these things that clothes are symbolical. The extreme of fashion generally indicates the fop, and however fine the materials and faultless the fit there is something stamped upon the individual that indicates a want of brain, and leads us to expect to find that frivolity of character which is generally associated with it. Now every one wishes to dress well, not simply that the clothing should be of good quality and the fashion unquestioned, but as they prefer pleasure to pain, so far they desire that the articles worn should be adapted to the body, and afford all the protection and comfort that is derived from well-made articles of clothing.
There is one distinction between ours and all other books on dress that have come under our observation, and that is, that we are dealing with the necessary and not the ornamental part of clothing. Most authors who have written upon this subject have confined their attention to the history of costume, or the absurdity or elegance of some particular fashion, or of the harmony of the colours and relation of the dress to the figure of the individual, and hence have dealt only with the exterior. We, on the contrary, have commenced
