, and per-
haps even more restricted in the mat
ter of styles than the fair sex, 10
gradually dawning on masculine New
York. OF course this condition of af-
fairs has long been known to the
persons whose business it is to de-
termine these styles, but the average
man has just Is long been accustom-
ed to disclaim upon his independence
n this connection and to look plying
ly upon his women folk for their
slavery to the dictates of dressmakers.
While the designing Of new styles and
the sale of patterns showing the COR
rect fashion by which it is carried on
are fairly we'll known to most per-
sons, the subject of fashions in mems
clothes remains as 1t has long been
an ~impenetrable mystery to 999 out
of every thousand men. The styles
in mems apparel are just as inexor-
able as r those that determine wo-
mems wear, although not so great in
variety and subject to less frequent
and radical changes. Men who make
a habit of correct dressing know that
their coats should be made longer or
shorter, more full or more closely it-
ting this season than last as the case
may be, but why this is so it would
be impossible for them to tell. Most
of them get the information from their
tailors or from observing other men.
If pressed to account for the DEGREES
which are put forth from season to
season and which they follow un-
questionably they probably would
hazard a vague guess that, the styles
came from London" or else that
terious and invisible Individual like
the 'man higher up" in the graft in
vestigations that occasionally take
place in various cities.
1t is obvious that the styles to be
followed by we'll dressed men do not
Just grow" in Imitation of the Inn
mortal Topsy. Neither are there
recognized leaders of fashion among
men whose ideas on the subject of
dress set the standard for the rest
of the fashionable world, as is to an
extent true OF women's gowns and as
was the case with men in the days
of Beau Brummel and other famous
dandies of generations past. Why is
it then that we wear u waistcoats
buttoned high n a and cut low
another year? Why do we display
braid on some kinds of suits and not
on others? Who tells us to wear GER
tain garments on certain occasions
and why do we obey?
The answer Is really very simple
although it doubtless would trouble
the ordinary man to give it correctly.
There is a very general impression
that fashions in mems dress follow
the styles of London and Paris. This
was the case in the early days of the
country but 1T has been growing less
and less true for the past twenty-f five
years and at the present time Amer
leans are as independent of foreign
countries in the matter of clothes as
they are in their form of government.
Some Americans still have their suits
made in London but they are chiefly
members OF the rapidly dwindling
class OF Anglo-maniacs which is far
less influential now than it was TWEEN
ty years ago. Many of the fashion
able tailors in New York and other
large cities make a habit Of going to
Europe every summer and pick up
occasional ideas as to cut and fabric
from their observations, but these in
fuences affect only the minor details
Of mems garments. Experience has
shown that garments and styles
adapted to English habits and to Eng
lish weather are less suitable to con
ditions on this side Of the Atlantic.
Americans never have accepted as a
business costume the frock coat and
top hat to which the Englishman is
still almost completely subservient,
Nor have they taken kindly to the
variety of top coats that flourish so
luxuriantly in King Georges domain.
The influence of Partisan customs on
the dress of Americans is practically
nil and as Germans have no dis
tinctive styles OF their own in dress,
the United States is practically free
from foreign domination in this mat
ter.
Broadly speaking the styles Of gar