San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-20
NATION 5 MEN
To WEAR HATS
Of ONE STYLE
Standardization Means a
Lot to the Manu-
facturers.
MANY BROWN SHADES
Movies, Radio and Cars
Serve to Bring About
Changes.
MANY BROWN SHADES
BY J. G. ROYLE.

Copyright. by The San Antonio Light.
-. New York, April 20.-A majority
81 the well dressed men all over the
United States will wear brown soft
hats next fall and what is more in.
teresting most of them will wear the
same style hat, except for minor de-
tails.
The typical business man on Hous.
ton street, San Antonio, Tex, today
wears the identical style hat as the
business man on Market street, San
Francisco, or as the well groomed
man on Fifth Avenue. New York
City.
=. In other words, according to Fletch'
/ er III. Montgomery, president of the
Knox Hat Company Of New Iork
City who has just returned from an
extended business trip through thu
South, the Southwest, the Pacific
coast and the Central United States
the regional hat is thing of the
past. incidentally this is true like
wise Of mems clothing.
Makes for Standardization.
On its face value this statement
according to Mr.. Montgomery, seems
little more than an interesting fac:
But it is a great deal more than that
for it means that through standard
ization of styles, that it is the elm
ination of the cowboy somberer0 or
the plains, the farmers hay seed straw
in the agricultural districts and the
. sartorially perfect chapeau of the city
man. men of the country are today
getting better quality for their money
Mr.. Montgomery's observations al
they affect directly mems headgeal
and Indirectly mems clothing, are ex
tremely interesting.
"a few years ago." says Mr.. Mont
gomery today, "the hat statesmen car
ried a special line for almost every
sales territory in the United States
For instance. the salesman who Gov
- cred the South Atlantic seaboard car
ried a special line of hats that wer'
designed for that particular regiol
lust as the salesman who covered thu
Southwest carried another distinc
line of hats that were famous fol
their extended brims and peaked
crowns and their general waterproof
.Nnualities.
Not Always This Way.
MANY OF us can remember few
years back when q man who wa
fashionably CARRIED in the mode q
Fifth avenue, New York, was looke'
upon rs dude in almost every othe
city In the United States.
"Now, peculiarly, these condition
have changed most radically.
To-day even the ordinary bushes
man, even in the very small town
wears a hat that can be hung on tn
peg alongside of the most exclusiv
headgear in the most restricted metro
politan clubs without being conspicu
Gus by its difference of style or gen
eral construction.
= ITO the average person this doe
not mean much, but TO the man II
the hat business this means a grea
economic force that has made ha
manufacturing problems more simple
ANY salesman of today selling hat
in any territory throughout the unite'
States carries exactly the same lin
that the other salesman sells in hi
territory, regardless of where it ma.
be. This means that instead of tire
mendous variety and many differen
STYLES of hats that were formerl.
made by every hat manufacturer w
now make about one-third the NUN
Der of regional varieties and conse
1uently a larger production has mad
for better hats on a more economical
basis.
Prejudices Are Levelled.
'Many agencies have been at worl
to accomplish this leveling of con
munity prejudices. Probably tls
greatest single factor has been til
| moving pictures. Strange as it ma,
seem, mems clothing. shoes, hats an
styles of collars have been more d'
rectly affected as to style and genera
character through moving picture
than by any other medium.
"One Of the very unusual thing
that all hat manufacturers are con
fronted with, is the almost universe
each season of two or thre
coiors that meet with the popular Ia
yor of men everywhere. This yea
we have manufactured more brow
hats Of A sand color than at any othe
time. The second most popular is
blush gray. Generally there seems {
be q craving for light colored hat:
lust as there Is a marked tendency 70
light colors in mems clothing. Whethe
this influence for color comes as re
Election from the extremely brigh
hued garments that the women OF tn
country affect, is question.
Sections Draw Closer.
zone thing is noticeably certain
Each year the West draws closer {
the East and the South draws close
to the North in their common apprs
citation of being well dressed.
Moving pictures. the automobile
the wireless telephone and many othe
agencies are making the main streets
of all the cities Of the United State
akin as to an understanding of wha
constitutes style and quality"
QUIET MAY DAY EXPECTED
xaA ", ..s,..- III vEurcs xo n