THE TROUSER TROUBLE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 15 August 1924, Page 8

THE TROUSER TROUBLE.

TO CREASE OR NOT TO CREASE? THE FINISHING TOUCH. , HOW IT STRIKES THE FEMININE MIND.

‘‘Why do men crease their trousers down the middle? 1 suppose the poor fellows must do something to be fashionable, but I prefer to see no crease at all. Three men walked in front of me in the street this morning. One had his trousers creased down the front, one down the sides, and the other had no creases at all. The latter looked much smarter than the other two.”

This is a, copy of a letter written to the editor of the London Daily Mail by one who signs herself “An Ordinary Woman.” Little did she think-, as she penned this epistle, that she was raising an all-important question. “Why,” she asks, “do men crease their trouses down the middle ” She is not inferring, although as the lines stand it would he excusable for one to believe so, that they .would be all right if creased elsewhere. She wants to know >vhy men crease their trousers at all. It may never have occurred to her that there are many people who are asking the opposite question —wln\ many men do not crease their trousers.

This trouser creasing, as males who indulge in it know, is a business that cannot be too highly estimated. A con. noisseur in dress would, if' asked why he wore creased garments about his legs, look aghast for a while at the foolishness of the question, and then tell you that he would rather wear none at all than creaseless ones. Creases are a sort of dominating- factor in a man’s dress —the finishing touch to a glad array. Those who worry about these things could no more be seen in uncreased trousers. than they could wear a white tie with a dinner or brown shoes (or gaudy socks) with evening dress. It isn’t done, as they say. By a remai'kable coincidence, there was in the same paper in which the “ordinary woman’s” letter appeared an article on “The Importance of Clothes.” The value of good appearence, said the writer, was inestimable. He told how positions could he won and lost by clothes— how a business man would certainly select from among a number of applicants for a position the young fellow with the neat clothes, clean boots and spotless linen. “Men are wanting to get back to a conception of elegance without going as far as the dandyism of Brummell,” he said. Those men who, during and after the war, were careless about their attire are now showing better taste and a desire to be worthy of woman’s regard. They are paying more attention fo the details of their dress, thus showing that they realise the importance of clothes.” That’s where the crease comes in. Imagine a beautifully cut suit, .elegant shoes, wonderful necktie—.but uncreased trousers. Inconceivable! The creases, as was said before, add the final.touch. The lady of the letter says that she prefers no creases at all, but the weight of opinion is against her. Those who study the question say that women are very impressed by . clothes. A man wrote in this paper the other day and said: “In these days, if a man cannot dress in a manner which will attract the :female he has a small chance of making a.hiatch,” There, again, one can see the ijnpor tanee of the lines laid down the trousers, A man may not be able to afford extravagant clothes, but if he creased the trousers of his one Sunday suit it is a point in his favour. By that little simple action the lady of his heart can see that he is at least tx-ying to win her regard. On the other hand, he who allows his trousers to slop about his legs like a bag may be doomed. One can imagine a painfut scene something like this: “No George, I cannot marry you. You haven’t even tried to crease your trousers, so please do not try to press your suit with me.” Going hack to the letter, we see that the writer remarks that one of the men had his trousers creased down the sides, and one not at all, the latter looking much smarter than'the others. As far as the creases down the sides go, one agrees with her. One had heard that it was being done on the Continent, but it leaves most people cold. For one thing nothing would be more consistent with producing bagginess, and that is a thing that men abhor. Creases down the middle, while not infallible, are distinct advantages in preventing the trouble. In any case the idea of creases at the sides seems lacking in something. One might just a well have the legs of the lower garments accordeon pleated, or wear kilts for instance. After all the whole business is just a matter of opinion. Youths and men sleep on iron, buy presses and go to all sorts of extremes to keep their ‘■n users pressed—others nevi’.r care a jot. Genius, they say, is expected to be sloppy, for his mind is far away on other things, but this of course does not mean that every man who has baggy and uncresed trousers is a genius. Lord forbid! Then, although the opinion seems to he. that creases, amongst other things, have a good impression on the fair s ex, it °is only natural that there should be some of their number who care nought about the trousers as long as the man inside them is acceptable. In anv case one hopes that this is so. ‘ ’ In the old days, in order to secure permanent creases, strips of material were sown down the middles of the tiousers the wider the strio the more fashionable. These davs' it is the worry of some poor fellows’ liyes how to i eta in the “razor-like” creases and keep their trousers elegant. Which brings us to the story of Johnny Bellchambers. It will he remembered by O. Henry’s readers that the great worry of Johnny’s life was his attire. He loved elegant clothes like a child loves its mother. He saw that they were always perfect, hut was never satisfied. Suddenly he disappeared. Years afterwards some of his old friends were visiting a remote monasterv in Europe. As the tourists stood in the h/d* the cassocked monks passed on their way to prayer, and, to the astonishment of the tourists, Johnnv Bellchambers brought up the rear. An audience with monk Bedchambers was obtained, and the first question put to him was why he had chosen this mcnastic life. His answer came: “At last, ’ said Johnny Bedchambers, <dancing down at his heavy cloth cassock, which hung about his legs “at last I have found a garment that xvill not bag at the knees.”