The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-03-02
Spring BOnnets.

HE hrst 1mportations of spring bon
nets are of French chip, soft English
straws, and some rough fancy braids
with a piping of velvet between the
rows of braid. The chip bonnets are of
remarkably fine quality, being double
sewed and more durable than those of
former seasons: there are quite as many
black bonncts as there are white ones;
the rough straws are principally col
ored, brown, black, and gray, but there
are also many of the ecru tints of last
year.
The new bonnets are of comfortable
shape, being moderate in size, large in
the head, and close-titting in front
They do not differ greatly from those
now worn. The crown is very ample,
square at the top, and very low behind,
where it may end abruptly, or be fin
ished by a straight curtain band, or one
that is indented in the middle. The
variety is seen in the brims, some of
which are cottage-shaped, and so close
that all inside trimming is dispensed
with. Next the cottage bonnet is a
shape with dropping coronet, and
next that is the ordinary coronet rolled
backward The Marie Stuart bonnet
has the coronet pointed in the middle,
lust over the forehead. The Gains
borough bonnet has the point in the
coronet slightly toward the left of the
middle, or the coronet is split in two
on the left side, and the front part
turned upward, while that of the side
and behind is pressed fatty down
against the hair. A very stately shape
to which no name is given has bell
shaped crown sloping upward, while
the front has very long ears and close
brim. For middle-aged ladies there
are large bonnets with flaring brim to
be filled in with lace frill. The coro-
net shapes and the cottage bonnets will
probably be most popularity worn.
Rosettes of many loops of satin or of
watered ribbon are on the new bonnets.
These are not set nor stiff-looking, like
cockades, but are irregular clusters of
loops of ribbon an inch wide. A sim
gle large rosette is put directly on top
of the brim, reaching to the crown, or
there may be two smaller ones. The
strings are carelessly twined around
the crown, or else across the curtain
band at the back. The inside of the
brim and curtain is usually faced with
satin. There is another effort to pop
ularize the Alsacian bows that are on
French hats every season. Some bon
nets have two large Alsacian bows,
with dropping loops of two shades of
satin ribbon set on the crown as their
principal trimming; others have for
face trimming a thickly-clustered AL
sacian bow of cardinal red or pale blue
satin placed inside the brim. But next
to the handsome rosetteS the prettieSt
trimmings are the Tuvee bows of mar
row satin ribbon in short loops tightly
strapped, and with longer ends cut in
tridents or notched sharply like saw
teeth These are in rows down the mid
die of the crown, or across the curtain,
or around the entire brim. One marked
thing about the new bonnets is the abb
sence of all hanging draperies of rib
bons or flowers; instead of these stream
ing ornaments that soon get ragged
, looking the bonnet is as compact-look-
ing as it can be made. The satin If
regular folds pass closely around the
crown; the lighter materials, such as
rough-threaded gauzes and Mexicaines,
- will not be used until midsummer, when
lace will also be revived.
As a model for early spring bonnets,
one of black chip has the corOnet faced
with black satin, while on the edge are
jet nail heads, two fine pipings of the
satin and then row of gold beads
strung on wire. An Alsacian bow of
black satin ribbon just back of the coro-
net holds two demi-long black ostrich
plumes that are arranged down the
sides of the crown la Mercury; on the
curtain band black bow with notched
edges holds two tiny gold quilts against
the crown; strings of black satin ribbon
two inches wide. Another, called the
Castilian, is a small black chip bonnet
with close brim; it has gold cord on the
edges, and rosette on top made of
more than twenty loops of gold-colored
watered ribbon. A bouquet of dark red
and bright yellow Marshal Neil roses
is low on the left side of the crown;
there is no face trimming. A Marie
Stuart bonnet of white chip has wine
colored velvet facing in the brim, which
is trimmed with two rows of pea-shaped
pearl heads that extend also around the
indented curtain. Two rosettes of white
satin ribbon are on the top, while the
left side is covered with rose-buds,
mignonette and pansies. A second
Marie Stuart has pea-shaped clair de
lune beads on the coronet, and is trimmed
with Alsacian bows of satin ribbon the
color of the beads; balls like large beads
strung on rods are the ornaments, and
the bouquet is composed of yellow but
tercups, mignonette and periwinkles.
Rough straws of Havana brown, with
a piping fold of seal brown velvet edg-
ing each row of braid, are trimmed
with kerchiefs of Havana satin that
fold over the front, pass under the brim
as a face trimming, and cover all but
the crown outside. An Alsacian bow
of watered cardinal red ribbon holds a
cluster of white lilacs, wall-flowers of
brown shades and of deep red. On
black chip bonnets there is sometimes
an edge Of yellow wax beads and some
times of gold beads; others have net
work of rainbow beads covering the
brim, with cardinal red satin bows
down the back of the crown, and a
birds head of rainbow colors on the
top.-Harper'S Bazar.