Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-26
SIMPLICITY IN MEMS DRESS
REACTION IN CLOTHES AFTER
TIE REIGN OF NOVELTY.
Notable Difference in Outline-Euro-
pean Ideas Have Little or
No Weight.
From the Haberdasher.

From the Hsberdasher-
Even before nature evidenced her re-
awakening In the bursting of buds and
the DOMINIC of sprightlier raiment the
tendencies in the mode for men for spring
and summer were pretty we'll defined.
What has happened in recent months is
what might be expected to happen after
period of fantastic FORMS Novelty
has been running riot. When once the
ready trade essayed the task OF equal
ing the distinctive creations Of exclusive
tailors the variety of oddities became
endless. Men who a few years ago were
set apart from the crowd by unique items
in cut, quite drifiing of themselves, but
impressive in the aggregate, must now
attain the desired "differentness through
the abandonment Of unusual details. for
the man with tasteful cum on his sleeve
came to see grotesQue CUTS on most
other mems sleeves, and likewise with
Iapels pockets and the rest What be-
fore had been actually an expression of
individuality became in due course thing
10 be frowned upon. Out of the melee
what have we got? Well, the experience
was by no means wasted In their strtv-
ing for originality in construction the
premier tailors attained almost uncOn-
sciously a new conception of art in the
contour of garments. The new models
are readily distinguishable from those In
vogue before this craze first appeared,
but 1t is not in lapels. pockets and Guns,
but in outline, drape and general erect
Things have been learned, too. The les
son that has forced itself upon the notice
of clothes critics most emphatfcally In
the past twelvemonth Is the futilbty or
our aping foreign productions. That was
we'll enough once, the proper and profita-
bie practice. Nowadays the tailors
r whose garments get the most favorable
comment from men of means and refined
taste are those who have done for them
selves. That narrow shoulder simply
would not 60 not even when the sleeve
head was made fuller to produce the
previous width. The high shoulder seam
made the wearer look less manly in build
than we Americans want TO look. The
tight jackets would not go. They inter-
fered with comfort, and that does not jibe
with our strenuous activity. Those high
jacket openings, produced by short lapels.
would not go. , They lacked grace and
concealed too much the accessories In
which the greatest pride is taken-shirt.
cravat and waistcoat. So our clothes
crafters are hewing their own path &C
cording to our ideals. and must asSuredly
be commended for IL.
Soft-Finish Woolens.
Viewing the new fashions at closer
range, we discern several distinct trends.
In fabrics the soft-f1nished woOlens have
still the preference With lounge dress,
at least, they comport best. More
interest attaches, however, to the mat
ter of shades. And again we have
those indefinable mixtures that don't
seem to come under any particular CLASH
fication in the chromatic scale. Grays
come again to the fore, but they are not
the sort you would call just grays. In
stead of that, they are rendered a bit
livelier by the in-weaving of color. not
conspicuously, but enough to be noticea-
BILE and to relieve the deafness of the
gray tone. Here is where green, purple
and brown come in. They could not be
shunted aside Immediately and gray sub
stituted, SO it is being done by gradual
process. Among the smartest materials
are the iridescents, which reveal. say. two
colOrS In the nap on the. gray ground
These are particularly distinctive.
Where the cloth Is not actually a mix
ture of shades. the color comes in the
stripes, for stripes are showing remarka-
BILE longevity. The stripes are not broad
a rule. nor are they closely spaced.
The most approved stripe does not exceed
three-eishths of an inch in width. and
comes at intervals of not less than an
inch and q half. But there's an unn1is-
taxable leaning toward plaids with those
OF highly developed desire for The diff
ferent. And this can only mean one
thing-that plaidS are not SO far as some
folks imagine. In these. too. the pat
tern Is widely spaced, and II 1t we're not
for the subdued colOrings they would be
decidedly extreme, IL not impossible.
These are not the usual plaids. mind you,
but what we know as OverplaidS.
The Lounge Suit.
Considering the lounge suit specifically
two characteristics OF the jacket stand
out prominently. One is the curve to the
front edges, which extends from the collar
TO the bottom edge, forming a gener-
ously graceful sweep from the lowest but
ho6 dnr,f,t o10,,
the beauty that lies in curves. by the
way you should inspect the new swallow
tail, constructed by Pearson on lines we
approved last autumn. 1t eliminates
square points, or corners, entirely, and Is
unQuestiOnably the sightliest formal gar
ment evolved in decade. That aside is
by way of Endorsement Of the garment
here pictured. To be sure. 1t requires
unordinary skill TO do justice to the eff
feet. but our cutters and designers are the
peers of any. and surely equal to 1t.
Then you will probably notice the low
waisted sides which bring the narrowest
point Just over a mans hips. The in
dentation. effected by straight line from
the shoulders Is considerable. And this
part of the outline is further enhanced
by greater fulness over the hips consti-
tuting marked flare more readily OBJ
servaDle from back view. If one want
ed TO accentuate IL to the limit, pressing
the side seams-as some elect now that
the multitude has dropped that fad-will
do II effectually
Shoulders are moderately broad rather
than just moderate. Likewise the lapels
are broad. They have a short, open
notch and are lOw-lying. This latter lem
OF construction, together with the bottom
curve TO the edges, is sensible as we'll as
smart 1t should not be necessary and
II Is not desired. that the jacket for
warmer weather should close high at the
top and low at the bottom. The propor-
tion of particular men who discard the
waistcoat except in the most griliing
weather is very small. We have enough
protection. so far that is concerned
and quite too much II We were to measure
by the diaphanous forecoverings of the
other sex. AS matter of fact, our
summer dress is ridicuousIy burdensome.
Curved Pockets.
Pockets are curved to follow the line OF
the outer edge. Sleeves are plain; that is.
without either foldback cuffs or simulated
cuffs. Instead OF being cut as heretofore.
the sleeves have greater breadth at the
top and are narrower at the bottom, being
In that respect as trousers were a few
years ago. peg-topped. The garment