Archive for the ‘Fashion’ Category

18
Sep

Men’s Clothing in Subdued Colors

   Posted by: admin Tags:

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.

18
Sep

Fall Hats Will Not Be Extreme

   Posted by: admin Tags: ,

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 18, 1905

Fall Hats Will Not Be Extreme

So Says Local Milliner Who Has Recently Returned From Trip to Chicago.

The fall hats are not to be extreme this season. This is the comforting statement made by a Fort Dodge milliner who has recently returned from the Milliners’ convention in Chicago.

“We won’t have anything extreme here this fall, though the tendency in the east is to go to extremes,” said one of the local hat-makers to a reporter this morning. “The hats this fall and winter will be neat and the colors in them will be the neatest we have had for a number of years. The Alice blue, which was the color of Miss Roosevelt’s inaugural ball dress, will be a popular shade, also the olive greens, the pearl grays and the peacock blues, in a variety of shapes and styles. We moderate our styles here as the women don’t dress as gay here as they do in Paris, where the gay colors originate. There the peacock blue will be popular and brilliant hues will be the rule. Of course, there are many American women, who with their good taste and discrimination can be trusted to choose from among the bright colors something that will become them, but many will have to be careful.

“There are many new features in shapes. An effort will be made to keep the small hat in vogue, but it will only prove popular for street and suit wear. Being so severely staid in style and small in outlines, it gives no space for plumes and colorings. Though the picture hats are not suitable for ordinary street wear, they will be quite the proper thing for dress occasions.

“Shapes will run from the close fitting walking hat to the voluminously draped picture hat. A very popular shape will be the turban, made of cloth to match the suit, fur or velvet with breast effects, a pretty shade or which is that Alice blue.

“Then we have the ‘Roosevelt’ hat, which is broad brimmed,” said this milliner, taking down a hat of fine material, resembling very much the headpiece which Col. Roosevelt wore at San Juan hill. It is white with a blue band and about every other shade of the rainbow. “We have the continentals, the polo hats, the French roll backs, and many other beautiful shapes, which will be sold at up to date millinery stores.”

9
Jun

Bird Feathers Will be Tabooed

   Posted by: admin Tags: ,

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 9, 1903

Bird Feathers Will be Tabooed

Edict Against Practice Handed Down By the Millinery Jobber Association.

Fort Dodge women will no longer adorn their queenly heads with the feathers and wings of the birdling, for the milliners will no longer carry in stock the bird as an article of wearing apparel. The edict has gone forth from the Millinery Jobbers’ association which convened in Milwaukee on May 21 and the Audubon society was so notified. Fort Dodge milliners have received notification of the new move and will have to stand by the agreement that no song birds will be sold from their establishments for the decoration of the headgear of the fair feminine creature with the spirit of humaneness in her heart.

It is estimated that there has been at least 100,000 song birds distributed about the markets of the south and west every year for that adornment and the evolution will cause a complete change in the adornment of the hat. The resolution adopted at the jobbers’ association at Milwaukee is as follows:

“Resolved, That the Milliner Jobbers’ association, assembled in convention at Milwaukee, does hereby concur in the agreement entered into between the Milliners Merchants’ Protective association of New York, the Audubon society, and the American Ornithologists’ union, regarding the buying and selling of birds and bird plumage, known as fancy feathers.”

By the agreement entered into some birds will be permitted on women’s hat. Among these are the white, natural and colored pigeons, white and colored doves, parrots, parquets, merles, impayens, nocobars, Japan and China pheasants, golden pheasants, marrabruts, gouras, the argus, peacock, swans and domestic fowls.

11
Apr

Better Buy Your Clothes Now, Girls

   Posted by: admin Tags:

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 11, 1917

Better Buy Your Clothes Now, Girls

Girls, Girls!

It’s a sad story but when the hot summer days roll around and there is nothing comforting but the summer frock, don’t forget to lay away your spring suit so that you may draw it out again next spring ready for use.

Uncle Sam’s officials have announced that this may be the last year for some time that ready made factories will be turned over for the manufacturing of women’s wear. Uncle Sam is going to have a little party all of his own in the next few years and he is going to require the ladies factories to make olive drab and khaki suits for his boys, and we girls are going to be the sufferers.

But then, patriotism comes first, and who will care to sport a new suit or a silk gown with all the sweethearts away on the border fighting? The dress maker will reign supreme one more. Her reign has fallen to the background during the past because the ready to wear garments have proven so exacting with the women.

We want our brothers to look spick and span when they go away to war, if it must be and this now looks inevitable. A million uniform suits will have to be made and maybe two million. There must be hats, coats, caps, shoes and socks.

