Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-27
WASHINGTON HIT HARD
BY THE SHIRT WAIST FAD
Thin Men and the Short, Tall and
Fat Men Caught in Fash
ions Swirl.

The shirt waist fad has hit Washing
ton, and thin men. short men. fat men
and tall men are creating startling i'm
pressions as they stroll down the Ave
nue. with their handkerchiefs tucked in
their collars and their coats over their
arms. Their best friends, who thought
they knew them with their coats on. are
daily discovering that charity is not the
only thing that covers multitude of
sins.
Some people say II Is the return of
the base ball team, and some people say
it is the progression of the season which
has brought about the shirt waist fad.
The betting would seem to favor base
ball.
Only Four Coats in View.
When the Nationals returned there were
10000 temporarily insane residents who
whooped their way through a double
header. According 10 statistics there
were four coats In sight. three being
the w-fangled kind. i cross between
pajamas and a turkish towel. and the
fourth being worn by man who got
in late and forgot to shuck IT.
Since that great day Washington resi-
dents have been paradng up and down
carrying their coats. That is the idea :
carrying ones coat. Most of the shirt
waist brigade seem to feel that II they
have their coat within distanc" they lose
the sense of walking about half-dressed
which man feels when he Is one place
and his coat Is another.
They all carry their coats. One man
will have his slung over his shoulder
like a sack of meal. Another will have
his coat over his arm. while third
oil no
of it's neck as some fond but impatient
fathers are wont to conduct their dar-
ling offsprings durings these warm days.
"Grumbler" Is Abroad.
While the season-or base ball-has es-
tablished the shirt waist brigade. there
Is nevertheless considerable grumbling
within the ranks. There was a short,
bald man whose waistline probably equal
ed his height and who was rubbing his
face vigorously as he eyed The Star bull
letin board.
"Durn fine he said to the man with
him, apropos of nothing. for these fell
lows who look like clothing store adVer-
tisements."
What is the idea?" his friend wanted
to know.
''Durn fine" said the little man. bitterly,
for these up-in-the- morn'nS.With- the.
larks early-exercise boys. Pity there
amt more OF en-
Il don't get you," responded his friend
in bewildered way.
Shirt waists" blurted out the little
man. Shirt waists are fine for a guy
with a pair of shoulders like baggage
smasher and waist like he-tango
teacher. But what about us fellows that
don't get time to train
His friend declined to make comment.
II heard man telling another man in
my office that loked like toy balloon
learning to walk" concluded the little fat
man. pathetically.
Nor are the thin men any too happy.
They are deciding between comfort and
style, most of them will tell you, and it is
a bitter battle.
He Knows How He Looks.
IT know how l look" said a tall, gan
Cling individual, gloomily. The tall per-
son is a special writer for a number of
papers, arr one would suppose that in
this line o.. endeavor he would have long
since learned to philosophise optimistical-
ly on anything.
IT know look like the center pole of a
tent" he continued, gloomtly. But l
know my rights. There Is no law de-
manding that be beautiful
The writer's first name Is Jack. If you
see him In his shirt waist you will un-
derstand how lucky it Is for him that
there is no such law.
Drawer spirits are shedding their coats
even on the street cars and in the quick
lunchrooms 1t is becoming evident that
in a little while some fashionable res
taurant is going to be shocked out of ten
years growth when a patron comes in.
takes off his coat and hands II to the
waiter.
They are growing in numbers hourly
the boys Of the old shirt waist brigade.