During 1883, the men's clothing store, Rogers & Peet, capitalized
on the "Dude" craze by running a series of ads featuring "dudes."
This is the second of the series. [See also, Prudence vs. Imprudence, A Yankee Dude'll Do, and Dude - from Swahili?]
As with its earlier ad (Dude #34), Rogers & Peet again skewers the "Dude" (this time by name), criticizing his choice of a short overcoat. They also criticized "old fogy clothiers" who continued selling long overcoats, despite changes in fashion. Instead, they recommended buying a new, fashionable, middle-length overcoat - at Rogers & Peet, of course. The expression, "too, too," used to describe the happy medium, was a then-current, lah-de-dah phrase associated with dandyism, dudism, and the aesthetic movement associated with Oscar Wilde:
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| The Sun, March 22, 1883. |
The now celebrated “Dude” wears
his overcoat too short because he is a “Dude;” the Old Fogy Clothiers try to
make sensible people wear theirs too long just because the aforesaid O. F. C.’s
have made up long-tailed overcoats and afterward discovered that styles do
occasionally change. Our spring
overcoats are neither too short, nor too long, but a happy medium that every
man who regards the appearance of his attire will appreciate.
We would like nothing better
than to keep our entire force busy during the next two weeks showing our finest
spring overcoats to gentlemen who never buy ready-made clothes.
Rogers, Peet
& Co.,
Men's and Boys' Outfitters,
569-575 Broadway,
Opposite
Metropolitan Hotel
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