A rush order may be that the boys will have to have the out put of the wool in this country, so girls get together al of yoru clothes. Brush them up and hang them away for it may be our lot to wear made over garments instead of ready made during the war.

20
Mar

Annual Argument on Hats Arrives

   Posted by: admin

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 20, 1905

Annual Argument on Hats Arrives

Spring Season opens and Spring Hats Must Soon Be Bought.

The Cost is Evenly Divided

Styles in Women’s Hats are Rapidly Conforming with Those Practiced by Men’s Hatters and the Tailored Hat is the Proper Thing.

A season of the year is soon to delight the feminine part of Fort Dodge although it may counteract its effects by the reception it receives among the opposite sex, and the coming season is that of the spring openings in the numerous millinery stores of the city.

Then it is that the annual joke maker will begin to please one sex with the annual jokes about big hats and if he runs out of jokes about the big hats, he will make some up about enormous prices on small ones, so that it is easily to be seen he is hard to satisfy.

In reality if everyone will be honest, they will admit that all the fuss about high priced hats is concocted just for the convenience of the joke man and that although a woman does sometimes spend a good price for a hat she either wears it several seasons or does not have any other during that season.

Times are fast changing and styles in hats are advancing as rapidly as they are in other lines. The tailored hat a few years ago was unknown in the realm of bonnetdom, and no woman now is properly dressed for the street or for church unless she wears one, and any other style in the above named places would be as incongruous as a man wearing an opera hat to his business.

In the average walks of life a man pays nothing less than five dollars for his every day hat and if statistics were obtained it would be found that the women who pay more than that for their street hats are balanced on the other side by the man who pays more than five for his.

Then a man generally buys a straw hat of greater or less price for summer wear, and that corresponds to the dress hat that a woman buys for the garden party, and the evening party or reception and even should the masculine readers of this article contend that the woman’s hat costs more, he must remember that she can take off the plumes and other trimmings and put them away to help out with next year’s hat, and that a man’s hat, once discarded, leaves no trimmings for next years.

When you advance into the more prosperous and wealthy circles prices and numbers of hats, in both masculine and feminine wardrobes, or perhaps it should be wardhats, will increase proportionately.

As we said in the beginning, the spring season is soon to open, the usual creations will be shown and the usual woman will go home with the usual bonnet which she has decided upon after looking longingly at the more expensive one which fit her taste but not her purse, and in the usual way she will try to convince herself that the one she got is much more becoming and appropriate after all.

And just because she can monage (sic) to get a few more pretty trimmings on her hat than the man can on his, pray do not let him get the idea that is it more expensive.

■ ■ ■

With the closing of this story, it is to a certainty, decided that there can never be any more spring jokes about spring hats, and of course everyone is convinced that the writer is surely a man, and therefore would be fair and honest to give the opposite sex such a gallant service in this much abused argument.

(Editor’s note: One thing I miss about articles in this time period is that there are no bylines. We have no idea who wrote what, and even no record of who the reporters were at this time. I’m inclined to this that this piece was written by a woman, or at least a man with a very close connection (wife, sisters or mother) to the feminine side. The argument for comparing prices and features of hats, with the notion that a woman’s hat has decorations that can be used again, leads me to think that a woman thought it up. I could be wrong, and there is no way to check.)

18
Mar

Town Topics

   Posted by: admin Tags: , , ,

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 18, 1907

Town Topics

Part of Saturday, all day Sunday and continuing to some extent today green was in evidence everywhere in Fort Dodge. Every other man one passed on the street wore a shamrock in his lapel and with the female population strap bits of green were to be noticed in the wearing apparel. Every year new and novel devices suggestive of St. Patrick’s day, March 17, are blossoming out and each year more attention is paid to this Irish holiday. Besides the shamrocks there were little clay pipes tied with green ribbon, little harps and tall green little Irish hats.

■ ■ ■

What housewife has not on dozens of occasions had to content with the door bell nuisance? They are few, we will warrant. Oftentimes the busy housewife is called to the door ten times in a day by the ringing of the bell and in most of the instances only a circular has been left, a peddler wants to sell some knick-knack or a canvassing agent with his bland smile is found at the door. In connection with the cheaper grade of soliciting it has become a nuisance greatly in need of remedy and something to rid her forever from the harrassment (sic) of the pestiferous bell ringer is piteously prayed for by the average woman.

■ ■ ■

Moving pictures – Moving pictures at the family theatorium. Admission 10 cents.

■ ■ ■

The Messenger has a large assortment of score cards. Over 100 different styles.

■ ■ ■

Girls wanted at the overall factory. Good wages and steady employment.

16
Mar

New Millinery Styles

   Posted by: admin

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 16, 1907

New Millinery Styles

Mrs. E.M. Phillips Talks on the Prevailing Fashions in Spring Headgear

Will Be Loaded With Flowers

Mushroom Effects Will Dominate. “Picture Hats” Modeled After Styles of the Empire and Louis XVI Periods.

