Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-16
BY THE BoULEvARDIER.

European customs appear to have in
vaded this country more efectuall5
during the present war than ever be-
fore. 1t is a true paradox that some
things European have come nearer
from America.
| This is particularly true of the
American man of fashion. Always OF
distinctive appearance on the street
he was until recently satisfied with in
door attire chiefly consisting of even
| ing clothes and a bathrobe.
why dress up for the house?" was
his motto.
| This winter has seen a revolution in
ideas on house attire deliberately de.
signed Lounge suits cut sometime
along the lines of the conventional
norfolk jacket, soft shirts with rolling
! collars attached and footwear that is
| half bath slipper and half dancing
pump are among the novelties in shops
| today.
The lounge suit" does not come
within the British meaning of the
phrase. 1t is more continental. Prob
ably the name 'house suit is the most
adequate thus far devised. The cost
of these suits ranges from $14 to $50
They are designed along the simplest
lines. The material usually chosen is
serge of the kind which does not
| need constant creasing to prevent tina,
indefnable sloppy" look The color
brown shade is preferred) without 4
pattern woven in the fabric.
The coat is short, slightly suggesting
the Elton jacket. The sleeves likewise
are shorter and fuller than those of the
| conventional sack suit. Thus the tailor
gets the absolute comfort for which he
| is striving, and, what is more impor-
! tant, so does the wearer.
| THE purpose" as one tailor put 1t
"is to let the wearer sprawl as he Will
without being conscious of the re-
straint of bands and seams. A certain
amount of smartness must be sacrl-
| feed to attain this effect. The suit
can be cut. however, so as TO snow the
| lines of the figure as though 1t had
been draped, and this result is not I'M
| pleasant.
No waistcoat is designed for the suit
The trousers remind one OF the era
just before this, when the peg top
was in favor among the younger men
of fashion. Usually the trousers are
cut slightly shorter than those OF
suit intended for out-of-door wear.
slippers or low shoes.
With such a suit as this there are
two especially designed types OF shirts
which may be worn-and 1t Is really
straining a point to refer ,; 70 .nem -, as
tween the two is in the matter OF color:
Some prefer the soft low collar and
shirt Of white, while others, seeking to
enhance the novelty OF the ioea, "ea ;
lar Of course. being detachable and
white.
The effect of complete house out
fit in blue. say. or gray, Is decioediy
pleasant. Other colors. in monochrome,
are apt to look bizarre.
The idea of a we'll made, well Kept
pair of shoes distinctively for indoor
and informal wear is gaining more ana
more of hold upon the American I'M
footwear were arbitrary. man wore
high shoes in winter and low shoes IN
summer. and If he wished to escape
ron-bound convention he fished out an
something of the like, and donned
them.
This fall and winter many men have
forsaken their ideas of other days and
accepted the low shoe as their ideal
With spats when the weather is chilly
this form of footwear differs not at all
from the high. shoe. save that it Is
more comfortable. To some the idea OF
the high shoe with Top or olHerent
color from the lower half seems need
less invention. since the same effect
can be obtained with spats. which may
be changed frequently and always pre-
sent a better top" than the kind first
mentioned.
With this graduation from the high
shoe came the demand for lighter foot
wear for the home. Physicians now
agree that there should be a difference
between the weight of the indoor and
outdoor shoe. Thus the house shoe
came into being in America, trans
planted after years of, existence on the
continent. -