Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-12

hicle steered by men in vast, shapeless
masses of rough gray wolfskin coats, hav-
ing enormous collars up to the ears, and
surmounted by shapeless black leather
caps having earpieces that terminate in
strings to tie under the chin. When you
have q man thus cestumed. with the addi
tion Of leather face mask and provided
with large round goggles of glass or mica.
you are forcibly compelled to think of an
Eskimo combined in some weird way with
diver. I had occasion the other day to
suggest a rational motoring outfit. / pro-
posed that the undersuit should be OF about
jacket suit in tweed. Shetland or home
spun. I advised high, Jaeger-lined, laced
shoes. with cloth tops. and a leather-lined
tweed travelling cap. with earpieces and an
elastic to keep 1t on For the coat, which
could be fur-lined or not-there Is no nee
essary connection between automobiles and
undyed sealskin-I suggested a long coat
to be made OF Devon cloth Ia very heavy
fulled melton), with Prussan collar COW
cred with Astrakhan fur. This coat would
be made long enough to reach the ankles
1t was to have straight yoke at the back
and to be gathered into the yoke. so as to
leave abundant fullness for sitting down
and wrapping up the knees; there should be
cloth backstrap at the waist. The cuffs
l advised covered with fur inside and out,
so as to obviate the ugly necessity for a
drawstring at the wrists. Such coat as
this. even II lined only with heavy home
spun, would be quite warm enough and
quite sufficiently impenetrable by air to be
comfortable even at very high speeds In
cold weather. Personally, think the heav-
mess OF motor clothing good deal over
done in climate like ours where 1t Is only
once In four or five years that the day tenn
perature falls for an hour or two below
266 degrees below freezing point It Is alb
surd to behave as If England were an arc
tic country.
Use for Kangaroo Skin.
In this connection may be mentioned a
contrivance I have seen, destined to be
worn inside the overcoat when AUTOMOBILE
ing It Is a sort Of fur apron, having a
neckloop and hanging straight down the
lront or the body. to act as a chest pro-
tector. This affair seemed rather to puz-
zle the public In its material. but at once
recognized 1t as the skin of a large male
Australian kangaroo-the most quaint and
or the Kangaroo exactly suits It for this
purpose, the wide launches of the marsu-
pial enabling the apron to spread com
fortably over the knees
So Tar as am able to Judge in the nras.
ent uninhabited state Of West End Ion.
don the frock oyercoat would seem to have
had Its day. All the well-clothed men that
az are LEI asIt IN town seem to be wearing a sort
reaching to the middle of the calf of the
leg: 1t Is made Of rough-faced dark gray
ctoth-sometimes black-has, of course.
velvet collar and fly front The cufrs are
not turned back, nor have thew anv hit
tons on them Gas some people ima&ine).
and the lining Is Of black satin. These
coats, | grdeve to record, are made with
vertical pockets (never mind! they might
be worse-they might Slant and there is
no handkerchief pocket. Even the ticket
pocket indeed, Is absent This is the
smart coat Tor town. For the country and
for travelling I should at the present time
recommend probably a lighter gray tweed
Chesterfield Of much the same description,
but cut fuller and straighter, without vel
vet collar. and with Tapped and oyerlaid
seams. There would be an opening about
six Inches long In this coat In the middle
OF the back-which would be a whole back
center seam. and I would strongly recon-
mend both a handkerchief and ticket
pocket on grounds of utility. I say this
Is what would advise, and advise on
what many men use. The authorities are
against me In this matter of pockets: but.
nevertheless, these pockets could be worn
without exciting the least criticism and
there would be no fault to find with them,
or with tapped, horizontal, side pockets in
place of the usual vertical ones, on the
score of divergence from the taste of men
In the very best sef. And. after all. It Il
this Set that determines fashion, not the
opinion Of even the best critics.
"My valetn Company.
The business Of keeping ones suits. era
watts and other outfittings In good order
weighs heavily upon the leisure Of we'll
dressed men who are not rich enough to
keep q valet. This must especially be true
In American cities where leisure Is more
scarce than It Is here and where labor
is q great deal more expensive. I wonder,
therefore. whether you have any fnstitu-
tion corresponding to- the organixation
which has been started with some success
In London under the name OF MY Valet"
1aY6 q