Part 31
Compare the measurements as written on the order sheet with the foregoing chart. While there may be some variation, due to physical differences, and for which scientific allowance will be made by the cutter if necessary, the lengths of coats and vests should be given on the order as in the table if one wishes garments cut in the fashion of the day—it being understood that freak garments such as undergraduates and rounders affect are not bound by these wise and sane suggestions.
Proportionate Table of Measurements
For Guidance of Customers Ordering by Mail
═══════════════════════╤═══╤═══╤═══╤═══╤═══╤═══╤═══╤═══╤═══╤═══╤═══╤═══ │ 5 │ 5 │ 5 │ 5 │ 5 │ 5 │ 5 │ 5 │ 5 │ 5 │ 6 │ 6 Hight (basis of │ft.│ft.│ft.│ft.│ft.│ft.│ft.│ft.│ft.│ft.│ft.│ft. measurements) │ 2 │ 3 │ 4 │ 5 │ 6 │ 7 │ 8 │ 9 │10 │11 │ │ 1 │in.│in.│in.│in.│in.│in.│in.│in.│in.│in.│ │in. ───────────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼─── Average weight │90 │100│110│120│130│140│150│160│170│180│190│200 ───────────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼─── Breast │31 │32 │33 │34 │35 │36 │37 │38 │39 │40 │41 │42 ───────────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼─── Waist length, frock, │17 │17¼│17½│17¾│18 │18¼│18½│18¾│19 │19¼│19½│19¾ Prince Albert and │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ dress coat │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ───────────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼─── Length of cutaway or │33¼│33¾│34¼│34¾│35¼│35¾│36¼│36¾│37¼│37¾│38 │39 walking coat │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ───────────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼─── Length of dress or │37 │37¾│38½│39½│40½│41½│42 │42½│43 │43½│44 │44 Prince coat │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ───────────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼─── Length of │27 │27½│28 │28½│29 │29½│30 │30½│31 │31½│32 │33 single-breasted sack │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ───────────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼─── Length of │27½│28 │28½│29 │29½│30 │30½│31 │31½│32 │32 │33 double-breasted sack │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ───────────────────────┼───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴─── Length of Chesterfield │Should state if to wear over frock or sack coat sack overcoat │ or both ───────────────────────┼───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬─── Length of vest │23½│24 │24½│24¾│25 │25¼│25½│25¾│26¼│26¾│27 │27½ ───────────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼─── Outside seam of │39½│40 │40½│41¼│42¼│43 │43½│44¼│45 │45½│46 │46½ trousers including │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ waistband │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ───────────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼─── Inseam of trousers │29 │29½│30 │30½│31 │31½│32 │32½│33 │33½│34 │34½ ───────────────────────┼───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴─── Sleeve │Measure sleeve of old coat from seam under arm │ to cuff, adding ½ inch ───────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────── Length of top coat │One and one-half inches longer than │ double-breasted sack ───────────────────────┼───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬─── Length of rain coat │46 │47 │48 │49 │50 │51 │52 │53 │54 │55 │56 │57 ───────────────────────┼───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴─── Length of skirted │One inch less than rain coat overcoat │ ───────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────── Length of ulster │Same as rain coat ───────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────── Length of Tuxedo coat │Same as double-breasted sack ───────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────────────
When the hight is shorter and the weight heavier, the breast will be larger than the proportionate table shows. When the hight is higher and the weight less, the breast will be smaller than the table shows.
When the breast is larger than the seat, take the measure again, as this is unusual. Be careful that the personal description is thoro.
PERIODS OF MOURNING
For a wife, widowers wear mourning for one year to eighteen months; second mourning, if adopted, usually being at the expiration of a year.
For a husband, widows wear mourning for two to three years, lightening at intervals of six months.
Grass widows and widowers do not wear mourning for the departed.
For parents, gentlemen wear mourning for six months to one year; women usually wear it for two years.
For a brother or sister, gentlemen wear mourning for six months to one year; women usually one year.
For a child, fathers wear mourning six months to one year; mothers usually a full year. For an infant, three months.
For grandparents, few men wear mourning; but if they do, second mourning for three to six months is considered sufficient; women wear mourning six months to one year.
For uncles, aunts or cousins, men seldom adopt mourning, unless second mourning for one to three months; women for three months.
For grandchildren, it is considered unnecessary—or perhaps too admonitory.
It will be noticed that women always grieve longer than men—at least by outward symbols.
TO MEASURE FOR A HAT
Adjust tape measure around head at a point level with the center of the forehead.
