The Washington herald., 1908-03-22
lLL-ROUED COAT A PROBLEM
Blue Serge, Heavy Silks, and the
Darker Raiahs Suggested.
Dame Fashions DEGREES for the
Spring and summer Becoming
Topical subject.

I There. my tailored suit and my best
dress and az my muslins and ginghams
! are planned for" says the practical girl
Now what shall have for an odd
coat?"
! This veXing question hangs on after
everything else is settled. and the dress
maker has come and gone. The problem
is to find an an-round odd coat which
will look well with anything and every
thing. and stand the wear that such serv-
ice Taeaus.
I The odd tourist coat won't do any
( longer We ran that to death when il
I first came in. Neither viii the rain coat.
for it always seems TO wear a label. 7
am rain coat. although il isn't raining. -
For heavier coats. Dame Fashion has
discovered what a very useful material
navy blue serge can be. and very smart
models. fitted or seni-ftted. Will be found
in the shops among the odd coats. It's a
comfortable sort of coat 10 own, be
cause it doesn't look foolish IN a shower.
and Yet is not so heavy as most dark
ma teriaIs- These coats viii be bound
with soutache OF made very plain. though
Industrious girls who plan 10 have them
are already erbroidering linen collar and
cuff sets for them These sets VIII be
white. with white or colored figures. or
they may be tan, with the rich warach-
ian figures done in heavy rope silk
Next 20 the serge coat viii come the
heavy silks. which are very smart. but
viii be worn far more commonly than
silk coats have ever been before. The
kimOno style has crept in and almost re-
placed the old Empire yoke coats which
everybody wore last year. They are the
simplest things in the world TO make. be-
ing almost Ike capes without a lining.
Incidentally. they launder well unless
overturned The lighter ones. IN nat
ural silk or champagne color. will be very
smart with straw hats and parasOIs 70
match. and have the advantage. of a neu-
tral color. which viii go with almost
anything
Many models win also be found in the
darker eolored rsjahs and other rough
silks. golden brown being a favorite.
This again is made on the loose cape
lines. and is very often untrimmed. ex-
eept for q band Of Persian embroidery
around the bottom of the sleeves and
down the front
Many girls are making trimming for
their rajah coats already BY doing the re-
vived crosS-Stitch in Persian color conbi-
nations on hnen-col0re6- canvas. The
edges are left raw and turned in 20 be
finished with machine stitching when tie
trimming is applied. So many colors are
used that the trimming harmonizes with
any costume. and If one is sure OF having
the coat. even though the color isn't set
tied. the trimming is sure to look well
with IT, Other coats have shaped pieces
of embroidery around the neck and ex-
tending a short way down the front
For the woman who wants something
lighter than the serge coat and newer
than the silk wraps there is the dear lit
Tie Dolly Warden coat of figured cretonne
1t may lOOS like a bedSpread or a window
curtain. but what OF that? It's light and
Aowery, besides being inexpensive and
easy to make Most OF these coats have
the three-quarter-length sleeves and a
tiny vest in front which is very likely 10
be trimmed with gilt braid. They fasten
at the top with a single large button and
then spread jauntily apart % convince
the public that they are just for fun any
way, and don't pretend 70 be coats. How
ever. by having a white flannel Iining ex-
tending 10 the waist line one could really
depend on the cretOnne coat for chilly
summer days VIXEN something besides 4
sham wrap is needed. \ parasoI covered
with the same material invariably goes
with this dasbing little garment