Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-25

contrast to the body of the hat. Silk hats
are just what they were last winter. except
that he crown Is, perhaps, just q shaoe
more belled and, by compensation, the same
shade higher. Automobiling gloves, with
thick excrescence of metal studs all over
the palms and on the palmar aspect of the
fingers have made their appearance and
are worth mentioning because they may be
worn a sort of badge of the sport MOI
many men drive their own motors, but this
may not prevent their wearing gloves with
a protection evidently designed to avoid
wear against the steering wheel. A man
of good taste would prefer to make his
chauffeur wear these gloves; man of os-
tentatiouS habits would wear them himself
and refuse to let the intrepid driver of his
car initiate him usurp his function in any
way.
What is described as a new stock collar
has made its appearance also. 1t is just
like a fold collar worn upside down, with
the cravat band in the fold as usual L
cannot pretend to say why it should be
called stock collar, unless because the
outfitters who purchase supplies of 1t are
likely to have them good while In stock
For this collar looks to me neither smart
nor comfortable, and fail altogether to see
why it should be thought particularly suit
able to wear with a twice-rounder You
cannot well tell how many times the band
goes round, and, anyway, the notion Is quite
too bizarre.
Much more interesting is the introduction
of velvet as a material for sail-knot ties.
Knots made of a rch-colored velvet look
rather over elaborate for most tastes, and
l am not prepared to say that they will be
generally worn, but the Introduction is In
teresting. The effect varies a good deal ac-
cording to color. A deep blue example
looked rather dreadful and a wine-red one
somewhat gorgeous. But pale pink and
cold mouse-colored specimen each looked
rather well in the window where 1 saw
them. On the whole, however. do not feel
able to say that velvet Is entirely eligible
material for cravats. 1t is so very splendid
hot ba RI fihle wit n
the only suit that goes" just now with a
knot tie, namely, a lounge suit; and a velvet
Ascot would surely be rather much of
good thing. Moreover, appearance in the
fiat is not the only thing about cravat;
one requires to ascertain how 1T will knot
up Possibly velvet knots well, but / am
without information on this point. In any
case after having been tied few times, ]
should think that the pile would present a
very bruised appearance, and while the fact
that thing cannot be worn for very long
does not initiate against its success with
the fashionable crowd it is certainly draw
back to its chances of popularity, and I
do not see velvet knots in the exclusive
shops at the West End, which set the fash
ions.
Underwear
Underwear in this country is, for the pru-
dent man. divided into three weights. It
does not suffice to have one lot for the
summer and another lot for the winter and
old maxims like cast not cout till May is
OUT are only examples of the systematiZed
foolishness called the wisdom of our anees-
tors. Climate is so capricious here that you
cannot afford to dress by the calendar; you
must dress according to what sort of day
1t is. And as there are intermediate sea-
sons between, autumn and winter at one
equinox and between spring and summer
at the other 1t is necessary to have mid
way between the extreme heavy weights
used when 1t Is really cold (and tempera-
ture of freezing point is everlastingly cold
here, because the air is SO damp and the
very light gossamers suitable for middle
summer, and these middle weights are what
are more used than anything else, In prac-
tice. This year the fancy for very gorgeous
colors In underwear seems to have suffered
a check. At all events I see none of the
brilliant colors prominently offered in the
shops, as they were last year. 1t is only
possible to Judge this kind of vogue by the
shops; you cannot very well undress your
friends in order to take census of their
undershirts, and to ask questions on the
subject in conversation rather suggests the
story of the nervous undergraduate at a
dance who was terribly short on small talk
Shyly endeavoring to find something to say
to his partner, he startled her at last with
the inquiry, ..D-d-do you wear flannel next
to your skim form of inquiry much too
Intimate for reserved manners.