Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-15
OfHtereSttOWOn1en
DOUBLE CAPES FOR AUTUMN.
BY ANNE RITTENHoUsE.

not out of fashion. The shops offer
satin capes to the Americans the mo-
ment they ask for a wrap; that makes
| the American suspisious.
When one goes to the experts who
make tailored apparel and to the high
priced dressmaking houses the first
thing offered in the way of a wrap is
! a cloth cape. The reason that Ameri-
| cans feel that satin capes have had
| their day is the generous supply of
| them in the department shops and the
| fact that the French women begin to
| wear cloth capes even in the after
noon.
This does not mean that satin ones
are entirely discarded, but it must be
| admitted even by those who possess
| them that the newer kind of cloth
| appears more exclusive. 1t is difficult
| for an amateur to tell the exact diff
ference in cut between the satin cape
| of yesterday and the cloth one of to-
day; one realizes that the latter is
not so long as the former and that it
is not held around the figure in the
Roman toga fashion that has pre-
vailed. 1t is left to swing free of the
body at it's hem. During the spring
and summer the French woman has
used her hands to hold her mantle,
arranging and rearranging it like
scarf. Today she uses her hands free
ly and permits the cape to take care
of itself.
1t is cut in such a fashion that it
adjusts its own lines; it is narrow at
the hem, but it does not draw around
the knees and tighten the line there.
1t has long armholes. placed at the
waist line, and fullness from the neck
line, back and front. 1t still resem-
bles a coffee bag drawn in at one
end.
There is no dminution of fuIlness
above the knees in any of the new
garments. The skirts are widened to
seventeenth century proportions in
some of the extreme models. 1t is not
possible, tn erefore, that one should
wear capes in the Roman toga fashion
with seventeenth century, hoop skirt
beneath it.
1t is to meet this new movement in
clothes that the cape of the season has
a wider hem than its predecessor. 1t
also has cape across the shoulders
in the English fashion. First there is
a long cape to the knee. which is not
drawn in al the hem, but cut slightly
narrow at the seams so that 1T will
not fly with the four winds of heaven;
on top of this foundation cape is a
short one that hangs to. the waist,
fitted at the shoulder with a slight
ripple at the hem. The arms come
through long Slashes in the founda-
1t is a well known version of an old
sporting cape for men and women and
it has been returned to favor without
warning and is well received. 1t is
rarely made in solid colors. Large
and small checks and plaid are plenti-
fully sprinkled over the new fabrics,
and of these fabrics are cloth capes
made.
The plaids are not in bright colors;
they are not Scottish, but British
They are black and gray, brown and
buff, black and white. They are lined
with solid color. Bright Innings are
not used in them, nor those of printed
fabrics. That fashion appears to have
died out over here where large gar
ments are to be handled.
The most conservative houses con-
tinue to face the short jackets that
are parts of coat suits with boldly
Powered design in satin, but a long
coat, cape or satin wrap is de-
murely lined.
These checked capes are better on
the stalwart Anglo-Saxon figure than
on the small rounded French one, and
they will probably be taken up in
America for this reason. The high
crowned sailor hat in black velvet or
satin and the silver-headed walking
cane, both of which are affected by
many Americans here, when added to
this cape give one a striking Beau
Brummel appearance. There are re-
versible capes, by the way, that will