Evening star., 1897-03-13
MEMS SPRING STYLES
What Will Be Proper for This Seasons
Wear.
Conservatism Apparent In the Cut O
Gurments-Hats, Neckwear
and Linen.
From Harper's BaZar.

From Harper's Bazaar.
The very early spring is the time to
prophesy about the fashions, although it
will ne a little time yet before one Will
see them in the streets. This year has
been most conservative and the only change
of the winter has been the adoption OF
the cutaway. or morning coat, for busi-
ness wear. This, of course, applies to the
coat of that shape made from colored
tweeds. homespuns and cheviots, to be worn
with trousers of the same material and
waistcoat either of ditto Of some fancy
pattern and different color. The semi-sack
| semi-reefer. is another coat which has
come into great popular favor. Neither of
these garments is strictly new, but they
have been accepted very slowly indeed by
wel-dressed men. Gray mixtures have
| taken the place of browns, and the old blue
serge, particularly with the REFERS, Is
again coming into fashion, If it ever went
entirely out. Gray is the color for the
spring season, and it will be combined
with blue, and not SO much with red.
The sack coat Is the favorite business
garment of America, and it's popularity
| in this season and in the one to come will
never be diminished This coat has two
| eide pockets, but no breast pocket. and fits
! loosely to the figure, is usually worn un-
buttoned. 1t is single-breasted The breast
pOChel Is, Ill IdCt, plIlTely out OF IdSHlOn.
The pocket handkerchief must be kept out
of sight, ard in no coat of whatever style,
can there be more than two outside pock-
cts. The frock coat, indeed. has none, the
| inside pocket being the only receptacle for
| the handkerchief or card case.
The London tailors offer what they call
two distinct styles of morning coats, one
very long in the skirt and sharply cut away,
and the other shorter, about thirty inches
| in length. Tall men have taken to the
cutaway business suit on this side of the
| ocean. but in doing so they have adopted
| a happy medium The length of the coats
| is about thirtythree inches, and they are
neither long-waisted nor full-buttoned.
In frock and evening coats there is abso
lutely no radical change to record. All
| garments are made as moderately loose
| they are moderately tight. 1t is the abso-
| lutely conservative measure. Exaggera-
ton of any description will be avoided.
| the cut is loose about the hips and tight
| in moderation on the legs. Very tight trou-
| sers are as much out of fashion as those
which are very loose.
The shirtings are certainly very gor-
geous, ana the patterns contain checks and
| stripes of all shades of pink and red. The
very wide checks and tartans which are
| being exhibited by the leading shirt max
| ers are not being ordered as much as quiet
er patterns, such the hair stripes and
| the solid blues and lavenders, as well as
| the pinks. The coored shirt has come to
stay. As usual, the cuffs will be the same
| material as the shirt itself, and the col
| lars will be tall standing. The all-around
turndowns have lost much of their popu-
larity with well-dressed men, and for
the half-s1ze turn-downS to be worn with
stin bows they are promises made by the
haberdashers which will not bear fruit
with conservative persons. They are awk-
ward, ugly and have cheap look that will
hardly take with TIE better class.
In ties and neckwear generally there is
little that is new. For the spring the shops
are showing a line of pretty silks, in pat
of yIttA
black grounds. These made up in bows
| or again in four-in-hands. There has been
| much taking up of the white Ascot puff
scarf. The material is white marseiles or
linen or China silk, heavier grade of
the same fabric. The tie pin is placed well
| up in the scarf, and the formed by the
two overlapping aprons Is very narrow
While twilled silk has also been favorite
| aterial for the Ascot, and these seem to
be worn almost universally in the after
Moons with fIock coats.
In evening wear there has been return
to the butterfly form of tie for the narrow
band of cambric or lawn which encircles
our collars. The wings are made square
and somewhat large, and the body stiff and
absolutely rectangular. Evening shirts
have three buttons instead Of two, and the
one shirt stud is not gaining favor.
Never were the collars so high or so un-
compromising, and the cuffs are absolutely
square in shape. Detached cuffs receive,
as usual, the condemnation of the we'll
dressed or the neat, but the collars are al
lowed.
In England men seem to brave opinion
and to throw little color into their
clothes. This especially applies to ties
| the murky atmosphere Of London possibly
requiring some bright hue. The tartans
and the plaids, in which the windows of
| the New York shops glaringly gay
just at present, make very effective neck
wear even for our clear, clean-cut atmos-
phere. In the English metropolis just now
one hears of Indian red. strong Bluffs and
sage-green, with white or colored designs
upon them, as we'll as of dark green fou-
| lard with stripes. as the most fashionable
novelties for four-in-hands and bows.
Gray suede gloves have not lost caste
with smartly dressed men, and have held
| their own as well as brown and tan kids
| The reindeer glove once such favorite
white KID has not proved the success ex-
pected Of 1t for afternoon wear. By the
| time spring comes in earnest the white
| kid. except for the evening" will have dis
| appeared entirely. At many weddings it
| Is still worn in place of pearl-gray, but
| 1t is as yet a novelty of an exotic charac-
| ter which does not agree kindly with our
climate.
| 1t is also from London that the news of
| the popularity of the felt hat is waited
| There the very dressy young men have
ordered hats to match the colors of their
suits. and grays of several shades as well
/ as browns are in demand. In this country
| the extreme golfists who have derided the
| Introduction of the complete suiting-cap.
TedQy-made
dealer, are prepared to discard the cap
! and to wear. according to another person
! cotton hose instead Of the orthodox woolen
| These changes In attire seem to be inspir-
| ed by the Anglo-American combination
rather than by those to the manner born
After all, 1t is a poor cad indeed who fears
| that because the readymade dealer has
| taken up a garment he cannot afford to
wear 1t. There exists always the distinc-
| ton between that whQeh is common and
| that which is the hall mark of a gentle
| man. and no vulsarity is able to efface il.
Tailors are discussing the making of
| Tuxedo semi-evenng dress in gray cloths.
| but innovations of this kind are too ex
treme for the well-dressed man. The tail
ors also tell us that low circular double
| breasted dress waistcoats of bright silks
| VIII accompany the Tuxedo, but gentle
men avoid these very pronounced ideas
| Much Is said on paper which is not put into
| practice The man of common sense es
| chews all these absurdities With the an
| pearance OF the 0rocus have sprouted IN
| the show windows of haberdashers the
most extraordinary array of colors and
| rainbow combinations. The weIl-dressed
man WILL however, make no radical de-
parture. NC
/ n hrfl In.