Evening star., 1902-01-20
FOR THE MASCULINE FANCY
TREND IN DAY DRESS Is TOWARD
FORMALITY.
business Men Wear Frock Coats and
- 80 - s.-fzss-.I
ing Working Hours.

From the Haberdasher.
The trend toward more formaiity In the
ordinary day dress of man is very noticea-
BILE, and think that the influences respon-
stble for it are due in no slight degree to
the more temperate effect of the dress OF
sport upon the social dress of gentlemen
We have not, as q people been followers
Of the outdoor sports for many years. and
like newcomers in all social affairs We are
naturally likely to err on the side Of over
enthusiasm for each new bidder for field
honors. Until comparatively recently our
outdoor sports were limited to the hunt,
the chase and the yacht. We did not have
what one might call fad; man followed
that pastime which came most easily ana
naturally to him. Except base ball, we
had no truly national sport. Base ball was
always such a rugged, violent game tndt
but few men could indulge IN It, SO me
foot ball, it's influence was limited 10 tne
players and the followers. Men alone ex-
celled in this sport, and as 1t was one
sex pastime it did not attract the multi
tudes that were afterwards enslaved by tne
wheel, the links and the tennis court. When
tennis first came in 1t was great fad ana
men well as women took 1t up Inc
dress worn during the game was soon ar
fected by the followers as well as the
actives and the consequence was most
decided impression on the everyday dress
of the period. The striped blazer, the
gaudy sash, the flannel shirts, the big, SOFT
felt hats and tams and the flannel trous-
ers were worn ad libitum by men, whether
they played tennis or not, and the women
wore tennis skirts and shoes as well as
waists and hats at all times.
This was the first instance, at least in our
country, of the dress Of sport dominat-
ing the ordinary dress of the period.
Succession Of Fads.
great fad spread like wild fire over the
country. Every man that could afford the
luxury donned knickers, and every woman
who could, bought a bicycle skirt. There
is no doubt that the wheel did much to
bring in the mannish mode among wo-
men, and to men it brought knickers, hose,
belts and hunting stocks. The wheel had
its day and then came the four-hundred-
year-old game Of golf. The dress required
for the new favorite did not differ mater
tally from that worn by cyclists, except
that greens and reds became suddenly pop
ular, and the mode for a time was promi-
nently f1amboyant. Again We felt the in
fuence Of the favorite sport in our every
day dress.
Now we have run through all these
crazes, and men as well as women have
learned to take their outdoor sports ra-
tionally. 1t is the vulgarian the parvenu
and the cheap cad who carries around with
him the predomnating characteristics Of
the dress of his favorite sport. Well-bred
men and women ignore everything that In
any way f1avors of sport in their formal
dress. The dress designed for business and
social wear must lack all the forms and
colors suggestive Of links, wheels, race
tracks or other fields of sport. We have,
l believe, arrived at that advanced stage
of development in our dress when We can
leave behind us every vestige of the garb
of the sport we follow, when dressing for
the formal and serious occasions that are
so important a part Of our social life.
This formalty in dress is noticeable in
the popularity of the silk hat, the Chester
field overcoat, the frock and the cutaway
Business men wear the high hat with the
Chesterfield and cutaway all day. The
number Of men enga ged in the banking
business and in the professions and in Of
ices of large corporations where they are
required by their calling to dress formally,
have made an impression on the business
dress of the period, for there is something
incongruous in the jacket and the soft hat
in an office where dignity is one Of the
powers required In the transaction Of af-
fairs OF great magnitude.
Many New Things.
But enough Of this subject for the time
being. I have noticed number OF new
things and must describe them for the
benefit Of those who do so much to dress
the men Of our big country properly. The
first of the new fads this winter in jewery
is the cravat pin Of gold. These are oval,
and are polished brightly. They are about
the size Of a gold link button and are en-
bellished with the monogram in script, or
the coat-of-arms or crest of the wearer.
Another new thing in jewelry are the small
watch ornaments. These are very short
bits of leather the shape of pear with the
monogram in gold or silver. They are kept
in the pocket with the watch and are not
intended to be exposed to view except when
the watch is taken out Of the pocket
Wing collars are now to be seen on all
hands and are undoubtedly the most prom
inent Of the new features in dress this fall.
The latest wings are very large, in fact,
the smart dressers demand a really abnor-
NAL size. One Of the best is that shown
by Budd. The wing is quite large and
slopes well back and has the wide stitch
ing. The normal and most popular wing
Is about two inches at the base and about
two and a quarter inches on the outside
line. Some round-cOrnered wings are seen,
but they are not as popular as the square
corners. The poke is best for formal day
dress, in fact, 1t properly goes with the
frockcoat. The straight-standing just
meeting collar Is best for evening dress, al
though the poke is also good. Between
these two collars one may make a selec-
ton without fear of offending good taste.
Cravats and Mumers.
A new evening tie has been introduced
1t is very broad, should say over an inch
and quarter, and has square ends. 1t is
made Of white linen lawn with almost
invisible stripes running from end to end.
They are Of the batswing form and tie
with quite a large center and with ends
quite longer than the ordinary. The small
evening tie is no longer in good form, and
one seldom sees the old style butterflys.
With the Jackets as well as coats during
the daytime I have seen great number
of black cravats. These are in squares
and imperials. The best dressed men wear
very neat effects and the loud and pecu-
liar combinations are no longer favored.
The same is true Of the colored shirts
Only the quiet colorings and patterns are
and when the frock or cut
away Is worn it is best to wear white
linen.
There are a great many made-up pro-
tectors and muff1ers on sale but some OF