Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-21
STYLES IN MEMS WEAR
A SEASON THAT Is NOTABLY FREE
FROM ODDITIES.
The Danger That Lies In Colorlessness
Some Whispered Innovations
for Autumn.
From the EIaberdasher.

From the Haberdasher
A season without fads Is like soup with
out salt-fiat- While moderation in dress
is proper and wholesome. 1t Is by constant
change that fashion thrives. The moment
there Is a pause, mems dress is In danger
OF becoming colorless and insipid. This
summer Is singularly free from fads, and
the fashions follow familiar lines Indeed,
the very conyentionality of clothes for the
last few seasons warrants the belief that
we are on the eve OF important changes
The perfectly sound desire for fullness and
freedom in dress has led to absurd ex-
tremes. of which one may see evidences on
all sides. Jackets which hang bag-like
from the shoulders and are cut to overcoat
length express the ultimate OF radical ideas.
Fashfon, as every observer of 1t knows,
swings like pendulum. and there are al
ready clear signs that the loose clothes are
to be supplanted by those which define the
Inquire One OF the best known among the
upper-class tailors, who serves the club and
college set, Is cutting his jackets with a
pronounced Spring at the waist and hips
Ihe jacket has deep side vents and is sharp
~ pressed at the seams. so that it gives
the old military" effect dear to young men,
The cuff finish on Jackets has become too
common to remain acceptable to we'll
dressed men, and the fold cuff which has
been the London mode, seemingly does not
commend itself to the American who re-
CARDS 1t as bit 'frilly.' Angular lapels
have also been dropped since the ready
mades claimed them. and the correct lapel
Is now loy-lying. but quite narrow from the
collar downward. Waistcoats are cut high
or low as fancy prompts, and may have a
collar or none 1t matters not. These things
may be accepted as foreshadowing the fash
Ions of next autumn, though do not wish
to commit myself unreservedly to predic-
lions. AS l have said before, every tailor
OF repute has come to be a law unto him
nd hnry
tailors Of equal standing two suits cut to-
tally different In length, lapel and other de-
tails. This lack of uniformity is really an
advantage, since 1t enables a man to give
rein to his personal preferences, unfettered
by rule.
Evening Dress.
For evening dress there is a leaning to-
ward rougher surfaced cloths than have
been used heretofore. and one young ex-
tremist with quite following in his set
has introduced an evening suit with hint
of pattern in the fabric-the merest hint,
mark you. Though I am inaexibly opposed
to every change in the dress endeared by
custom and hallowed by tradition, must
admit that this new cloth looks undeniably
well. This innovation Is intended only for
summer In the country, when 'inky
worsted" and Snowy linen are prone to
appear trif1e funereal. No black waist
coats are worn now with evening clothes;
single-breasted. though the double-breasted
cut is not incorrect. Wing collars are not
evening collars, and no amount of excuse
on the ground of the weather can give the
wing any standing for ceremonious occa-
sions. The lap-front. or the poke is the
only collar that looks fit" with evening
clothes.
While the vogue of the evening jacket
seems to be spreading, 1t really isn't I'M
less accept the diner at fashy hotels as
setting the mode. I have been at particular
pains to look into this, and I find among
men of assured social position disnclina-
ton to wear the jacket at any time. The
plea that the garment Is comfortable is
quite without point; belted Norfolk would
be even more comfortable and yet to ap-
pear In 1T of an evening would stamp the
wearer as "bounder" of the craSsest type
Don't misunderstood me, the evening jacket
is proper enough in its place, but that isn't
where women are to be met. Go to any of
the popular seaside resorts and you will
see the evening Jacket In the plenitude of
It's glory. Visit any Of the really smart
summering places, however, such as New
port, Bar Harbor or Narragansett and the
number Of jacketed men may be counted on
ones ten fingers. am not an anti-jacketer
but 1 maintain firmly that the garment
should be reserved for those occasions for
which only it is suited and not worn about
promiscuously.
The Morning Coat.
The morning coat Is threatened with the
loss Of caste which always besets mode
that has been done to death. Designed pri-
marily for morning and quasi lounge wear
1t is so widely misused that there is a no.
ticeable reaction against it. Some men
fancy that the morning coat will fit any
occasion, grave or gay. and may be worn in
terchangeably with the frock. cutaway or
jacket. In truth, the morning coat is
morning coat, pure and simple. and was
never intended for anything else. 1t is not
a business coat, 1t Is not a ceremonious
coat. 1t is emphatically not country coat,
but merely coat to span the breach be-