Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-03
FROM ACROSS THE SEA
HINTS ON MEMS CLOTHES FROM
ENGLISH CAPITAL.
The Passing Of Homespun and the
Coming-In Of Cashmere-The
Morning Coat.
London Correspondence of the Haberdssher.

err since the time when homespun. hand
woven cloth ceased to be the only WOODEN
cloth available for the manufacture or
mems clothes, had there been so much OF
this material used The new employment
of Harris. and especially Donegal, tweeds
for overcoats otherwise than true shooting
coats last spring must have caused an
enormous consumption of these stuffs, ana
although the homespun overcoat has al
ready passed away, tweed sporting coats
are still worn for a variety of purposes UNI
connected with sport. But it Is pretty
easy to perceive, as 1 have for some time
been indicating in these letters, that the
present year will see marked diminutiou
IN the use of Scotch and Irish tweedS, and
great revival In the use of worsted5,
cashmeres, vicunas and the so-called west
of England cloths.
West of England manufacturers are eX-
tending their works Worsteds and CASH
meres, serges, Shetlands Saxonies and all
sorts of smooth cloths are being worn. The
rough tweed overcoat will soon go the way
of the true homespun overcoat, and mel
ton beaver is every day rising in popularity.
Morning coats of the lighter grays are
likely to be much in favor for use, later
in the spring, as semi-dress. Tweed morn
ing coats are not to be revived. but after
gray quite expect to see an invasion OF
dark fawn or possibly even Of brown. Mean
time there is novelty of a very remark
able kind. of which something may be
heard later. though 1 should hesitate to
put 1t forward actual prediction This
Is morning coat in gray or other self
color, with silk lapel facings in contrast
ing color. The notion has something in 1t
which IL not at all displeasing, and al
though its entire novelty would make ii
look rather strange at first, it is a thing
which would soon come to be exceedingly
smart. Up to now the only kind of con-
trasting slk-face has been the black grena-
dine sometimes put on gray morning or
rnnL Nnnf or,d h L. tI1nt ffay1S tyra
to most peoples taste. There certainly
were other contrasts. where people tried to
match a gray and failed; but these were
involuntary. 1t is easy to that morn
ing coat with well-considered contrast
In silking, and the braiding which on cuta-
ways and them alone will be very much
in evidence this year, could be made to go
lar. Just exactly what Will be the outcome
of the project l cannot yet undertake
TO say; but it is undoubtedly on the carpet
for consideration, and men of affairs are
talking about 1t to those very confidential
advisers their tailors, In Saville row, Sack
vile street and the other secret haunts
of fashionable mystery.
Scarcity of Wool.
The same sort of considerations which
really operated to assist more than any
thing the growth of public taste for home
spun are concerned in Its supersession. 1t
was not only Lord Rosebery's enthusiastic
and generous advocacy of the cotters' weave
that produced the great demand for home
spun 1t was also the great Australian
drought which year after year diminished
the visible supply of the raw material of
other tweedS. 1t so difficult to get
merino staple that we, like the rest of the
world-for Australia has, 80 far 1 know,
a practical monopoly of the raising of the
finer sorts of wool-that we, l say, like all
the rest of the world. were obliged to turn
our attention to other fabrics; and al
though men of fashion in London, in New
a ha ~
itals of the world did not know that they
were being Influenced by their tailors, the
fact is that, as their tailors were not able
to get the cloths made from Australian
feeces. they pushed the merits of rougher
tweeds on public attention, and actually
created the fashion which is now nearing
Its obsolescence all the world over. This
is an absolute fact.
Braid. as already mentioned, Is In for a
run on morning coats, and it is thought
by some observers that such coats will be
correct only when braided, and braided in
the orthodox style. The braid used is a
fine dull mohair about three-eighths Of
an inch of II showing on the front and the
turns made with a very visible inter. As
ditto-waistcoats will not be very often
worn, the question of whether pockets as
well as edges on a waistcoat should be
edged with braid may be neglected. No
self-respecting fancy waistcoat now has
any braid on 1t. Nor will there be braid,
at all events this side of May-day, on gray
coats-only on black ones. unless the con
trasting silk fashion materialzes in prac-
teal shape. Braid down the outer seams OF
evening dress trousers Is again making
progress. There IS no chance that it will
become essential; plain style in evening
dress IS always correct. But more men
are having braid put on their trousers than
formerly. OF course the same military set
that sticks to the three-stud shlrt-front has
always favored the braided leg. But this
set likes one row of broadish braid, while
the most prevalent fancy Is now for two
rows of braid. rather narrower. Braided
frock coats are not in the least likely to
come into use; a man in a coat of this
kind looks too much like German COM
mercial traveller to please the British or
the American taste. And above all things,
silk braid is now and always abomina-
ton.
PAIRING It's Cheese
The times are not prosperous, and there
is no doubt that even people who ordi-
Earily spend a good deal of money are look
ing out for economies in dress as we'll az
IN other things. 1t seems incredible that
the West End of London should be pairing
its cheese; but according to some reports
the process has gone pretty far. One of
the London papers gravely printed a story
10 the effect that the big Scotch chemical
cleaners were full up with mems clothes
sent to be renovated and these of the
most fashionable sorti This, of course is
frankly absurd men of fashion do not
send their clothes to be cleaned at dyer's:
sense of hard times which Is in the air.
With general election-always bad for
trade-pending, and all sorts of business
enterprise hindered by the fact that in the
event Of the present party being returned
to power anew there will be tinkerings with
the tariff. It is not surprising that money
should be scarce at the West End though
IL is not dear" in the money market One
effect of the depression is to help on the
gradual movement in favor OF ready-made
shoes. Until the importation Of American
"a 0rr1a zeTr .Fff1f ~, h.,
derful variety Of widths and fittings car
Fied in a really good stock. no man Of
fashion would have been in the doorway
OF a ready-made shoe store to save his
life. But stories of the wonders effected
by American manufacturers began to filter
up to the clubs; and now good many peo-
pie whom no one suspects of Ii wear ready
made shoes. and look well enough In them.
OF course your manufacturers have not
been able to keep monopoly: the invaded
industry learned a lot from it's temporary
conquerors. and, judging by my own prac-
teal experience with American as COM
pared with English shoes, / should say
ttat .I,ara 10 RIG 1uat,u thar,