Random Reminder

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28906, 28 May 1959, Page 23

Random Reminder

SACKCLOTH AND ASHES

Only a week or two ago young New Zealand was shocked and horrified to read someone’s comment that the men of the Dominion are the worst-dressed in the world. But they found some balm for their wounds when the article about Russians demanding better clothes was published. But there is no denying that New Zealanders lack imagination in their choice of clothes. The average man has only a couple of suits, at most. One of them is described, as a rule, with that

damning phrase . . . “still quite good.” But the other one is his best suit. It is worn seldom, and it is chosen with a view to seeing Its owner through, without embarrassmen, such diverse occasions as the battalion reunion, the funeral of a distant cousin, and the annual interview with the boss to settle wage claims. If the New Zealander’s clothes sometimes hint more at the bazaar than the bizarre, he is unlikely to change his habit or habits at the direction of someone

from overseas. Hereford street will be denied the sight of the young lawyer stalking to his office in a suit of forest green, with pink lapels the size of elephant’s ears. There are other fixed customs which have lasted long, and among them is the use of the classified advertisements in “The Press.” The variety of opportunities for buying and selling that they offer, combined with the tremendous area over which they are distributed, gives them tremendous appeal to the discerning.