Notre costume

Notre costume by Eugène Marsan is a sartorial essay and practical style manual written in the early 20th century. Blending cultural criticism with hands-on guidance, the book explores men’s clothing and the art of elegant self-presentation, focusing on how modern life reshapes dress. The book opens by urging men to care about dress, then forecasts the decline of the tailcoat in favor of the dinner jacket and the reign of the lounge suit. It offers meticulous, often technical counsel on cut and proportion—correct sleeve shape, shoulder line, vest opening, trouser length, lapels, buttons, and the balancing of comfort with grace—while warning against fads (from “gigolo” sharp angles to Oxford-bag excess). Marsan details footwear and hats (championing the soft felt, criticizing extremes in shoe lasts) via an anecdotal portrait of M. de Comminges; explains how to choose and tie cravats (régate, square knot, plastron) and coordinate them with shirts and socks; refines rules for shirts, collars, undergarments, and hosiery; and surveys canes, umbrellas, gloves, and small accessories (“la Petite Oie”) from cigarette cases to belts. An epilogue traces dandyism—from Incroyables to Brummell and Baudelaire—and argues for simplicity, quality, and a discreet personal signature, celebrating figures like Foujita as models of individual style. (This is an automatically generated summary.)