CLOTHES OF THE PAST

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21258, 11 August 1932, Page 6

CLOTHES OF THE PAST

VETERAN DRESS SUIT

OTHER ODD SURVIVALS

TALL SILK HAT OF 1849

Articles of feminine attire are often handed down from generation to generation as heirlooms, but it is rare to find male garments preserved much beyond the lifetime of their original wearers. An exception was found in Auckland lately when a Queen Street tailor had brought to him for renovation a dress - suit well over half a century old. The man owned it explained that he wished to take it into use himself for evening wear. To the tailor the suit was of great technical interest, since it was a rare example of style and craftsmanship two generations old. The material was "Venetian cloth," with a decided nap running in one direction. Consequently every piece of the" coat, waistcoat and tronsers had had to be cut with the nap running downward, and no reversal was possible. Another peculiarity of the cloth was that it was guaranteed not to fray. At the edges of the coat the material was not turned in, but left "raw"—a method which time had fully ♦ justified, although" it would be quite impossible to-day. The design of the coat was peculiar, the tails ending well above the knee. The tailor was of opinion that, while the suit would still pass muster at some evening functions, it would look decidedly odd upon a dancing floor. Necessary Alterations Dress-suits of a later vintage, say, 25 years ago, are still to be seen in use now and then. It is the misfortune of presentday tailors that clothes of this kind aro expensive in the first place and have a long life. Judicious letting-out accommodates the waistcoat and trousers to an expanding waistline, and the coat needs no attention in this respect, as it is not required to meet in front. A good example of long-preserved clothes occurred in Auckland a few years ago, when an old couple appeared at their golden wedding party dressed in the very clothes in which they had been married. There is an Auckland resident of to-day who still wears the upper parts of a pair of black woollen socks knitted for him by his mother for his wedding 25 years ago. Her gift on that occasion was a dozen pairs, which afterwards were repeatedly refooted and so kept in regular use. Diamond jubilees and other celebrations in various New Zealand towns of late have made a feature of old-time costume parades, and these have brought to light a great deal of quaint/old attire, for the most part women's dresses, with hats and bonnets to match. For an amateur performance of "Box and Cox" in a South Island town some years back, a complete suit of the year 1855 or thereabouts -was unearthed. It consisted of a black broadcloth coat with wide skirts, a plaid -waistcoat and strapped trousers in a pin-check material. Hat and Its Case A family in th© same district cherishes a tall silk hat, complete with leather case, which the founder of the family, a former London solicitor, brought to New Zealand in 1849., The old gentleman, whose descendants have now reached the fourth generation, had little use for his top-hat in the wilds; hence its preservation to this day. The habit of keeping alive by-gone fashions applies more to the relations between customer and tailor than to the storing up of old garments. In every community there are a few middle-aged or elderly men who cling to old ways in dress, and get their tailors to continue the tradition in every new suit they order. An extreme case was a well-known resident of Wellington who, a few years ago, at any rate, was never seen on Lambton Quay except in a black tail-coat, light trousers, and a silk hat of early Victorian pattern. He could hardly have procured such hats except by having them specially made in England.