“The principal shape for hats for this spring is the mushroom effect,” said Mrs. E.M. Phillips, of the Sturges dry goods company, when interviewed yesterday by a reporter of The Messenger. “It is remarkable how this demure, drooping brim has caught the fancy of the trades. Picture hats will again be in vogue. The styles for these have been ddrawn from famous paintings of the Empire and Louis XVI periods.

“A hat that promises to be very popular for early wear is called ‘Cheyenne.’ This shape is an attractive modification of western styles of headgear for men. With the brim bent up in front, and trimmed with a quill or a fancy wing, it becomes very piquant and jaunty. Then there are the mushroom sailors, nobby outing hats, hats with short fronts back, leghorn flats cleverely (sic) manipulated and hundreds of others. The late wrinkle in braids is a narrow, rough braid which is utilized in all shapes.

“Every hat will be a flower garden. They will contain roses in bunches, sprays and garlands there will be grass, moss and wild flowers, most of them arranged in long trailing effects. The orchard, too, has been invaded, for cherries are very popular and currents (sic) and grapes scarcely less so.

“Ostrich plumes have have (sic) not been neglected, the long willow plume still waves upon the most fashionable hats, and there is a great variety of Maribout plumes and pompons being used. Some novel conceits are shown in long pins with china heads, and buckels in rhinestones, steel and jet are very much in favor.

“As to colors, champagne and burnt or leather shades are in the lead. Mais or the lemon shades are highly thoguht of, and Copenhagen blue, a sort of Delft, is developing strongly. Plaids are in strong demand.

“Ribbons, chiffons, melines and fancy silks are being used to freely that there is already a scarcity of the goods in the market.”

15
Mar

Of Interest to Women

   Posted by: admin Tags: , , , ,

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 15, 1907

Of Interest to Women

Th (sic) old time lisle and cotton gloves will be worn this summer. they will be made up into four, twelve or sixteen button lengths, though the long ones will undoubtedly be the best sellers.

■ ■ ■

Buttons will be used more than ever as trimming for the spring gowns, especially the big velvet covered ones. For outside coats, bone ones will be used entirely.

■ ■ ■

All the mustard shades will be seen this spring, onion tones will again have a run of popularity and the soft yellows will be decidedly the newest of the lighter pastel shades.

■ ■ ■

Shepherd plaids an inch or three-quarters in size in shades of brown and tan, or several of the new hydranega (sic) blues blended into each other will be worn for the most fashionable shirt waist suits.

■ ■ ■

Some of the new parasols are finished  wtih (sic) wide edge of fringe either the knotted silk strands or the single threads. Of course must (sic) of these fringes are of the same color as the parasol itself.

■ ■ ■

Quaint leghorn hats of coarse weave with drooping brims, flower crowns and ribbons bows falling over the hair are very good this season. They take one back to old time gardens, sun dials and soft summer afternoons of which we love to read.

■ ■ ■

All shades of pink are to be very popular this year, but the soft delicate shades will be the favorites. Most of them are made up with quantities of handsome white lace.

13
Mar

Tailors Enjoying Big Business

   Posted by: admin Tags:

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 13, 1907

Tailors Enjoying Big Business

The man who sells clothing to the men of Fort Dodge is one of the first to feel hard times or prosperity. At the present time he is having an immense amount of business and is not minding it at all. In fact he would just as soon have a little more for good measure.

The fact remains,  however, that Fort Dodge tailors at the present time are enjoying a large trade, larger than for several years past. One Central avenue tailor said today that never in the history of his business in Fort Dodge had he seen such a volume of trade as this spring. He said that he now had orders for more suits than in a long time. And the significant fact mentioned was that every suit is much higher in price than have been purchased in the past few years. This year the tailor in question has not sold a suit below twenty-five dollars in price. Last year and the year before last he sold very few suits above that figure. This is the result of prosperity. In bad times the old suits are taken from the closets, cleaned and repaired, and made to do duty in place of new raiment.

Brown and Grey Popular Colors.

The mandate has been prolonged by the tailors’ associations that brown and gray are to be the popular colors for this year. These were in great demand last year and seem to keep up in the front rank again this spring. Blacks and serges and the mixed goods in brown and grey are also in demand. They form the staple patterns of the tailors’ establishments.

The patterns this year, aside from the solid shades, run mostly to checks. Last year stripes held sway but this year the squares hold the boards. There are many pretty patterns to be seen in spring and summer suitings in the local tailor shops and Easter togs will be as natty as ever seen here. Fort Dodge men are coming to look upon Easter as being as great an occasion for dress as it is to the women of the city.