═══════════════════════════ Hat size Inches around head ─────────────────────────── 5⅝ 18¾ 6 19 6⅛ 19⅜ 6¼ 19¾ 6⅜ 20¼ 6½ 20¾ 6⅝ 21 6¾ 21½ 6⅝ 21⅝ 7 22¼ 7⅛ 22½ 7¼ 23 7⅜ 23⅜ 7½ 23¾ 7⅝ 24 7¾ 24½ 7⅝ 25 8 25¼ ───────────────────────────
Boys’ sizes run from 5⅝ to 7; mens’ from 6¾; the largest size commonly carried in stock is 7¾, all above that being called extra sizes.
LIVERY CHART
A table of the proper servants’ wear for city and country, arranged by vehicles.
NOTE.—In many cases trousers matching coat may be substituted for boots and breeches; circumstances, principally those concerned with formality, must govern.
═════════════════════╤════╤══════════════════════╤═════════════════════ VEHICLE │MEN │ CITY │ COUNTRY ─────────────────────┼────┼──────────────────────┼───────────────────── Beach (or morning) │ 1│Dress; trousers │Undress; trousers phaeton │ │ │ Booby sleigh │ 2│Dress or undress │Undress or dress Break │ 2│Dress or undress; │Undress or dress; │ │ trousers │ trousers Brougham │1 or│Dress; boots and │ │ 2│ breeches │ Caleche │ 2│Dress; boots and │ │ │ breeches │ Chaise │ 1│Dress; boots and │ │ │ breeches or │ │ │ trousers; better │ │ │ form without a │ │ │ servant │ Coach │ 2│Dress; boots and │ │ │ breeches │ Cocking cart │ 1│Dress; boots and │Undress; breeches and │ │ breeches or trousers│ leggins Coupe │1 or│Dress; boots and │ │ 2│ breeches │ Curricle │ 1│Dress; boots and │ │ │ breeches │ Cutter │ 1│Dress or undress │Undress or dress Dog cart │ 1│Dress; boots and │Undress; breeches and │ │ breeches │ leggins D’Orsay │ 2│Dress; boots and │ │ │ breeches │ Dos-a-dos │ 1│Dress; boots and │Undress; breeches and │ │ breeches │ leggins Extension top phaeton│ 1│Dress; trousers │Undress; trousers Game cart │ 1│Dress; boots and │Undress; breeches and │ │ breeches │ leggins George IV (or lady’s │ 1│Dress; boots and │ driving phaeton) │ │ breeches │ Gig phaeton │ 1│Dress; boots and │ │ │ breeches │ Golf cart │ 1│Dress; boots and │Undress; breeches and │ │ breeches │ leggins Hansom │ 1│Dress or undress; may │Undress or dress; may │ │ wear a plain black │ wear a plain black │ │ cutaway coat, felt │ cutaway coat, felt │ │ top hat, breeches │ top hat, breeches │ │ and leggins, in │ and leggins, in │ │ rainy weather a │ rainy weather a │ │ mackintosh cape │ machintosh cape Ladies’ driving │ │See George IV │ phaeton │ │ │ Landau │ 2│Dress; boots and │ │ │ breeches │ Landaulet │ 1│Dress; boots and │ │ │ breeches │ Mail phaeton │ 2│Dress; groom’s livery │ │ │ boots and breeches │ Morning phaeton │ │See Beach phaeton │ Omnibus │ 2│Dress; afternoon or │Undress; trousers │ │ evening, boots and │ │ │ breeches; morning │ │ │ trousers │ Park drag │ 2│Dress; groom’s livery,│ │ │ boots and breeches │ Phaeton │ 1│Dress; trousers │Undress; trousers Road coach │ 2│ │Dress; boots and │ │ │ breeches, or, │ │ │ undress; breeches │ │ │ and leggins Rockaway │ 1│Dress; trousers │Undress; trousers Runabout │ 1│Dress or undress │Undress or dress Skeleton break │ 2│ │Undress; breeches and │ │ │ leggins Spider phaeton │ 1│Dress; boots and │ │ │ breeches │ Stanhope │ 1│Dress; boots and │ │ │ breeches │ Station wagon │ 1│ │Undress; trousers Surrey │ 1│Dress; trousers │Undress; trousers T cart │ 1│Dress; boots and │ │ │ breeches │ Tandem cart │ 1│Dress; boots and │Undress; breeches and │ │ breeches │ leggins Tilbury │ 1│Dress; boots and │ │ │ breeches │ Top wagon │ 1│ │Undress; trousers or │ │ │ breeches and │ │ │ leggins Unicorn break │ 1│Dress; boots and │Undress; breeches and │ │ breeches │ leggins Victoria │1 or│Dress; boots and │ │ 2│ breeches │ Vis-a-vis │ 2│Dress; boots and │ │ │ breeches │ Wagonette │ 1│Dress or undress; │Undress or dress; │ │ trousers │ trousers Whitechapel cart │ 1│Dress; boots and │Undress; breeches and │ │ breeches │ leggins │ │ │ │ │ AUTOMOBILES │ Brougham │ 2│Dress or undress; │ │ │ greatcoats │ Ladies’ runabout │ 1│Undress; trousers │Undress; trousers Runabout │ 1│Undress; trousers │Undress; trousers Surrey │ 1│Dress; military coat, │Undress; trousers │ │ trousers │ Touring car │1 or│Undress; greatcoats │Undress; greatcoats │ 2│ │ Victoria │ 2│Dress; trousers │Undress; trousers Victoria (rear drive)│ 1│Dress; trousers │Undress; trousers ─────────────────────┴────┴──────────────────────┴─────────────────────
CLOTH MEASURE
This old system is used but little nowadays, having been superseded by long measure and the metric system.
