A SARTORIAL PROPHECY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8162, 20 June 1906, Page 7

A SARTORIAL PROPHECY.

The editor of "Men's Wear,' 1 who may be presumed to have a claim to be heard on the subjeot. takes •en optimistic view of the future of men's dress from an artistic point ■of view. He sees already the beginnings of a revolt against the "cylindrical mode" and the idea that practical clothes are ugly clothes. The well-dressed man of 1956 on "fall-dress" oooasions will •wear A COSTUME NOT FAR REMOVED from that which ga4e grace to the Georgian period; a coat fall in the ■skirts, artistically deoorated, a soft •shirt and neck wear, easy, bygienio, «nd attractive, knee breeches, stockings, and elegant shoes. Like Jane Ansten, the editor of "Men's Wear" is very fond of the word •elegant, wbich he regards as the >last word in the development of male and female attire. The oritio may argue that saoh a costume is unfitted to the strenuous life; bat Ihe leaves as unmoved. Who said the strenuous life, AS IT IS UNDERSTOOD 1 -to-day, is everlatsing? On the contrary we see already signs of a movement in the other direction. The increasing strength of the week-end movement goes to show that busy ! men find attention to Tational and sufficient recreation •is one of the seorets ,of success. And this movement is contributed to every day by inventions which :render THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF LABOUR "more easy, and more graceful,." In 'fact, there is to be a revival of appreciation of good manners, and ele■gancs in dreap, and by 1856 a class will have arisen "who will retain •a refinement of manner, a distinction of dress unprecedented in the histdry of the world—a new class --elegantly attired, possessing the manners of the aribtoirat, the dress ■of the old # time dandy, the. BRAINS OF A SUCCESSFUL Tjusiness man." This class will be the ruling class, and will be looked up to and imitated. "In all ranks of life there will be evident a desire ior toe picturesque, a reasoned appreciation of what is really good in 3ife, a revolt against humbug and against snobbishness. Improvements in fabrics are being made, and BEAUTIFUL MATERIALS WILL ■ ■ ; / at the disposal of the poor, though perhaps an apology is due to our social reformers for suggesting that ■there will be poor in 1956." ' Such ' 'Optimism is ! surely to be encouraged . though it is to be noted that the writer speaks of 1956, a time when he will not he here to have his prophecy brought up against him." ,