Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-14
FROM ACROSS THE SEA
HINTS ON MEMS DRESS FROM
THE ENGLISH METROPOLIS.
King Edwards Trousers Again Sub
ject for Discussion-The Great
Shirt Stud Question.
London Correspondence the Haberdasher.

King Edward is alleged to have created
| something of a sensation by wearing at
recent race meeting pair of trousers which
| had a new kind of creasing. The royal
| trousers have been a good deal In the air
of late-by which l do not mean that Ed
ward VII has developed the habit of stand
| ing upon his head. but only: that his trous-
| ers have been much discussed. He was
| quite failaciously accused of having turned
up at Ascot with the creases down the
sides instead of in the middle Now, 1t is
alleged that he has exhibited a method of
double creasing-that is to say. there were
two creases down the front Zone on each
side of the kneecap). and l suppose a cor
responding couple down the back The
erect would be something like loose box
pleat, and II the king is in the habit of get
ting his trousers bagged at the knee (which
| should find 1t rather difficult to believe)
he would doubt find the innovation
| rather useful. 1t is certainly radical
enough.
If there should prove to be anything at all
In this report it might easily lead to a new
art in trouser cutting; and trousers with a
of the legs might sit better than the or
binary kind. though there is some technical
dffficulty to be overcome. At present the
report is entirely unconfirmed, and probably
II is only the usual autumn canard. To
produce a double crease by the use of the
trouser press or of the fiatiron would trou-
However. in one respect, recent outfit of
the kings is useful and worthy of being
recorded. In last months Haberdasher I
had occasion to mention that boom in
brown was certainly on it's way to full de-
velopment, and in going north to the Dom
caster race meeting all the papers men,
toned that the king wore a brown suit,
brown shoes and brown bowler hat How
well this accords with my prediction of
autumn fashions / need not strain a nat
uraliy modest temperament by remarking
at this iunCture.
Overcoats
Now that winter is getting near it will be
proper to describe the most fashionable
types of overcoat. and I will briefly do SO,
beginning at the top. with the town evening
dress overcoat. This will be less often a
frock than smartly cut Chesterfield. with
seam down back and lapels faced to the
edge. 1t will be black, without velvet on
collar. and though the cuffs will be turned
back. they will be stitched down snug. the
loose double cuff having failed to give salts
faction in wear. This coat will be rather
longer than absolutely required to cover
the coat-tails beneath, but it will be shorter
than other oyercoats of the period. For
full dress daytime use beaver Chesterfield.
not too long, with rich velvet collar and no
silking on the lapelS, will continue to be
worn, and there Is doubt that either
black or very deep indigo Will be the en-
tire choice of colorS. The gray beavers of
last year did not prove satisfactory. The
talk about the raglan being revived for
sporting purposes is quite baseless. if by
raglan is meant a coat with the sleeve gen.
orally associated with that type of coat.
However, the body cut of this years sport
ing coat is much like a raglan. Yokes are
not much In favor, but l have seen a very
good sporting overcoat with seam back
having all the air of coat that would be
best cut from yoke. though no yoke was
there. the cutter having developed the skill
to drape 1t cunningly that while perfectly
loose and even roomy, from the waist. 1t
was yet smooth and unwrinkled at the
| oh 40
fess to be initiated into all the art and mys-
terry of the shears. but it strikes me that
this coat must need some cutting; and. in
the meantime, a loose coat with straight
and vertical pockets on the hips (and no
others), with whole back and cloth collar.
is entirely correct for the coming winter.
Up to now overcoatS seem likely to be
made in gray mixtures when of smooth
tweeds and cheviots. but when used for
extra sporting purposes or for motoring,
and consequently made of homespun. they
will be- like most other things this winter,
brown. The most striking thing about
sporting coats, however. will be the growth
of the fashion for nodded leather buttons,
which / have known of for long time and
may have mentioned here. They have been
introduced In these goods.
The Shirt Stud Question.
There has been good deal of storm
in a teacup about the evening shirt and
stud question: storm which fancy had
something to do with arousing. Readers of
the Haberdasher are well aware that have
for some time been Saying that the two
stud fashion for evening shirts is no longer
the best usage. This statement has ''nut-
tered their dovecotes In Corioli,' because
the writer's from whom the public seems to
derive a large part of its information on
subjects connected with mems dress never
seem to be able to very far beyond
their own noses. Inquiries Tin the funniest
places have accordingly been made and
written about. and all sorts of reasons are
given to prove 1t impossible for one-stud
shirts to be correct-which they are and
will continue to be. One reason is worth
quoting because 1t gives opportunity for a
practical hint. 1t was said that one-stud
shirt bosoms are disliked because they are
apt to bulge open. OF course. this is all a
matter of cut. and such shirts were worn
for years without any one complaining. But
if any real difficulty existed 1t could readily
be met by opening the gusset Il think you
call ii guSSeO at the bottom of the shirt
opening and putting button and button
hole in the unstarched linen beneath This
prevents bulge. No one ever complained of
a coat-shirt bullying. The troubles which
some men meet in this respect are accentu-
ated. like nearly all similar troubles, by
the methods adopted to get rid of them.
When a mans crayat band rides up on
his collar he generally tries to cure the
trouble by pulling it tighter, whereas what
would really remedy 1t would be to tie 1t
looser. Similarly. unwise shirt cutters try
to cure bulge by making the fronts longer
and wider at the lap, which will only ac-
centuate the bulge. 1t is looseness that we
"A
buttons at the back. Is never worn here.
fancy there not many people who still
wear it in the United States. There is al
ways question to whether braid will
be worn down the sides of evening trousers
in a particular season. This year l feel
satisfied by my own observations that the
best style will be to avoid this ornament.
1t will not, however, be absolutely incor-
rect, and is yet a distinguishing mark
much favored.
Odds and Ends.
With the gradual approach of autumn.
and pending the entire introduction of the
brown suit black knots with small white
pattern have been good deal worn of late.
especially where coored shirts have been
in use, which latterly they have been with
gray jacket suits. The small, round cor
ner on jackets may be considered as en-
tirely obsolete, and may the rolled lapel
on coats and Jackets of all kinds, except
those used entirely and exclusively for the
river, which is, of course, now at the end
of its sea on. When the Thames again be-
comes tolerable as playground next sum-
mer we shall probably see the rolled lapel
again. though not much we have seen
1t this year. The style is now on the down
grade.