Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-01-22
MANS CHIEF SUIT.

time. The sack coat long ago became lhe
garment Of the worker by reason Of It's
highly utilitarian qualities.
If there is one piece of advice import
ant TO the man who is about 70 buy
coat Of this kind it is 10 avoid the eN-
trene length, which is affected by men
who would rather be very much dressed
than well dressed There are men 20 be
seen on the street with sack coats reacn-
ing almost 70 their knees.
These are not, Of course, made by well
known tailors, nor even by unknown tan
lors with taste and judgment as to ho"
a style should be treated. There are
some styles In which a degree OF eXag-
geration is sometimes permissible. but
these sack coats, longer than the ordi-
nary correct coat, are too grotesque iof
serious consideration. Yet they are made
up by thousands by the wholesale manu-
facturers in the West and sent through
the country.
Having avoided this error, there is an
other point pimost as important 10 bear
An mind. The outward sign Of this Is ex-
cessively padded shoulders.
They are % much a breach of fashion
az the very short coat which they used to
accompany a few years ago. There has
rarely been time when tho best Lon
don tailors did not stiifen the shoulders
Of a coat, however broad the wearer's
shoulders might be. But it remained for
the men m this country to build out
shoulders with such liberal SUPPLIES Of cot
ton batting that the shoulders boge no
disoernible relation 10 the figure.
This uniucky mode was also rampant
with overcoats until 10 was rejected 80
completely hy men who dressed well rl.at
even the others gave IL up. II may be
worth while 10 explain here that no
amount OF padding win do as much to
make the shouldors of a coat look broad
as will the way in which it is cut.
With the front sections cut broad and
the armholes not cut out too much be-
hind there will bo more natural Illusion
of broad shoulders, even where they do
not exist, than the use of half a bale of
cotton could ever secure. Shoulders that
have been made 20 look broad by this
means have the added appearance OF nat
uralness.
With coat that is Of the proper
length, falling, as do those in the picture,
only little below the hips, and one that
il not too much padded at the shoulders,
there is already something accomplished
toward securing a smart garment There
are details OF ft and finish which depend
in a large measure on-the skin of the
tailor and the amount that the coat is TO
cost.
II might be stated az an important
general priciple that a well fitting sack
coat must be loose. There is only one
place In which II should iit closely. That
Is over the shoulders.
Nowhere else should IL do more than
suggest the outlines Of the body. This
is the secret OF the London success with
sack coats. They are cut close only over
the shoulders. The At has the appear.
ance Of taking care of itself after that.
As a matter Of fact, this air of sim.
plicity is impaired by smart tailors only
by very expert cutting. Coats are tighter
now than they were two years ago, but
no smart tailor would attempt 10 max,
them tt into the waist, for instance, OF
out over the hips.
Nor would they be cut into the bod,
under the arms BY any tailor who knew
what a smart coat was. Failing from th,
shoulders, own which Il flts closely, th,
lines OF a coea vaguely suggest the out
lines Of the figure. OF course, such n fi
IS 70 be had only from tailor VIII,
knows his business.
are likely 20 be employed by establish
ments that demand very high prices
These prices may not seem exorbitan
when one is informed that the best cut
ters now receive as much as $50 a week
and one man employed IN Fifth avenue
establishment gets SlOO.
Sack coats this year are made by In,
best tailors with three seams in the bacl
-'one In the centre and two on the sides
The flap Is In the centre at the bottom O
the seam, and not as IL has been for sew
eral seasons at the bottom of each sid
seam.
II should not be more than four inche
deep 10 be in good style, although max
ers of the very long coats cut them a
deep as six inches, and for fear that the
may not then bo sufficiently conspicuou
they put buttons inside of them.
Such eccentricities arc no more though
Of by good tailors than are deep cuffs O
tho sleeves. Tho nearest approach TO
sack coat is formed By making the en-
cuh that first class tailors now put on
Of the sleeve Of n bias piece Of cloth.
Another eccentricity Of the past fe'
years should be avoided. This is IN
fashion Of cutting the coat deep enoup
in the collar to show the top button ,
the waistcoat.
The sleeves are still finished at n
cuffs with bone buttons similar 10 tho.
worn on the coat, but smaller. Thei
should not be more than three button
and the buttonholes should be the rel
article and not mere limitations of bu
tonholes.
Three buttons are used in the be-
made sack coats. The edges in front
the bottom do not meet, but are cut ava
slightly from the lowest button. so th,
they are quite separated at the bottom.
The two lower pockets are cover,
with flaps, and the change pocket is or
tected in tho same way. But the ham
,.erchief pocket has no such covering
Strapped seams are sometimes urg,
by tailors striving for decided noveit
bot they are in reality adapted only
hunting and other coats for sportiI
wear.
The double breasted coat has for mo
than a year past been declining steadi
in popularity. Even last summer it w
limited almost entirely 10 yachting,
spite Of the fact that a double breast
blue coat used 70 be considered an almo
indispensable summer garment for Il
man who wanted TO be dressed we'll. i
winter wear IL is less suited. because Il
two layers Of material are hunchy und
an overcoat
But there are always men who want
buy such coat, principally for wear
those winter days when an overcoat
too heavy. So these coats are made
good tailors who are not svaved by [
taste Of their customers ALWAYS out