Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-23
BY ANNE RITTENHOUSE.

Possibly the striking feature in the
fashions of this season as against those
of decades is the short evening coat.
Que can hardly remember when the
long evening coat was not in first fash
ion and changes in it had to do with
drapery, fabrics and trimming.
Today we have been suddenly faced
with a fashion for short coats, which
in some cases are only half as long as
the kind that has endured for many
years. This kind is draped, and not
plain, Or it would be most unceremo-
nfous looking garment; its convolutions
would make it ornate even If It's fabric
did not, and it remains a garment of
grace even in it's diminutive form.
True, 1t would not serve the purpose
for which it was intended il it had come
out in the winter instead of the summer,
for it would not have protected the body
to any sensible degree, although what
that matters to a woman is hard to see.
For summer garment it is acceptable.
One sees it made up Of all kinds of
clothes that have been invented during
the last year, such as Egyptian tissue
and Delhi gauze and French marqui-
settle; it is also in brocaded satins and
printed crepe de chine and the hand
somer weaves of matelasse.
1t would be difficult to get away from
any of these materials this spring, for
them, and the shops offer them by the
thousand miles. Probably the oriental
gauzes, especially those that have been
exactly copied after the Egyptian pat
ing of these short coats, not because they
harmonic with gowns, but because they
produce the color scheme of the day.
Every woman feels that she should
have bit of this new kind of fabric in
her costume somewhere, somehow, al
though she is not quite sure whether it
is Balkan, Chinese, Persian or Egyptian.
1t is oriental, and that is all she needs
to know.
Coats Do Not Reach Knees.
The entire world of fashion turned itself
toward short coats early in the season.
and probably it was natural that the
evening coats should follow suit. But
their adorable auantness was not prophe
sled They are picturesque in the extreme
| and have become an important part OF
| the costume
Just why they are called evening wraps
| is hard to determine. because after al
they are worn for the afternoon as vel
| if one is going about socially. and large
number of women have found them very
attractive as house coats In the evening
| over diaphanous frocks or transparent tea
gowns.
| The silhouette is the same in all these
wraps: the shoulders are broad. the wais
| line is hidden by folds. the hips are en-
veloped by drapery and the hem Is draw
| tightly around the figure as a woman
| would draw a skirt about her.
| 1t may be safely said that the silhouett,
| of today is always one that tapers to
| point at each end. and it is growing wide
| in the middle: this short evening wral
| follows that dictum. and for this reason
| It looks as much like part of the gowl
| as 1t does a wrap.
| It is often mistaken for one of thos,
| new suit coats made of satin or matelass
| which are worn with one-piece costume
! in the street: the difference is that tn
| latter is somber in tone and the forme
| is as brilliant as a woman could stand
| Yellow in various shades is one of tn