Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-26
STYLES IN MEMS WEAR
LIFE IN THE OPEN AND ITS IN
FLUENCE ON DRESS.
Are We to Go Back to the Martyrdonl
of Tight Clothes-Sense and
Nonsense.


air. the upper class tailors, haberdashers
and bootmakers are concerned with the
things of spring-indeed, most of these are
ready for the scrutiny of clients t"custo-
mer is tabcoed you know. The growing
taste of Americans for the manly sports
sends them scurrying to the field just as
soon winter wanes, and keeps them
there until the frost glistens. This fondness
Tor athletics, l have often said, has a
deep influence on mems dress and is an eff
fectual bar against "dandyism' in every
form. l do not recall any time when clothes
smacked so strongly as today of the coun-
try This applies particularly to morning
dress with it's soft tweeds, flannel shirt
fold collar, thick soled boots and belt. Even
in late autumn, when the wind whis;led I'M
comfortably, one might have met at any of
the smart clubs met dressed in the multi
est of lounge suits, and seeming for all
the world to have just looked in from
the links This, to be sure is OVERRIDING
the thing. but 1t is a development of the
veritable craze for comfort in clothes that
pervades dress through and through. In
view of this, the whispered return to
tightly fitting jackets and trousers seems
lar on, and l venture to say that the
united Influence of the tailors will be pow
erless to reconcile the wel-dressed Ameri-
can to the discomfort of clothes that
cramp the muscles and hinder free move
ment. Your average tailor is a bit of IL
marpiot. and the temptation to change just
for tie sake of change is ever present with
him. When we have evolved mode of
dress which chimes with grace and fitness
and has the added virtue of comfortab BILE
ness why return to the martyrdom of pinch
ing trousers and skin-tight jackets? For
tunately, spring clothes bring no radical
departure and are cut on moderate, sensible
lines. L refer, of course to tailors of as
sured position and not at all to those who
serve the Broadway f1aneur. / have seen
dreadful jackets and even more dreadful
Waistcoats that some raw scribblers have
trlumphantly proclaimed as the thing"
when, in truth, no self-respecting hostler.
much less gentleman, would wear any
one of them.
Correct Jacket Suit.
The correctly cut jacket suit for spring is
80 inches long, for a man of normal height
five feet, eight inches-and has a high waist
line. The lapels are eight inches long, two
inches wide and decidedly peaked The
arms have a cuff finish, three inches from
the edge. and three buttons on the side
In the back of the jacket is one center or
two side vents seven to nine inches deep.
The shoulders are not square as hereto
fore. but slightly rounded, and the bottom
of the jacket is just a bit cut away in
front. While hanging with comfortable
fullneSs from the shoulders and buttoning
freely, the spring jacket is in no sense
"baggy 1t has three buttons, if single
breasted, and two or three if double
breasted. The double breasted cut is I'M
Goubtedly on the decline, for it's square
form makes 1t sack-like and graceless The
waistcoat is collarless, with a moderately
low opening, and closes with five buttons.
The trousers are quite full around the hips
and little narrower at the bottom, though
not at all cut in the 'peg-top form.
So much for the jacket The morning
coat is about thirty-six inches long and
more getaway in front than last season
1t has flap pockets the side. The cuta-
way proper is the same length and, of
course, pocketleSs. The spring frock coat
is forty inches long made of black Vicuna
or dark Oxford gray. and, by the younger
set, is worn with two buttons. The lapels
are silk to the buttonhole. and the skirt
is full with just a hint of bell-Shape Sim
gle-breaSted frockS are also correct and
these are made with three buttons and with
lapels silk faced to the edge. The spring
topcoat is thirty-three inches long and has
stitched sleeves. collar and pocket flaps.
1t is cut very loose, with two side vents
nine inches deep. and has lap, not strap.
seams. Olives, browns and plain colors
generally are indorsed as heretofore The
regulation spring overcoat is made of black
or oxford gray unfinished wOrsted forty
one inches long. cut in the approved Ches-
terrified manner, with plain cuffs, not fold
cuffs.
Details OF Dress.
The details of dress-collar, cravat, hand
kerchief hose shirt, belt and hoot-were
described last month. The same leaning
toward amplitude of fabric and fullness of
cut that is to be noted in the dress essen
tails for spring is observable in the Incl
dcntals CravatS are still quite broad col
lars are of the fold form, shirts are soft
and boots have moderately thick soleS
bit pointed, and modified military heels.
For the bhstering days of summer the
rough straw hat will be a degree smarter
than the smooth. AS between plain and
pleated shirts, the pleated is indorsed for
spring, while the plain is preferred when
We put our waistcoats aside. The practice
of turning up ones trousers is not coun-
tcnanced for spring, but only for summer,
and then with trousers of the softer cloths.
such as fannels, tweeds homespuns and
the like.
When we leave town for country we leave
much of the ''StarchinesS'' of dress behind.
Golf used to have a mode of its own, but
little If any heed IS paid to it now. The
primary consideration the links is COM
fort, and comfort is obtained by discard
ing the jacket and the collar and cravat
as we'll knotting a brightly colored hand
kcrchIef about the neck. LOw-cut shoes
are preferred TO boots of special design,
and "knickers' have yielded to flannel trou-
sers. For tennis there Is an admirable
shirt made with half-sleeves and drawers
attached The half-SleeVeS leave the arms
and drawers are made in one piece prevents
the shirt from mounting at the waist, a
it has a disconcerting trick of doing and
keeping the wearer forever Juggling.
Evening Clothes.
Evening clothes bring no change of mo-
ment. The jacket will be worn as largely
as heretofore instead of the swallowtail,
Just as soon as the nights get sultry. Not
withstanding the fact that the evening
Jacket has been concertcdly frowned down,
1t preserves its hold, and l noticed at the
fashionable watering places this winter
more Jackets than l had ever seen before.
The kernel of the matter is ths-on ac-
count of its real convenience the evening
Jacket is assured of favor until some other
garment is introduced to take lis place.
The best-dressed men Will always give the
swallowtaN the preference, and reserve the
evening Jacket for those occasions when
the dress standards are, by common con-
sent relaxed. This means the summer and
its country life.
In the foregoing paragraph l said that
freedom and looseness are still distinguish
ing marks of lounge dress and that it sa
Vors Enthusiastically of the country. The
lounge Jackets cut by the classy" tailors
fit roomily across the chest and when I'M
buttoned, have soft outward roll. Some
times only the middle button of the jacket
is worn fastened, to lend an easier,
"loungier'' aspect. This standard of COM