Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-30
FROM ACROSS THE SEA
HINTS ON MEMS DRESS FROM
ENGLISH METROPOLIS.
The Overcoat, Present and Future
Sack Chesterfields Predicted-Day
Dress for This Winter.
london Correspondent o. The Haberdasher.

| to predict with some certainty the move
ments of the mode for the coming winter
season. And in this connection the over
coat naturally looms large on the horizon.
| The only present movement of trade In re-
gard to that garment is the determination
! Of the autumn overcoat; but the lines of
| fashion for the winter are by now so far
defined that there is no risk in prophecy.
The overcoat of this autumn Is chiefly re-
| markable for being unlined, and unlined
| overcoats have much to recommend
| them that the innovation may safely be
| counted upon to go far. and indeed prob
| ably to perpetuate itself from year to year
For consider minute. Men do not want
an overcoat, except in the winter. to keep
them particularly warm. When the even
| ings begin to be a little chilly even an I'M
lined overcoat will suffice, up to November,
to give all the warmth needed. What is
| expected of fall overcoat is that 1t shall
keep off stray rain spots In the showers
| which at this season of the year are TO be
expected. and which in the driving winds
of October elude in great measure the par
| TALLY protecting umbrella, because they
| ago 1t was considered that the only remedy
for this sort of thing was a macintosh,
and consequently rubbered fabrics, manu-
| featured to look much as possible like
| ordinary tweed land quite remarkably sue
| ceeding in that efforD were greatly In
| favor. The objection to macintosh cloth
|
| of manipulating it; he had to call in the
| assistance of the professional rubber man.
| The invention of waterproofing processes,
| by which ordinary cloth can be made
| shower proof without at the same time be-
| ing rendered impervious to air, has cut into
| the better class rubber trade to very
| serious extent; and another thing which
| has been bad for this industry is the dis
| covery that the looser kinds OF homespuns,
while they cannot be called waterproof, as
a thorough downpour will get through
| n
! surfaces, almost perfectly shower proof L
| would not be understood to say that the
| macintosh business is obsolete. There is
a good demand for rubbered capes to be
| used in some kinds of sport, such as salmon
| fishing or duck shooting, which are not
| merely possible in, but actually favored BY
| rain. Waterproofing by acetate of lead.
| process now carried to perfection, has
| however. had a checking influence on the
| manufacture of rubbered cloths Stimulating
| ordinary tweeds and the like.
Unlined Overcoats.
An unlined overcoat has this great ad
vantage, that it folds into a small compass
and is light Thus 1t can be carried about
| with great convenience, while lined coat
| is so clumsy that even the discomfort of
| wearing it when it isn't wanted is preferred
| before the trouble of being hampered wi,l
| it on the arm. In material these coats are
| made of dark-colored and loosely woven
Donegal or Harris tweed without very pro-
| nounced pattern, and the favorte colors
indeed are mixtures of black and white
! and very dark brown and white They are
made without velvet collars. and have the
| shape of a loose raglan, without, however,
| the raglan shoulder and sleeve, which are
now practically obsolete.
| Overcoats of this winter will show long
| expected return to that favorte old
| teral, beaver, and with the old stuff Will
| come back into fashion the old colors. blue
black and black. There is no doubt what
| ever as to the shape that will be fashion
able 1t will be the loose sack Chesterfield
-looser than ever beforehand of such
length as to cover the knees completely teIy
when the wearer stands upright. The
| shoulders will be slightly stiffened with
buckram, and perhaps a little padding will
| bottle shape. They will have velvet col
lars, rather deeper than usual. and as re-
CARDS their construction will be generally
single-breasted, during the early part of
the winter at all events double-breasted
overcoats being only worn by motorists, as
a general rule. The outside breast pocket
will not reappear, and the two pockets in
the neighborhood of the hips will be either
vertical or horizontal. That is to say, the
hdeous crescent pocket will not be made,
and slanting pockets are likewise obsolete.
The inside breast pockets (of which there
are usually two in overcoat at the pres
| ent day) are likewise generally made with
vertical openings. Where the external
pockets horizontally opening, they will
have flap piece; vertical pockets are al
ways fapless. The ticket pocket of mod
ern overcoat is inside, over the left hip.
Frock Overcoats.
Frock overcoats will this winter only be
worn with evening dress, and 1 may here
digress to remark that frock topcoat re-
quires a silk hat, and not an opera hat.
There are two important changes in the
frock overcoat that will be made this year.
Both relate to the skirts, which will be
shorter than last season Gust covering the
knees and no more), and considerably in
creased in circumference and drapng-
There will thus be good deal of bell effect.
The waist seam will be about two inches,
or two and a half perhaps, below the natu-
raj waist, according to the figure of the
wearer and the Judgment of his tailor. [
will not insult the intelligence of readers
by adding that the frock overcoat will. of
course, always be double-breasted l was
the first to describe the frock overcoat in
any American publication, and consequent
ly take a certain amount of pride in the
success which has been attained on both
sides of the Atlantic by a style of garment
which I have always thought well of. 1t
is also a curious thing that 1 have always
predicted that the frock overcoat would I'LL
timately become chiefly a coat for evening
wear. 1t is now practically only used at
night and over evening dress.
There is such marked tendency on the
part Of the English public to relax the
canons of strict day dress Jacket suits be-
ing often worn nowadays on occasions
which aforetirne were considered as calling
for at least semi dress) that the frock coat
does not occupy so important place in the |
Nevertheless every man who regards the |
decencies of life must needs have frock |
coat suits in his outfit, and it may be said |
at once that the prevalent frock coat for |
full day dress this winter will be always |
black We are now wearing dark gray |
ones as doubtless some correspondent |
will point out. But 1 have not for the mo- |
ment to do with present modes: it is of the |
future that am speaking. and during the |
London season of this winter, l repeat, |
black frock coats will be the regular wear. |
Shetlands and vicunas soft in texture and |
quite dull in surface, will be the prevailing |
materials and the style of the weave will |
be vertical stripes, though of course these |
will be in way apparent to the eye. In |
cut the frock coat will have a somewhat |
long waist, and the skirts will be slightly |
more draped than usual. Evening dress |
will this year undergo no change, except |
that the two-stud shirt is under a cloud |
and it is not quite possible to be certain |
whether after Christmas the usual number |
of studs will be one or three. Either |
number is correct at present The evening |
suit itself has nothing new to look for
Motorists Garments.
The automOhiliSt for as we call hin, tho |