Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-28
FROM ACROSS THE SEA
HINTS ON MEMS DRESS FROM THE
ENGLISH CAPITAL.
Single-Breasted Styles Still Successful
Fancy Waistcoats and Their
Varieties-New Neckwear.

Lie general trGn0 OI 1aSHlOH III Ofedt
Britain for this new year can now be pretty
accurately foreseen, as can also the GUS
toms Of well-dressed society. which for all
practically important purposes means West
end London society. Frock coats viii, for
the most formal occasions. be par excel
ience full dress. and in their highest de-
velopment will always be black. This is
to say that at a very exclusive wedding. or
an ambassadorial reception in daytime
black frock coat will be Indispensable. But
for everything but the most "starchy" gath
erings. gray frock coat outfit will be quite
correct; during the early part of the year
a very dark gray, worn with cashmere
trousers in a quiet check pattern; in the
summer light frOck coat with trousers to
match 1t, and fancy waistcoat But the
morning coat. braided, will also be dress
outfit and will on all occasions rank with
the gray frock coat. That is to say, it will
be accepted for all but the most strictly
formal meetings. The morning coat will
always be black. with braiding Of dull mo-
hair. and rather wide. A similarly braided
waistcoat to match will mostly be worn
with 1t. though there can be no real OBJ
lection to dark fancy waistcoat. Trous-
ers as with frock coat. Jacket suits will
once more be considered as correct semi
dress-they will often be worn where a
morning coat suit was formerly used, and
think that tweed morning coats and
even gray ones. will for some time rank
as somewhat more informal than a smart
brown worsted or cashmere Jacket suit So
1t appears now.
Fashions in General.
Fashions of garments in general will not
greatly develop in comparison with the
styles already reported in this letter: and
s1ngie-breasted sorts will everywhere be
preferred before double, except In the case
of the frOck fba Iat+
ways be worn with single-breasted waist
coat. The sleeve will be trifle snugger all
the way down than last winter, and the
neck opening will be about the same: that
is to say, somewhat high; and it will be a
sound rule that ditto waistcoat should
not show when either coat or waistcoat is
buttoned, but that fancy one should. The
rolled lapel will not be used either for frock
or morning coats again, nor will it appear
on the semi-dress jacket. 1t will no doubt
be used for outing lounges, but nowhere
else. Frock coats may be worn open or
buttoned: morning jackets always buttoned.
There is great craze just now for rounded
corners on everything-on cuffs, jackets, the
lapel-noses of every sort of over and under
coat. the lower corners of overcoats, the
bottom of waistcoats. But 1t will be very
easy to overdo this thing, and l do not see
the slightest reason for thinking that flor
instance) the nose of a step-collared evening
coat need be thus mutilated Where sep
arate waistcoat is worn with a jacket suit
1t will generally be of perfectly plain ma
terial, somewhat darker than the cloth of
the suit Fancy waistcoats for other wear
will be more fanciful- Just now. because
we have had a short snap of very cold
weather for us 1--WE call % degrees Fair.
devlish), all fancy waistcoatS are either
knitted without pattern) or of heecy ma
terial; and that reminds me that knitted
waistcoats with flannel sleeves are a good
deal in vogue for the same reason); but
during the spring and summer l expect to
Soa q al a q
~ appearance when made single-breasted
This excludes the slate-linen waistcoat SO
long fashionable with frock coat, because
this waistcoat Is only successful with a
needful to add that all waistcoats. as well
as being single, will also be collarless for
the spring.
Overcoats.
Oyercoats have already been discussed at
the end of autumn. 1 see nothing to regret
in the opinions expressed with regard to
them The beaver Chesterfield has come
in for all the favor predicted; the Raglan
in its integrity is quite. quite obsolete. l
do not see the sense Of the attempt by
which some fashion writers who predicted
its revival are trying to crawl out OF this
decidedly unfortunate blunder, claiming
that the tweed sporting coat, which was
long ago described here, Is Raglan
Chesterfield" A Raglan is coat with
the Raglan sleeve and shoulder. No such
Overcoat is being worn now. For the rest.
as expected. the old style of horizontal
pockets is coming more and more into
return of favor, and In the heavier coats
these pockets are mostly lined with SILKY
and feecy material not unlike very long
piled plush The rule about velvet collars
ON overcoats is perfectly easy to keep in
mind. 1t may be summed up In this phrase:
Use the common sense style. That Is 70
say, on q beaver or melton coat. velvet
CHI oil he unless the cut
and style of the coat show that Its evident
purpose is driving (Which means coaching,
fourth hand or other). On tweed over
coat the collar should be of the coats own
cloth. Some very "gassy' overcoats in
light gray homespun are, 1t Is true, being
made with black velvet collars. They also
have an elaborate black silk stitching at
each end of the pocket openings. which are
hapless and piping of velvet round the
edge of their double cuffs. But these coats
have no Importance, because no man Of i'm
portance or Of taste wears one of them nor
could be induced to do 1t.
Flannel Shirts.
More often than anything else, a flannel
shirt will, especially in the summer of this
year. be worn with Jacket suit. and
usually a flannel with white or gray ba-
sis and blue stripes. The entire shirt will
be made of flannel. The objectionable Gus
tom of attaching linen fronts and cuffs to
a nannei shirt Is practically obsolete ana
for a very good reason. The laundries spoil
both flannel and linen by subjecting both to
treatment suitable for neither. Moreover,
and no doubt in consequence OF this dis
covered fact it Is rather smart than 9TH
erwise to show coiored front with jacket
suit, and there would be no objection to
the wearing of flannel shirt with a frock
or morning coat II 1t were not for the cuffs.
which must be of linen with these formal
garments and white linen at that. You
may ask why we do not wear loose cuffs:
but for the high-ciass trade here detached
cuffs may be said not to exist. A man who
trades at the West End OF London does not
wear a shirt any longer than the cuffs are
clean; in fact, he never puts on a shirt
more than once between its visits to the
Consequently. a flannel shirt Is
not correct wear In fashionable quarters
except with jacket suit, and just now
white shirts never worn with a lounge
suit. though colored linen ones can be used
by those who object to flannel as many
men seem to do The soft double collar
for golfng wear has not proved success
and after short run 1t has been dropped.
the hunting stock replacing, as it preceded.
1t. The soft collar proved unavoidable. IT
says out of place and overhangs the coat
collar, with hideous results. Cuffs on fam
mel shirts are turned back and made very
large. They are fitted with pair of stud