Evening star., 1897-02-13

garment from the overcoat for street wear
which. for want of better name is also
called the covert coat. The first Is a dis
tinct type OF overcoat: the second is as
much Chesterfield as 1t is a covert coat.
DOuble-Breasted Frock Suits.
1t has frequently been prophesied during
the past year that the popularity of the
bicycle and Of golfing and other out-of-
door games would soon revolutionize our
ideas about day dress, and popularize more
! negige attire for that purpose than has
ever been permissible But we fail to see
any sign of the fulfllment of this prophecy.
On the contrary, the apparent tendency
is to emphasize the distinction between
dress and neglige CONSUMES. Those who
consider it social duty to dress approorf-
ately are more exacting in their demands
on the tailor than ever before. and to be
successful the tailor must be able to make
more distinct costumes than at any pre-
vfous time. The man who knows how to
di ess appropriately must have costume
that looks to be and Is suitable for the
occasion. The costume he wears in the
saddle must be evidently intended for
that purpose that 1t can be thought suit
able for other; VIXEN he rides the BIZ
cycle his suit must proclaim its special
purpose: if he sails on yacht what he
| wears must be sailor-like, and if he attends
a social function in the day his clothes
must not only advertise the fact that he
| has dressed for the occasion, but they must
be so evidently clothes for full dress that
| they would appear absurd If worn for any
| other purpose.
Instead of a tendency toward greater IL
cense in full dress, the tendency is to less.
| The dark three-button cutaway. which, not
| long ago, was commonly called the dress
| cutaway," is now confined to half
and genteei business, and the double
breasted frock is the only coat known to
| full day dress. Even for morning weddings
| it is considered the only proper coat.
but for that purpose it is generally made
from a gray or mixed worsted or chev.ot.
or from a worsted with a very small pat
tern of fancy weave. For afternoon
dress it Is invariably made from a black
or very dark worsted or soft wool fabric
Three-ButtOn Cutnway FrOck Suits.
The three-button cutaway is the only
style of coat that will find much favor for
half dress. For this purpose it will be
made from the same materials the
double-breasted frock for day dress.
For genteel business the same style will
be correct and will be in high favor. but
for this purpose fancy suitings will be pre-
ferred by many. such as mixed, or modestly
striped. checked plaid worsteds and
cheviots. This suit will generally be made
of the same material throughout, but some
times the vest will be of fancy vesting.
especially during the heated term, when
duck and marseilles will be much fancied.
The vest will be singie-breasted and the
trousers will be trifie wider than for day
dress. Pronounced stripes, checks, plaids
and their combinations in worStedS and
cheviots will be chiefly used for these suits.
For sporting and semi-sporting events the
vest will sometimes be double-breasted and
of fancy veSting.
Sack Suits.
The influence of the bicycle and outdoor
games and sports on costume seems to
to have had two effects: one the closer
drawing of lines about day dress and the
other the popularization Of comfortable
clothes for strictly business wear Never
before were suits for day dress so con-
spicuously different from suits for any
other purpose and never before were sack
suits popular at present During the
Incoming season the sack of some style will
be worn more hours by more men than ever
before since it assumed its modern form.
This is rational dress reform, for the sack
is the most comfortable. convenient and
serviceable of coats, and If 1t is well cut
and made, 1t is a very graceful garment
The most popular style will be the three
button cutaway, showing a little of the
vest below the lowest button. 1t will be
shapely. but not close fitting, and will aver
age twenty-nine and one-half inches in
length. The back will have a center seam
unless the material is very thin or of very
large plaid or pronounced stripe. when 1t
will generally be cut whole. The shoulders
will be broader than for frock, and will
be slightly built UP to produce a rounded
effect.
The four-button sack, with the fronts
rounded away below the lowest button, will
be the conservative style.
The one-button cutaway sack will be
popular with stout and corpulent men.
For these suits the materials that will be
chiefly used are cheviots and hOmespuns in
stripes. checks, plaids and their combina-
tionS; but palmer suitings with washable
vest and white flannel and duck will be
much worn during the heated term.
The double breasted sack suit will be as
popular ever. For spring wear it will
generally be made from cheyiots in stripes,
checks. plaids or their combinations; but
plain dark cheviots for the coat and vest,
and fancy material for the trousers, or
the cheviot for the coat and trousers and a
fancy veSting for the vest, will be well
liked. For midsummer wear plain serges,
thin homespunS and white f1annels will be
the favorites.
Half Dress.
The Tuxedo suit will figure conspicuous
ly during the heated term at the fashion
able summer resorts distinct suit, for
| what may appropriately be termed half
dress for evening. For this purpose it fills.
to use a hackneyed expression, "a long felt
want" At an informal dinner. or at
dance which does not quite reach the dig
nifty of ball, the full dress suit, though
correct, is too ceremonious. and is uncom-
Portable; the double-breasted or the cuta-
and is equally uncomfortable and the Tux
edo with the rest of the costume correct
for evening dress is a hybrid. and unpleas-
antly suggests the smoking or the billiard
room. The Tuxedo suit complete cos
tune will acceptably fill the gap between
the too ceremonious and the not cere-
monious enough. and will probably relegate
the hybrid suit to its proper place.
Evening Dress Suits.
For evening dress there will be but little
change from the styles Of last season; but
there will be an innovation: the vest will
frequently be made from fancy black silk
The materials that will be chiefly used for
the suit are fine worsteds, dress worsted
broadcloths, vicuna, hopsacks and thibets,