Evening star., 1925-08-19

Franciscan Monastery in Brookland
as they stroll around in their brown
robes, but what envy them heartily
To my mind, that is an ideal cos
| tune.
The bathrobe, were it feasible, would
make an almost ideal costume. Iet
me hasten to add that 1t is not feast
| ble.)
| Imagine a theater filled with gentle
men in bathrobes, or the American
League base ball park crammed with
robed figures, or f street on a gala
| afternoon crowded with strollers In
nifty bathrobes.
Cretonne coats on the girls would
be far outdone as Johnny Bellbotton
strode along in his gray and blue
checked bathrobe, caught at the waist
with an enormous striped cord
A one-piece bathing suit beneath the
robe and a pair of So called barefoot
sandals might complete this ideal cos
| tune, for such it would be, despite the
fact that you may smile at its descrip
ton here.
The ideal we seek is freedom, ir
which we are now being outdone by
the gals. Maybe since they have come
| to regard large part of their flow
ing locks as superf1uous, mere mer
Will some day come TO look on trousers
| in much the same way.
| Perhaps, after all, the ideal in mems
dress was reached In ancient Rome
when two simple garments, the tuniC
and the toga, were all men wore, il
addition to a pair of sandals.
| Tell me not, in mournful numbers
that the climatic conditions of Rome
| allowed such dress. They wear the
full regalia of modern costume ir
| Rome today, do they not?
| Why cannot the custom be reversed
| The Roman dress was perhaps the
most sensible and comfortable in al
the long, foolish history OF mems
clothes. (See pictures Of Sir Walter
| Raleigh, If you think the word fool
ish' is too strongD
The toga would get In your way,
objects an objector. C"The world has
need of these people. too" said Mar
Gus Aurelius, it will be remembered
Well, the folds of the white toga
might get in your way, but inside the
affair you would be eminently more
comfortable, and therefore happier
and undoubtedly healthier.
White was adopted by the late Mark
| Twain as his aIl-year- round costume
and eminent physicians have declared
that such clothing is healthier thar
our prevalent somber shades.
| ne wore a LuTlC Int
| toga, putting on the latter for stree
wear. Roman women had an outside
| garment very similar, called the palla
The men, according to history, had q
uniform way of wearing their outer
garment. but the women draped their
| pallae 10 suit themselves.
Even in those far days men were
conservative dressers, whereas the
women were the most progressive. II
was not until after Caesar conquered
the Gauls that braccae. or breeches
were introduced into Rome.
| Therefore, we may, in a sense, ado
| to Caesars other crimes the blame fol
| introducing trousers
! IT is interesting to note that the an
cient Greeks wore two garments, simi
| lar to the Roman pair. The undergar
ment was the chiffon, the outer the
| himation, sort OF cloak.
| Thus Romans and Greeks wore bu
| four articles OF clothing, including {
| pair of sandals. Contrast this simple
| ity Of dress with the bare minimum
possible to a male today.
He must wear a hat, coat, trousers
pair of shoes, pair of socks, shirt. col
| lar. tie. sock supporters, belt, under
| wear. This array calls for IA articles
and IL he wears an overcoat totals VI
l5 pieces of clothing and bands of va
rious kinds.
1t is too much,