2¼ inches make 1 nail marked na. 4 nails make 1 quarter marked qr. 4 quarters make 1 yard marked yd. 3 quarters make 1 ell Flemish marked E. Fl. 5 quarters make 1 ell English marked E. E. 5 quarters 1 9–10 ins. make 1 ell French marked E. Fr. 5 quarters 1 1–5 ins. make 1 ell Scotch marked E. S.
SHOES: THEIR NUMBERING
There are various systems of shoe sizes in use nowadays—designed, perhaps, to deceive those with vanity afflicted who will insist they can wear a smaller size than they can wear—or should wear. So if one asks for 6½A he can depart in peace and comfort wearing 40–1, or 185, or 28–1, or otherwise as the system may be.
Yet for that matter an 8½A by one maker may not be 8½A in some other maker’s shoes, although both use the old numbering system, as many still do.
The best known of the “blind numbering systems” is that known as “French Sizes” and corresponds thus:
Size 1 1½ 2 2½ 3 3½ 4 4½ Written 33 33- 34 34- 35 35- 36 36- 5 5½ 6 6½ 7 7½ 8 8½ 37 37- 38 38- 39 39- 40 40- 9 9½ 10 10½ 11 11½ 12 12½ 41 41- 42 42- 43 43- 44 44- 13 13½ 14 12 13½ 45 45- 46 45 45-
A dash indicates half sizes.
Widths A B C D E EE Written 0 1 2 3 4 5
In marking, the size is first written, then the width, close together; thus 37–0 means 5½A, 40–1 means 8B, etc.
Another widely used system is more obvious, in that ½ is the decimal .5 without the decimal point, thus:
Size 1 1½ 2 2½ 3 3½ 4 4½ 5 Written 1 15 2 25 3 35 4 45 5 5½ 6 6½ 7 7½ 8 8½ 9 9½ 55 6 65 7 75 8 85 9 95 10 10½ 11 11½ 12 12½ 13 13½ 14 10 105 11 115 12 125 13 135 14 Widths A B C D E EE Written 1 2 3 4 5 6
In marking, the width is written first, so that 1½A is 115, 4½C is 345, etc.
A third system has a valueless figure prefixt thus:
Size 1 1½ 2 2½ 3 3½ 4 Written 21 21- 22 22- 23 23- 24 4½ 5 5½ 6 6½ 7 7½ 24- 25 25- 26 26- 27 27- 8 8½ 9 9½ 10 10½ 11 28 28- 29 29- 210 210- 211 11½ 12 12½ 13 13½ 211- 212 212- 213 213-
The dash indicating the half sizes.
Widths AA A B C D E EE Written 00 0 1 2 3 4 5 Or 1 2 3 4 5
In marking, the widths are written last, thus 22–0 means 2½A, 281 means 8B or 8A.
A system largely used in marking men’s shoes consists in letting the last figure indicate the width and dividing the first figure or figures by 2 to obtain the size, thus:
Size 1 1½ 2 2½ 3 3½ 4 4½ Written 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 5 5½ 6 6½ 7 7½ 8 8½ 10 11 12 12½ 14 15 16 17 9 9½ 10 10½ 11 11½ 12 12½ 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Widths A B C D E EE Written 1 2 3 4 5 6
Thus size 7½A is written 151, size 8B is written 162, and so on.
