FASHION'S THRALLS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 7, 9 January 1932, Page 15

FASHION'S THRALLS

"A.; Judge, lias: recently proclaimed publicly 'tlafc wamenii at» el«re& of fashion,, ■writes' Edhlt. Pietoa Tnrber■riO, BLP4ia.tia "Daily Mmh" ;";;.:

I throw down a ehaiEenge here, and now, and. gay it is obvious that men aia far' gxeaier 'iiaytw to- fashion than are womeii. Women can choose fpr their ctdtkes: almost" ia»y 'tioiata^ -•■ under the sun, andr^they''teas '--in sombre clothes can wear the most delightful of-'flaming scarves to. relieve the darkness of ■ their, iressesi ;--'i •Vi ■- ■:

1 MaacuHna />.fashion,,... 'an the at&er handj is sa hidebound. an 3 Umited that iden appear aTitost. to be 'dressed in uniform. InV hath form and eolbur, fashion permits them to have incredibly Kttle ehoiee, and men, dare, sot flout fashion. If by, chance a. maa finds he ia tireariHg i garment that is not quite correct heis far mote" sensitive to public opfisibh than a> weanaa is^ '■''■■■■'■'■

Fashion demands foi masculine dress so Kttte variety that on« sighs for the oMen days as: far aa men's clothing is concerned, for knee breeches and silk stoekiags grca soma itariety of form. In tha ugjy tabular trouserst—most hideous of garments—form ami Kne. are alt aKke, except that some are long and; iytihaxa> Btmnp^-J^^ decrees thafc men; should-:dxessj,.iii sombrefcoioaxs,. aad,;they,.daie not,resist.;,, Even such details as collars and ties are alike, and. show an. appalling slavishnessritos lasbioit aa4 cuatom. ; •;.,.'.

I iawe tno-wa. at young man's ■whole evening a* a daaee to he utterly spoilt because the points- of his white waistcoafc were..-ao* quite as long as they ought to have been. Tie, shoes, all other details were immaculate, but that year fashion had dictated long points to the white waistcoat, and. his

MEN THE REAfc SIEVES

points,'/though to thei'ordinary* observer long 'endiijgh, ;> \yete %ot',as.;,long as those,wprb."'by a 6ther young men.at the dance," jljfoir'ii this -nniisoai, for mon as a- -lula are 'far imora^unnftppy than are womcn'if they digcdvot!they: are not wearing exactly the right tting. '

t)f course there aro-exceptions. In the. House* 'of Commons, for instance, there is undoubtedly greater variety in masculine clothing than there was some thirty years ago. Then practically every M.P.wore morning coat and top-hat.

Those top-hats! Look at a picture of Parliament of forty-years ago. Each man sitting in the House wore a tall silk hat, and these hats were tilted at '-every imaginable angle. Such ; a sight' is never seen, nowadays, though some :half-dozen members remain faithful.;,- ;y -~. ; •■,.■•■,■■■ ; .;.., .... -;. . ,

When Mr.. Keir Hardie entered the House of Commons-early this century in a tweed suit it created a sensation, so strict- was the adherence of every M.P» to the frock coat then ;in fashion. Nowadays, of course, the tweed .suit is worn by many and calls' for no comment. There are members—-J give no names—who appear immacnlateiy dressed'in morning coat, striped trousers, white spats, white slip coat, with top-hat and carnation' all complete I These are to be seek~ on the Labour as well as on the Conservative benches.' . .. ' " • . ,

Nevertheless, though not. quite so uniform, as they used to be, meu-aie dressed horribly alike whether in the House'of Commons or out of it. Wo;men courageously wear a variety of colours in a variety of forms, and would never be so weak as to allow themselves to Toe tied down so rigidly to monotonous colours.