Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-05-28
CURIOUS FAps IN CLOTHES.

| a lredKlSn IaQ In clothes, running
more especially to big legged panta-
looms and numerous buttons, has been
noticeable among the buck negro pop
ulation for more than q year, and GU
riosity as to how the fad may have
come about or what 1t means, has sug-
gested an inquiry that has been pro-
ductive Of results that are only par
TALLY satisfactory.
An inquiry Of q local clothing dealer
quite readily developed information as
to the origin Of the freak clothes, and
some other facts about them; but no
amount of questioning has brought out
anything as to the probable idea of
the negroes who are making them
selves unavoidably conspicuous through
their freakishness.
The freak clothes are to be seen in
Yorkville mainly on Saturday after
moons, Sunday and at other times when
the negroes gather in numbers for
special occasions. 1t Is not to be un-
derstood that at any time are these
garments sufficiently numerous to be-
come common. On the contrary, as
odd as they are, they are most notice.
able by contrast with the ordinary.
An ordinary pair of peg" panta-
looms, measuring "a to 36 inches at the
waistband will measure from 46 to 48
inches around the hips. Such pair of
pantaloons Is decidedly baggy as COM
pared with an ordinary, medium fit
ting, straight cut garment, and is suf-
ficently noticeable to attract almost
instant attention. The pegs that are
being affected by the negroes referred
to, measure from 80 to So inches across
the hips, and the tendency Of the
style" is to still greater extremes,
rather than in the direction of q more
conservative cut.
Il can't tell you where the notion
originated or when," said local cloth
ing dealer to The Enquirer this morn
ing; but we have been taking meas
urements for big pegs as the negroes
call them, for more than two years, and
the demand Is on the increase rather
than otherwise. The first orders along
this line puzzled us somewhat because
Of the difficulty Of making prices not
laid down in our regular lists. We
wrote to the house that makes our
clothes for us and were advised to add
the price Of the. extra cloth to regular
list prices, and this we have been do
ing since. We have had cases where
an ordinary pair Of pants that would
come to $3.50, If made up in accord
ance with the usual style, has been
made to cost $1450, the extra cost be-
ing put on solely because of the extra
cloth.
Most all Of the.'big peg customers
want the big pegs as large as they can
be had" the dealer went on, "and some
of them also run into fancy coats, the
fancy relating mainly to the number
of buttons. We have had them to come
in, give instructions as to how much
peg they would like to have, and then
advise us that they want about $50 or
200 buttons on the coat. AS to where
the buttons are to go they seem to
have no especial preference; and it Is
our rule to take deposit along with
the orders and send in the measure
ments. The tailors follow instructions
as best they can and when the clothes
come back they are generally satis-
factory.
1T might interest you to know in
this connection" volunteered the deal
er, that these freak orders come alto
gether from the country negroes. The
town negroes will not begin to have
them. Most of the town negroes insist
on wearing tailor-made clothes just
like the white folks, ana they are just
about as particular in trying to get a
satisfactory fit. They won't have any
of these big pegs that the country ne
groes are affecting so strongly"