The New York herald., 1922-12-10


dark closet where now hang the
conventional coats and trousers. insignifi-
cant in design and devoid of color, which
represent masculine wardrobe, would be
thrown out and in their places gorgeous
silk shorts coats of purple, blue and gold
trimmed with Valenciennes or duchess lace
would be seen. For the consensus among
women is that the best dressed man they
ever saw was on the stage in a costume
play.
Or, a small proportion Of wives and
mothers is interested in the clothes the
men wear How could interest sustain it
self when these clothes from season 10
season are practically Interchangeable?
Fashion which now rules the feminine
world abdicated the masculine early in the
eighteenth century. Before then this
arbiter had as much to say about mems
clothes as about womens. Her last effort
was directed toward keeping the waistcoat
or undercoat, as it was called. a brilliant
item. either heavily embroidered or trim
med with lace and bullion. For time
this garment remained the high light in
an otherwise dingy landscape. Then il
descended to the stage coach drivers OF
the early years of Victoria's reign and by
steam engine time nobody but a "bounder'
wore it,
As soon as their boys grow out
of the Fauntleroy age and fall into the
clutches of the tailors, mothers-even the
tenderest-lose interest in the youth
clothes and criticize nothing but the neck
tie Women in general do not like to ad-
nit the detection but they confess to an
awakened interest when they see on the
stage an actor in the costume of one of
the Louis. They like the wealth of color
the super1uity of embelishment. why
oh, why" they sign, don't men dress
like that to-day?"
Actresses do not hesitate to express this
preference. The fact that John Drew is or
was the recognized dress suit actor OF
the American stage does not deter his cele-
brated niece. Ethel Barrymore, from ac-
knowledging her keenest admiration for
him in the costume of PetruchiO. And
she says that this feeling is present when
her brothers John and Lionel don a pic
turesque period costume
The best dressed man. the ideal dresser
in this talented actresses opinion. is the
man of the sixteenth century when the
artists of the Renaissance designed his
costume. His recent appearance on our
stage occurred in Sim Benefits play "The
Jest some of the success Of which was
due here, Miss Barrymore thinks. to the
liking of most women TO see men in that
garb
BY the same interest must be gauged
the fact that women went to see time and
again that strange visitor to our theateI
Clair de Lune" The wardrobe of that
poetic peculiarly including the dresses
worn by the men as well as by the women
of the cast, proved to be one real attrac-
tion.
Miss Jane Cowl is fully aware how
much the three beautiful costumes in
cluding the gorgeous Spanish shawls, she
wears in ''Malvaloca' are admired by the
women in the audience but she says she
has heard hundreds of women express
equal admiration of the costumes worn by
the men in that piece adding their wonder
that American men do not take some idea
from them. In the last act the three
principal men in the cast who have been
seen in working garb before are dressed
up" They wear tight trousers which give
the effect of black satin although they are
made of merino; wide black satin sash
fine white shirt and collar with a simple
black cravat and a coat that only reaches