The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 18, 1905

Men’s Clothing in Subdued Colors

Many of the Changes in the Attire of Men are Radical in the Extreme.

Styles Varied For This Fall

None of the Extremes of Previous Years Will Be Reached – The Well Dressed Man Will Be Quietly Dressed This Year.

With the coming of the chilly weather the thoughts of man not only turn to the coal bin and the price of coal, but turn also to what he will wear this fall and winter. Ordinarily it is supposed that man pays but little attention to styles, but as a matter of fact he is almost, if not quite as particular about matters of this kind as womankind, whose desire to be in style are sometimes laughed at. If the reports from the fashion centers and from those who dictate the styles are to be believed, man will have plenty of opportunity for this is to be a fashionable fall.

Will Be Radical Change.

Many of the changes in the attire from last year are radical, through none reach the extreme of previous years. The well dressed man this fall will bequietly dressed as most of the suits will be in subdued colors, but it will be the cut that will determine the style. The prevailing blues of the summer will give away to worsteds of mixed colors and paid (plaid?) effects. The haberdashery supplies will be both of brilliant hues and subdued colors, allowing of a wide choice for the buyer.

The young man who delights in dress will have a fine chance this fall. The styles will be so varied that he can go to almost any length. The dressy young man’s neckwear will be brilliant to the extreme. When it comes to fancy vests the nobby dresser will be able to get the largest and finest selections of many years. Fancy vests will be worn altogether this season and it will hardly be worth a man’s while to buy a suit of clothes with a vest. the styles in fancy vests were never so brilliant before.

The coat appropriate for street and business wear will be of worsted, in subdued colors: grays and broken plaids of quiet, neat tones. The coat this fall will be cut long and full with a deep center vent on the back. The shoulders will be broad and more natural than in previous years, being slightly sloping. The lapels will be long and graceful and broader than usual.

The Length of the Coat.

In place of the box sack and the half shaped sack of last season as the extremes of looseness and closeness, the direction of amplitude and the nearly close fitting sack as the extreme in the other direction. The close fitting sack, however, is the swell thing and the closer fit hte better the style. Either the center seam of the side seams may be vented according to taste. The length ranges from medium to extreme, the unwritten rule being the closer the fit the greater the length.

The Cut of the Trousers.

The trousers will not be in the extreme cuts for the proper dresser. They will be cut to fit easily over the hips, with medium thighs, slightly tapering towards the bottom. The trousers of the correct dresser will have a slight break over the shoes. No cuff will be worn this fall by the nobby dresser.

It is in his vest that the careful dresser will shine. All suit vests will be single breasted and without collars. The opening in the vest will be lower than in previous years, allowing more of the shirt to show. At the corners the vest will be slight cut away. There will be plenty of fancy vests in net flannels, marseilles, mercerized and oxfords, in the single breasted style and double breasted with long, wide lapels. The vest will be longer in front than usual and shorter at the sides, which will give a dip to the vest. The correct vest will have but five buttons.

The Black Derby Again.

In hats the black Derby will be popular.  The crowns will be full, in heavy effects. The Fedora will be the stylish soft hat, and will be in pearls and blacks. The pearls will have white and black bands. In the golf shapes, the medium low crowns with slight crease will predominate for morning wear. The bands and binding will match with the pearl color of the felt. The silk hats are slightly higher in the crown and with a slight bell shape. The greatest change in silk hats will be the broadcloth bands in place of the silk bands.

More Fedoras of pearly gray, with black bands and pearl bindings, as well as the solid black stiff hats will be sold this season than ever before. Some of the golf shapes will be in demand. The golf shapes have a much narrower brim than heretofore.  The telescope in gray will come in for a good share of the demand on the part of the young man who wishes a good knockabout hat for all occasions and all times. There are no extremes in the Derbys and all will be of good staple shapes. The flat-brimmed Derby of last year will not be considered in style.

In the opera hat the newest thing is kidlined. The opera hat heretofore has been lined in silk and the silk lining has ever had a tendency to stick to the hair. This is where the kid lining will stand in good stead for it will not stick to the hari.

The soft hats are of a pearl gray color and have fine shapes that cannot but appeal to the swell dresser. The peal (pearl?) color will no doubt be the favorite in the soft shaped hats.

Tags: 1905