Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-04
LITTLE THAT Is NEW AND MOTH
ING RADICAL.
Some Misconceptions Regarding FASH
ion Exploded-Duttonlsss Evening
waistcoats-E6ects in Collars.


mean, OF course, mems fashions (the other
sort are beyond the ken of my hating pen).
for the plain reason that fashion Is not the
fruit Of one mind. but OF many minds striv-
ing toward q common end. Are mems
fashions designed by the crack 9TH avenue
tailors and the upper-class haberdashers
and bootmakers? Wrong again. The fash
ions which begin at the top OF the social
crust and work their gradual way down
to the undermost layer are set by the uni
verstty-bred man OF means who mixes with
smart people. who is a bit of globe trot-
ter. who goes In for the wholesome sports
and that sort of thing. who belongs to half
dozen clubs here. one or two in Lendon
and another perchance In Paris; whose en-
vironment and mode Of life make him
mondain in the true meaning Of that trite
term. He'g q cosmopolitan, he belongs to
no country In the narrow sense, he's quite
as at home In Bombay or Calcutta as in
New York or London, he's distinct social
type that every country produces and that
our own produces particularly well. He
follows no fixed manner of dress, and least
of all is he welded to his tailor. That per-
son gets very definite instructions as to how
a coat must be cut and how many buttons
go on the white waistcoat and woe betide
him II he is dereiict in carrying out what
he's told. The tailor in turn transmits
these ideas to other customers. and by de-
grees they filter through to the second-rank
tailors. and descend finally to the level OF
ready-made. This Is the history of every
fashion. with but slight variations. Fash
ion. too, Is shaped in a measure by the var
sity set, by the well-born young men at the
colleges who have the means to crafty
their preferences in dress and who form in
themselves a distinct class. From them
came the so-called military jacket and a
host OF other fads few of which, though,
have left an impress on fashion In trac-
ing the development Of fashion from its
foundation head 1 have said nothing new
and have merely sought to puncture some
common misconceptions Heigho. An end
to this philosophizing. The new things OF
the month clamor for attention and clamor
insistently.
Plain Handkerchiefs.
Plain linen handkerchiefs are now used
instead of the silk and linens which en-
joyed fugitive vogue. I regard the simple
linen affair as in better taste than its show
fer fellows. and Notwithstanding the ca
prices of the mode plain white linen, with
the Wearer's monogram embroidered in
white, will always be the gentlemans hand
kerchief. And. by the by, while 1 am on
the subject of monograms. let me say that
a monogram is put upon virtually every ar
t1cle that a gentleman wears and uses.
You'll find 1t on shirts. handkerchiefs,
muft1ers, gloves. cravats, waistcoats, hose,
hats, undersuits. pajamas. lounging jack
cts. shaving suits. bath slippers, bathrobes
bath mats and the rest. have even seen a
monogram inside a low-cut boot, though
really this is going far afieid. The mono
gram should always be inconspicuous and
should possess the attribute of usefulness,
serving to identify the owner. Monograms so
large and Haunting that they resemble the
initiating on the back of an automobile be-
token the vulgarian. Just where the mono
gram habit will end is hard to tell. but
within limits 1t is in good taste. Every man
who dresses and not merely hangs his
clothes upon himself likes to have his per-
sonality accumulated, and this the mono
gram accomplishes. Nobody scorns the
coxcomb more than do, but have even
less patience with the untubbed brother
hood which Is always Crying "Fnn." proudly
carrying dandruff upon its shoulders and
shedding its cuffs. Its jeers are innocuous.
A Formal Collar Needed.
Wing collars having rounded tabs are
worn with evening dress this winter, al
though maintain that the overlapping and
straight standing forms are more appropri-
ate. There ought to be distinctive type OF
collar for formal evening wear. just as
there is a distinctive coat waistcoat,
shirt, cravat and glove. and the
wing collar is worn with the lounge suit, it
does not answer for the purpose. The over
tapping and straight-stander on the other
hand. go with practically no other than
formal evening dress, and hence help to
give individual note to the most patri-
clan garb that gentleman can assume. I
look upon the wing as Semi-formal collar
correct for general day wear, but out of
place In the evening. So far as the fold is
concerned, it is purely a summer type that
should be laid aside with the fannels and
anickers of waistcoatless August. No
drst-class shop would recommend the fold
collar for winter. and In one of the beSc
metropolitan establishments not fold has
oeen shown in the window since autumn
dawned.
The new buttonless waistcoat for wear
with the swallowtaii is made of white
gaberdine, l1steriess, cream-eolored
fabric very like flannel. and the edges
and pockets are braided with white silk.
The salient feature of this waistcoat is. of
course, the fact that it has no buttons but
is folded far across the right side and the
band slipped Into loop and brought
around to the back, where it is buckled
in the usual manner. The garment is skel-
eton lined and has satin back. 1t is made
to the measure of customer by the crack
tailors. and costs from $40 to s25. Be it
understood this Waistcoat accompanies only
the swallowtaii and Is not worn with the
evening jacket. The varsity set is very
partial to it. and small wonder, for it is the
smartest type Of waistcoat / have yet seen.
Braided Morning Coats.
Braided morning coats have not been
taken up so generally by well-dressed men
as to entitle them to be called smart,
though must admit that some of them ap-
pear uncommonly well. But think the
tailor is overstepping the bounds when he
puts braid on double-breasted jackets.
These look atrocious. and IL this sort of
thing goes predict that the fad will die
a-bornin' The braidless morning coat is a
graceful garment particularly becoming
to the tall. slender man, and its vogue is
deserved. In the same class with the
braided morning coat / put the single
breasted frock. 1t will never, feel sure,
supersede the double-breasted garment, and
II is absolutely discountenanced by many
of our best-dressed men, And while on
this subject let me say that L was much
amused by the recent comments of the
provincial press upon the clothes of GER
tain vaudeville actress addicted to male inn
presentations. It is almost inconceivable
that anybody could attach the slightest
weight to this persons views and mode of
dress, but both were solemnly discussed.
and she was held up as a pattern of good
form. The tailors dummy and the BARRIERS
blocks are new standards to apply to mems
dress and 1t now behooyes some male fe-
ale impersonator to come forward and
teach the gentle sex how to manipulate its
draperies and perform the dozen and one !
little acts upon which it would be profana-
ton for the ordinary man to dwell.
Gloves.
Chamois and gauntlet gloves. as / said
some weeks ago, are much in vogue this
season. The newest chamois models have