Now You See It, Now You Don't!
TellzAll's subject for September is Spats
A well-dressed gentleman of the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries would have worn a top hat, bow tie, and spats, and he would have carried a cane. We know what the other articles are, but what exactly are spats? Usually made of a stiff cloth or leather, spats covered the tops of men's dress shoes. Commonly, spats were white, and men wore them over well-polished black leather shoes. They could come in other colors though.
The name "spats" comes from an earlier shoe accessory called "spatterdashes," which were popular in the 1700s. Men wore spatterdashes over boots to protect them from mud. By the 1800s, the style had evolved into the spats, which were more decorative than practical. At the same time, spats could also keep shoes clean or insulate the wearer's ankles in the winter.
In the twentieth century, men's clothing styles changed. Over time, it was no longer fashionable to wear spats, although it was possible to find fictional characters in movies or in books who wore them. Today, while men do not wear spats with suits or tuxedos, there are still occasions when the accessories are visible.
In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, spats have been a standard part of some uniforms, especially those worn by marching bands. An example of this use of spats is the uniform worn by The Ohio State University Marching Band.
