Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-14
MEMS EVENING DRESS
THE ESSENTIALS OF THE RIGHT
Full STANDARD.
Deviations From Established Forms
Are Dangerous - The Plain Shirt
Bosom Preferable to Ornate.
From the Haberdasher.

From the Haberdasher.
With unvarying regularity each autumn
come discussions of changes in the accepted
standard of evening dress Some gilded
youth has been seen wearing this or that
oddly of his own devising and some eX-
quisite, dear to the columns of the penny
dreadfuls has given his gracious sanction
to another popularity. Then the daily
newspapers, whose ignorance of correct
dress is simply abysmal, take up the sub
ject, and the man to whom dress is a mat
ter of intelligent and sympathetic concern
sees flood of narrowing hodgepodge and
f1imsy fiubdub poured forth for the de-
location of the multitude. We are in
formed on the authority of frequenter of
hotel palm gardens that gray evening suits
will be quite the thing, while habitue of
the flashy restaurants on upper Broadway
sponsors velvet cuffs. Mr.. Reggie Rattle
pate talks in whispers of beflowered even.
ing ties and Mr.. Harold Halfwitt solemnly
assures the newspapers that crimson sashes
will be worn with evening suits. The thing
would be funny, if it were not so serious.
if it did not give well-meaning, but imper-
fectly informed people false idea of dress.
its function and underlying principles.
The Truest Elegance.
Custom and tradition wisely impose SIM
plicity and uniformity in evening clothes.
Simplicity is the truest elegance in dress;
absolutely no colors known equal black
and white in softness and richness of effect.
Uniformity Is necessary to establish
standard to which all must bow, otherwise
one man would attend a formal function
fIockcoated, another man in swalowtail and
third in a cutaway coat. That, obvi-
Ously, would produce chaos We must have
a standard, clearly defined and firmly adj
hered to. Hence, the present forms of
evening coat, U-shaped waistcOat and some
what loose trousers were adopted.
Uniformity is just as important in the de-
tails of evening dress as it is in the es-
SentialS. The white shirt guiltess of tuckS
and embroidery on the bosom, the straight
white tie. the poke, lap-front or traight
standing collar, the white glace gloves, the
patent leather buttoned boots and the pearl
studs and links admit practically of no
change. The pique bosom is worn, but it
is not in the best form, nor is the fancy tie
as good as the plain tie, the pearl gloves as
good as the glace. lace boots good as
buttOned or gold studs and links as good
as pearl Far be it from me to condemn
these things Internationally, but there can
be only one correct standard and that
standard is the standard of severe SIM
plicity.
Shirt Bosoms.
Tucked and embroidered bosoms on even
ing shirts, fold cuffs on evening shirts and
velvet collars on evening coats are all bad
form. The moment we open the door, how
ever narrowly. to oddities and idiosyncra-
sizes, that moment do We endanger what it
has taken years to bring to it's present state
of ripeness and excellence The things
mentioned are merely whimscaities of the
wearers and express their personal taste
or rather their want of it The standard of
evening dress in this country and / am
speaking all along of formal evening dress.
allows no choice and gives no play to per-
nnl or f1 in and hoe,
are correct. Assent to them and YOU are
right, dissent from them and you are wrong
Handkerchiefs, to go with formal evening
dress, should be of plain white linen with
or without self cords and having the own
ers monogram embroidered in white IAN
anese pongees are favored by some men
but l recommend the fine sheer linen with
q one-eighth to one-half inch hens These
can be folded with ease and take up LITTLE
room in the pocket an important item by
the way. The correct muffler is black M.
white, preferably black, stitchless and un-
lined and measuring thrty-siX inches
Fancy muffiers should be tabooetl and All
forms of made-up shields and protectors
are to be avoided. l don't wish to seem
didactic or arbitrary in this matter but
1t must be Self-eVident that what is app,,lar
mechanical and studied is not as tasteful as
what Is soft and natural In muffiers as
in every other article of wear the we'll
dressed man seeks that which looks COM
Portable as we'll as that which is COM
| Portable.
Jewelry.
| So far as jewelry is concerned, It isn't
in evidence in evening dress Watch
chains are. of course, invisible, fobs are
| never worn except by whom for want of
better name l must term the socially un-
| classified, and gold studs and links yield
| to pearl studs and links. The boots are
patent leather. buttoned. with kid tops,
/ save for dance when pumps are proper.
The gloves are white glace with self backs
and the hat is the good old silk with a
cloth band The opera hat is now only
worn at the opera or play and II is de-.
c1dedly incorrect to substitute 1t for the
| silk hat. That and that only Is the head
covering for formal dress