Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-11
FROM ACROSS THE SEA
SOME LONDON HINTS ON MEMS
WEAR.
Gray Has Gone at Last-The Cut Of the
New Frock Coat-The
New Cheviots.


| London Correspondence Of the Haberdasher.
| This Is the time of year to forecast the
| styles that will dominate English fashion
| all this spring and summer. I propose
| therefore, to take the whole field in order
and to tell you all that 1 know or can
foresee on the subject AS time goes on
small innovations will occur. and novel;
| ties will be introduced; but the general
| tendency of things is now quite manifest
| The going of gray, though it stood long
upon the order Of its going 1t has gone at
last. We shall have some gray frock-coat
suits when the garden party season arrives
and when Ascot calls its exclusive crowd
| to the race course and the famous Lawn"
But for present wear full dress is black.
| the only alternative being the blue frock
| coat. The latter has arrived, with black
| silk facings to 1t. and black silked buttons.
| 1t Is worn with a single-breasted waist
| coat to match, and trousers of the same
! material. Very seemly and urbane this
| outfit is But 1t Is little way or full
| dress. The latter. for weddings or after
| noon calls Of q formal nature. will be as
! follows:
Formal Dress.
Black frock coat, made Of soft and
| smooth surfaced llama cloth. These cloths
| are already established as the correct
wear for full dress. They have a neat.
| practically invisible under pattern, not
ruffling the surface at all. Some of the
new black worsteds are soft enough to
| find favor also. and so are certain vicunas
and Shetlands; but. as rule. men who
| find llama too soft for their taste are
running after material called "bara-
thea" Barathea Is a soft cloth, smooth
| and dull. firmer In weave and substance
than a true Hama from which. however,
/ n mr.
probably perceive It to be a variant. Thus
| we have very fair range Of fashionable
materials to choose from. The cut of the
| new frock coat can now be described It
| is a decidedly smart garment the waist
being cut fairly snug. and with the seam
| about an inch below the natural waist,
| The most important innovation is in the
| fitting at this part. Button the coat up.
| and 1t lies as snug to the waist as 1t can
possibly do without wrinkling. But as you
| go upward the width insensibly increases,
| until at the top button the coat Is roomy
! across the chest. However frock coats
| are not worn buttoned this spring. Below
the waist seam the skirts hang loosely.
| with about an inch and a half of freedom.
| They thus ben out slightly, and with the
| widening above the waist there Is pro-
duced slight hour-glass effect. The
| skirts reach exactly to the bend of the
knees. Three buttons are worn. All the
| seams of the Invisible" type, of
| course The lapels are rather narrow, and
| in. some of the very smartest coats they
| are silk-faced to the outer end of the but
tonholes. thus giving very narrow strip
of simple cloth, which looks excellent. The
sleeves are of moderate width and not
turned back at the cuff. No external pock-
cts whatever. The handkerchief is carried
either in the left sleeve or In the inside
breast pocket on the same side. The
ticket pocket is also on the left. inside
the skirt, Immediately below the waist
seam.
Waistcoat to Match.
The waistcoat made to match this coat
is single breasted, without collar. and has
four pockets, though no watch chain Is
worn outside. There are usually a couple
of buttonholes worked in the inner corners
of the lower pockets, so that chain can
be worn under the waistcoat. a device
which l think l may claim to have intro
a London trade organ. Some men prefer
fancy waiStcoat with all black coats.
They are wearing at present large-collared
slate gray linen ones. double-breasted and
with a straight vertical seam up the front
Trousers for wearing with frock coat diff
fer little in material from the fancy trous-
ers of last year. They are made OF fancy
stripe cashmere. generally in a blue and
black or dark slate herring bone pattern,
with a rich and bright surface. Some of
the new cashmeres have thread of silk
running through them. which. of course
greatly enhances the effect. In cut, these
trousers snug at the ankle and well
hollowed-out forward. The calf fits fairly
snug, but at the knee there is found to be
more fullness than is usual in American
trousers. SO that there has evidently been
a certain amount of slope In the cut
Above the knee the fullness does not de-
velop greatly The test Of a good pair of
trousers is this: that they should look
narrow when the wearer stands up, and
show no bulge at his shins; but he must
be able to sit down without causing a
strain. or the least crease. over the thighs.
AM lie tcp'f Ao1s 10 TO-
trousers In general l don't know what is
l notice that a pattern of trousers press
which is being much used by London men
as an alternative to having their trousers
ironed by the valet has led to nearly every
pair of trousers one meets in west end
drawing rooms being creased high up the
thigh This is a merely fortuitous pecu-
liarity Of the present season. The correct
way to crease trousers is to let the crease
gradually vanish at about a couple of
inches above the knee and to this we shall
no doubt presently come back. especially
when observant men get on to the fact
that the Of trouser- presses rapidly
makes shiny streak all the way down
the side seams. 1t is quite possible that
trousers cut in straighter style will grow
fashionable about May or June; but as to
this 1 will not pledge myself to a decided
opinion.
Evening Dress.
Turning now to evening dress, there il
little that is new to record. The trousers
are cut rather more easy" than daytime
trousers: the knee measurement, for or
binary figures, about half the seat meas
ure. The white waistcoat of the season is
made of figured mercerized cotton drill.
with pearl buttons. 1t is double breasted
and opens low The coat Is to the knee.
and the trousers may (but need not neces-
sarily) have a row of braid down the outer
seam. The most interesting development
of the season indeed is not in full dress
at all. but in lounges. ck-pattern chew
lots are the leaders in all ordinary LOUNGES
by which / mean jacket suits not specl-
fically intended for outing use. The pat
tern is generally small and not at all loud
Over 1t runs square line, very narrow
of ruby red not conspicuous, but warming
up the whole effect to a wonderful degree
considering that the squares it forms are
not much less than two inches long as a
rule. But these new cheviots have an
other characteristic.
New Cheviots.
They are noticeably bright in surface,
and when 1 came to pick them to pieces
1 found that they had considerable in
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