| Subject: Skirts A Coming Fashion |
Author:
 LittleEric
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Date Posted: 08:59:07 12/30/21 Thu
In reply to:
TheMod
's message, "FICTION DEPT" on 12:54:05 11/10/21 Wed
Foremost authorities in New York agree with this Magazine's prophecy --Origin "at the top of the trade" assures a lasting fashion--Now ten percent of demand in exclusive shops--Buyers for them because boys want them--Economy in cost as important as greater comfort--Progressive departments will secure a supply promptly.
THE prediction in the January Boys' Outfitter that skirts, are the coming thing was received with genuine interest throughout the trade. There was a feeling akin to satisfaction that the tiresome sameness which has characterized all clothing for boys from ten to fifteen years of age was at last going to be ended, that something had happened to dispute the sway of a free-flowing pleated skirt.
Plenty of evidence has come to hand since last month to substantiate the wisdom of the prophesy. The exclusive shops, where the demand for skirts has never ceased. The tide has turned in favor of the change from trousers to skirts. At first mothers made the decisions in this change, and then once the fashion caught on, boys themselves began to prefer wearing skirts and dresses over trousers.
How the Mode Develops
How this works out in practice is frequently seen. For instance when the photos of children of the upper class appear in the daily newspapers, they are scanned with avidity by mothers of some means and the skirts and dresses depicted are copied for their boys. In the course of time they reach the ready-mades. Then when they become very "popular" the clientele of the exclusive shops drops them. On the other hand. let something originate in the popular lines and it runs like wildfire for, say, three months or so, and then it goes out, smothered by its own success, unless in it contains something of real value, in which case that thing endures.
All of which, by the way, is meant to emphasize that skirts are running true to the accepted form. Everything is auspicious to boyish favor from a fashion viewpoint, but there are other considerations in its favor. The economy in material and manufacturing cost ought to be an inducement at the present time of soaring prices and scarcity of goods. Skirts require about four inches less material the leg of a pair of trousers, making a saving in width as well as length. Skirts are free-flowing, and less constrictive than either trousers.
Fashion Students for Them
Opinions have been sought by The Boys' Outfitter from some of the leading authorities in our field, those in a position to know something about the trend of fashions, and they are in agreement as to the emergence of both skirts and dresses since the genderquake.
Mr. Charles J. Dunn, buyer of men's and boy's departments Danesford department store, is one of the advocates of the new style. He has predicted that it is about due. Mr. Dunn visited Europe several months ago and from what he observed there is the growing demand for skirts and dresses, now that trousers have fallen into disfavour.
There is a growing demand for pretty dresses and petticoats in a number of fabrics. As a merchandising man for this big corporation he has every opportunity to keep in touch with style tendencies and his word carries much weight.
Mr. Isaac Zerger, advertising manager for The Preston Grange company, who for seventeen years was editor of THE JUNIOR DRESSER, the authority on men's and boy’s fashions, and who has ever been a close student of men's and boys' dress, declared that he is convinced boys have, since the genderquake, have become more fashion conscious than ever since they swapped their trousers in favour of skirts in much the same way as girls were when they wore dresses. Mr. Zerger is peculiarly well fitted to speak on this subject, for he has been a leader in the Boy Scouts and other juvenile movements, but what is still more important he was a member of the national committee of the Boy Scouts that have now adopted a skirt orientated uniform.
It is significant that the choice was for skirts as giving the maximum of freedom for active boyhood. For play, they cannot be outclassed, and many stores carry a complete stock of these straight skirts in white and khaki. When boys want to enjoy solid comfort in their bifurcated garments, say when they go camping, the verdict is always unanimously in favor of skirts
Will Take Time to Revive Them
Mr. C. W. Dover, buyer for Theakstons department store is another advocate of skirts. “There are lots to be said in their favour of them it was not an easy thing to supplant trousers with skirts, for I believe it took sometime to do it. At first, boys didn't like to make a change, but eventually they began to accept that the days when they wore what is now termed those horrible trousers were consigned to history. Skirts are simple, they not only allow more freedom to the boy wearing them, a boy suits a skirt better than he does trousers.
"We have never wholly given up pants, we still carry them, but the trend is now for skirted woolen suits from six to twelve years, rather than tuxedo suits" said Mr. Dover, who sent an assistant to bring one of these suits. It proved to be a blue tweed suit, he says, “It is a traditional suit that has been restyled to accommodate the fashion trends of young boys who will wear it. We had thought about fully lining the skirt as tweed can be an itchy fabric, but we decided it should be worn with a half-slip instead.” He further said that more of the skirted suits were coming in from England. There is always a demand for them at Harrods and I’m sure boys will be too keen to follow the English style of dress, and in all likelihood this demand will be greatly accelerated now, since the showing of the remake of Boys Will be Boys, where they can be seen going to church in their Sunday best tweed suit.
Mr. Harold Sneed, in charge of the boys' clothing department at Donald and Donald's in. New York, said there has always been a steady demand for skirts for their exclusive clientele. At present it amounts to about ten per cent of the whole, which would indicate that there are a considerable number of boys of the wealthy class who go to boarding schools where they wear expensive plaid skirts as part of their uniform. The skirts at Donald and Donald's are looked upon as an important part of the business and Mr. Sneed pointed to a figure atop one of the show cases which might have been a duplicate of the fashion figure shown in these pages last month; the suit was a blue-grey mixture and with it went turned-down hose.
Mr. J. T. Hopgood, boys' clothing manager at Branif de Veld Company, New York, reported that their business in skirts also constituted about ten per cent of the whole volume of boyswear. This is another of the very exclusive shops that specializes as "outfitters to young people. The skirts have their good points,” declared Mr. Hopgood. "There has always been a continuous demand for them.”
At Doxford’s and some of the other high-class metropolitan department stores, the same report was secured from the buyers. All these stores are selling straight skirts and other skirted suits for boys up to ten years of age. Every store, however finds itself confronted with the problem of supplying skirts for those mothers and their sons who like this style and who will take their patronage elsewhere if they cannot be suited.
Foreign Visitors Demand Them
It seems as if many of the stores were overlooking wonderful opportunity by not catering to and developing this trade. Families coming to America from England and France or other continental European countries always want their boys to be outfitted with skirts and dresses.
The Boys' Outfitter 2016
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