Another system, and one that is used by the Douglas Shoe Co., has the width written first, and the size next, a third figure being used to indicate whether a whole or half size is meant, thus:
470 means width 4 or (D) size 7 345 means width 3 or (C) size 4½
This system retains the regular size numbers from 1 upward, the whole number being indicated by 0 and a half size by 5 added as the third figure. After size 9½ four figures are used, the two middle ones indicating the size. Widths are designated thus:
Width A B C D E EE W Written 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Doubtless, like in all things else, woman was at the bottom of the invention of these systems, which were fittingly applied first of all to woman’s shoes, but nowadays they are quite universal. Hence he is a happy man whose shoes fit and who knows it.
Shoe sizes for the various ages are usually divided thus:
Infants’, 3 to 8 Children’s, 8½ to 12 Misses’, 12½ to 2 Ladies’, 2½ to 6 Youths’, 12 to 2 Boys’, 2½ to 6 Men’s, 6 to 14
while widths are clast
A or 1 narrow B or 2 medium narrow C or 3 medium D or 4 wide E or 5 extra wide EE or 6, widest usually made W or 7 exceptionally wide.
RELATED HOSIERY AND SHOE SIZES
While it is scarcely advisable to order shoes (by mail, for instance) by the sizes of one’s hose, it is quite practicable, satisfactory and comfortable to order hose by the size of one’s shoes—that is to say by the relation of these sizes to each other, to wit:
Men’s hosiery—
Shoe 5½–6 6½–7 7½–8 8½–9 9½–10 10½–11 Hose 9½ 10 10½ 11 11½ 12
Average weight in cotton, 2½ ounces per pair; wool, 3½ ounces.
Children’s hosiery—
1 Infants’ shoe takes 4 -in. hose 2 and 3 Infants’ shoe takes 4½-in. hose 4 Infants’ shoe takes 5 -in. hose 5 Infants’ shoe takes 5½-in. hose 6 and 7 Children’s shoe takes 6 -in. hose 8 Children’s shoe takes 6½-in. hose 9 and 10 Children’s shoe takes 7 -in. hose 11 Boys’ shoe takes 7½-in. hose 12 Boys’ shoe takes 8 -in. hose 13, 1 and 2 Boys’ shoe takes 8–8½-in. hose
Average weight per pair, cotton, 2 to 4 ounces; per dozen, 20 to 40 ounces; wool, about 50 per cent more.
HOSIERY SIZE MARKS
The little pinhead holes near the ribbed top of a stocking indicate its size. Read them thus:
Mens’ hosiery— Size 9 * Size 9½ ** Size 10 *** Size 10½ **** Size 11 ***** Size 11½ ****** or *** ***
Infants’ hosiery— Size 4 * Size 4½ ** Size 5 *** Size 5½ **** Size 6 ***** Size 6½ ****** or *** ***
Boys’ hosiery— Size 6 * Size 6½ ** Size 7 *** Size 7½ **** Size 8 ***** Size 8½ ****** or *** *** Size 9 *** **** Size 9½ **** **** Size 10 **** *****
SLEEVE LENGTHS (SHIRTS)
As commonly made the following lengths of sleeves are provided for each neck size—a lesser range for colored shirts because of the extra hazard on “novelties” and perhaps because the wearers aren’t so particular as he who must be au fait in spick-and-span white all the time.
═══════════════════════╤═══════════════════════════════════════════════ NECK SIZE │ SLEEVE LENGTHS ───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┬─────────────────────── │ White │ Colored ───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼─────────────────────── 13½ │ 30 to 32 │ 31 ───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼─────────────────────── 14 │ 30 to 33 │ 31 to 33 ───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼─────────────────────── 14½ │ 30 to 34 │ 31 to 33 ───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼─────────────────────── 15 │ 30 to 35 │ 31 to 33 ───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼─────────────────────── 15½ │ 30 to 35 │ 32 to 34 ───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼─────────────────────── 16 │ 30 to 33 │ 32 to 34 ───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼─────────────────────── 16½ │ 30 to 34 │ 32 and 33 ───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼─────────────────────── 17 │ 30 to 34 │ 32 and 33 ───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼─────────────────────── 17½ │ 31 to 34 │ 32 and 33 ───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼─────────────────────── 18 │ 31 to 34 │ 32 and 33 ───────────────────────┴───────────────────────┴───────────────────────
Attacht cuffs add 2 inches.
BOYS’ AND CHILDREN’S UNION SUITS
The corresponding sizes for ages are as follows: