Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-10
FROM ACROSS THE SEA
STYLES IN MEMS WEAR FROM
THE ENGLISH CAPITAL.
What Waistcoats Are Worn - The
Decadence of the Fancy Variety
A Comparison Of Glasses.

Some time ago I suggested that the Fancy
waistcoat fashion would tend to fall OH
this summer. The reason which gave
for this was that the use of waistcoats dir-
fering from the coat, in the case OF formai
outfit and from the Jacket and trousers
of lounge suit, has worked Its way down
ward too far for the upper, or so-calieo up
per. classes to stick to 1t much longer
There has been some energetic and very
well managed advertising of ready-made
fancy waistcoets during the last few months
and the shops are full of these garments.
You are very likely to read in the reports
of London fashion writers who get ther
information by looking into store windows
that fancy waistcoats are more In vogue
than ever The method of journalism l
have referred to is not a very eligible one
and leads to mistakes. But there would
be lust this semblance of truth in such
report that there will probably be more
fancy waisteoats sold than last year.
Nevertheless they will not be SO fashionable
They will merely be popular.
Ready-Made Waistcoats.
Ready-made fancy waistcoats are just the
thing to catch on With the class of men
who are above the line which divides the
custom-made clothes wearer from the
wearer of ready mades in suits and over
coats because there is an erroneous Idea
In the middle class that any old cut Will
do for a waistcoat. AS a curious expert
ment, l bought a readymade waistcoat
little while ago, merely to see how iar II
would be from fitting me. 1t was totahy
unwearable, though the cloth was gooo
and 1t came from fairly expensive store
| fancy that the trouble with our ready-to-
wear goods is that the suits are not Haoe
rfntxy of L
the same with shoes, until your people came
over and showed us how TO run ready
made shoe business, and you would very
likely have cornered that trade put TOT tle
fact that to meet our prices you had 10
send over such everlastingly poor stun-or
rather stuff that was long way from pc
ing verlasting-that the superiority OF tne
native shoe drove you out But IN the
meantime you had taught US the trlcR Oh
fitting a ready-made shoe.
Paradoxically, the most fashionable fancy
waistcoat is the one that is not fancy IN
any other sense than that of differing from
the suit 1t goes with. AS II gets away from
the popular article, 1t will have a little bit
Of a run, but as 1t can easily be copied in
the cheap 1t will not last long. This Is a
plain, self-colored flannel waistcoat, bound
with a narrowish monair braid, much dark
err than the material. but toning with it.
The coIors most liked are green, gray ana
brown. The flannel is only very lightly
tinged with the color, but there is no mis-
L Il
is very dark, and can be put on the pockets
or not, according TO taste. These waist
coats are singie-breasted, and have four
pockets, as indeed all custom-made waist
coats now have-namely, two about level
with the midriff, and two over the breast.
Unless specially ordered generally by
American visltors) waistcoats are never
made in this country with an inside pocket.
What may hurt the fancy waistcoat for
the better class of popular trade this sum
mer is the evident tendency OF our mercan-
tile clerk class 1--WE pronounce clerk as II II
were spelled clark, and never apply the
term to a store salesman, whom we call
a. "shopman") to make rather heavy and
elaborate shirt (which we do not pronounce
"shart"1 serve as substitute for the
waistcoat this summer. These shirts are
made with two breast pockets and have de-
tached studs instead of buttons.
An effect of this will be to wake up the
belt trade and 1 should think that Amer-
can belts would sell here, for the British
article Is extremely bad. Also 1t Is likely
that suspenders 1--WE call them braces) will
be worn under the shirt: but do not think
the torn "shirt-waist man" will be adopt
ed. For one thing, ladies do not call
bodice waist In this country: the waist
always means q part of the body-that part
which well-meaning Providence has de-
creed shall be about the same circumfer-
ence as mans arm-length. These shirts
are ready-made, because they are not very
liable to catch on with the smart crowd
Curiously enough, men who would not
dream of wearing ready-made clothes Will
wear q ready-made shirt: 1t Is only very
considerable distance further up the ladder