Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-24
SHIRTS AND SHIRTINGS
CONSERVATISM RULES IN OLD
LONDON TOWN.
Solitaire and Three-Stud Bosoms on
Dress Shirts-Slightly Rounded
Cuffs Correct.

London Correspondent Of The Haberdasher.
So far as it is possible to forecast the
movements of shirt fashion for the coming
winter. the tendency would seem to be en-
tirely conservative. Fancy bosomed even
ing dress shirts have had a slight run in the
spring: but they will not be much worn, to
judge by present indications. next season.
The most noticeable movement in dress
shirts. indeed. seems to be the elimination
of the two-stud bosom. Quite a number of
fashionable makers began to put in soli-
taire bosoms this year: others, again,
verted to the old style of three studs. There
will be more one-stud shirt fronts at the
fashionable West End of London this win
ter than there have been for many years.
1t is generally felt that three studs are too
many; they break up the effect. and give an
appearance of having too much jewelry in
evidence.
Subject Of Cuffs.
The turned-back evening dress shirt cuff
like a double collar-has not been found al
together a success. 1t had merits. The
rounded edge which it presented did not
soil so easily as an ordinary shirt cuff. But
the extra bulk fnterfered with the sit of
the coat sleeve. and this was criticised adj
Versely. On the other hand. the so-calIed
small round corner to cuffs for all starch
ed shirts continues to be greatly in favor
and as we are wearing round pointed wing
collars in evening dress. there is no doubt
that the cuff mentioned (Which has a corner
coming Just as far round the wrist as
square cuff but al the crucial moment Just
rounds the linen off instead of bringing it
to square angle) will be the universal cuff
for the next six months at least The sit
uation of the links. however. has slightly
changed already, and it will develop. In
stead of being made about an inch and a
quarter up the sleeve from the end, the link
holes will be set in quite two inches and
they Will also be a tribe further from the
edges. This is an evident revulson from
the fashion of substituting solitaire studs
in the cuffs for links which had a short
run last wear. With the links worn as |
have lust described them. the cuffs will
tend to have the edges quite a little flat
tened. the antithesis of the round wrist SOL
itare effect.
The best Irish shirts have the stitching
IN the stafched portions rather heavily
done, and the effect is to make the seam
lines, or whatever they are technically
called, more apparent than in the cheaper
ready made article. Similarly with the va
rloGs stud holes. These are made by the
needle alone, without the aid of any guide
CT mechanical adjuvant, in the best GUS
tom-!nade shirts. Consequently they are
a trtle irregular III appearance and so far
from being regarded a defect this is
considered rather mark OF a good shirt
Soft-Fronted Shirts.
The habit of wearing soft-fronted shirts
in the daytime is now confined to lounge
dress. For while men We're seen about
town with frock and morning coats. and
soft, neglige- fronted shirts, sometimes even
coiOred, and quite often design marked in
white and white. The day shirt for social
calls is now plain white with the same sort
of cuffs the evening shirt except that
the link holes are little nearer the edges
For autumn sports the printed cambrics
and zephyrS so much used on the river this
summer and last will keep their vogue The
patterns mostly design lines though
many plain linear patterns are being made
up. But the chief characteristic note of
these shirtngs is the preponderant show
of white. Whatever color may be used for
the pattern tand in no case is more than
one color used the greatest portion of the
superfces must be white. All-oyer nat
terms are entirely outclassed Blue is the
color most in use, and it will continue to
be so. Nine-tenths of the custom-made
outing shirts made up this season have
their patterns in blue. After blue comes
red-not pink, but red. In the nature of
things. the sparse patterning that l have
mentioned gives to red line a pink eff
feet. \ few men still wear shirts with the
design in pale mauve. commonly called he
liotrope color, but this is virtually out of
fashion, and 1 see none of the shirts with
a black pattern which two years ago in this
country everyone was wearing
The so-called "bifurcated'' shirt which
I understand has attracted some attention
in the states, 1 have already discussed. and
l refer to it again in my regular letter from
/ IN RI