Give Your Husband a Hint

Everyone would like to be well groomed and elegantly dressed, but some go to such extremes of dandyism that they become a laughingstock to onlookers.

Perhaps the best rule a man can follow in his clothes is that nothing in them should catch the eye. If he stands talking with someone for a long while, and that person then leaves him and after a time tries to recall what he was wearing, and his memory fails him — that is proof that the man was well groomed and of perfect taste in his dress.

As for gaudy colors, conspicuous ornament, and eccentricity in the choice of colors and trimmings — all that is proof of corrupt taste.

A little negligence in dress is better than excess of dandyism.

A jacket with three buttons looks less smart when all three are fastened, and looks trim when one button is done up and the other two are left open.

And if a man keeps the creases of his clothes from ever losing their pressing, knots his necktie to perfection, and shows the tip of his handkerchief from his breast pocket with such utter care that the pattern appears at one of its corners, then he is like a moving statue devoid of soul.

Let him also avoid having his clothes all matched in color with obvious uniformity: he should not make the color of his necktie the very color of the suit's cloth, and of the breast handkerchief, and of the socks, exactly. It is enough that among the patterns of the necktie there be one fine line matching the color of the suit's cloth for his dress to acquire an acceptable harmony.

And let him beware of putting in his necktie a pin set with a large diamond — unless he wishes to give people the impression that he is a broker or newly rich. If a pin there must be, let it be a single pearl.