The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-10-07
FOR THE FAIR SEX.
Autumn and Winter Bonnets.

with the front raised slightly from the
head to disclose the plain but rich lining
of plush, which extends to the back of
| the brim. Other bonnets go to the ex-
treme of size, and are genuine poke
| shapes; but these are commended by
careful milliners only to very young
ladies who have small and piquant
faces. Elderly faces and those with
large features have their peculiarities
exaggerated by these large bonnets.
The medium sized bonnets with hand
somely lined brims promise to be the
most popular. They are worn back on
the crown of the head, resting on the
low braids of the coiffure, and they
show the smoothly parted front hair to
becoming advantage. All crown braids
or puffs are Objectionable with these
bonnets, as they give too much height,
and also add TO the breadth. Fat,
broad, or slightly rounded crowns are
on the more yodthful-looking bonnets,
with well-defned hard crowns on those
for older ladies; but the latter are made
shapely by the graceful trimmings of
plush that drape the space between brim
and crown, or else by soft bands of
feathers. The curtain band below the
crown may be trimmed with some flat
ornaments, or row of large faceted
beads, but is most often left quite plain,
and affords an open space between the
side trimmings that extend below and
fall on the coiffure.
Combinations of materials are as uni
versal in bonnets as in dresses. Plush
is more used than any other fabric, but
even this favorite material will not
serve for the entire bonnet, and is lighted
up by the satin Surahs, or plain satin,
or is combined with beaver, or perhaps
with its kindred fabric, velvet, which
loses all resemblance to it when placed
beside it; there are also rough plushes
and smooth plushes that differ as greatly
as do the fur beavers and the glossy
smooth beavers. In combining ma
terials the only rule is that one color
must be preserved, though various
shades of that color may be used; the
contrasts of color are found in the trim
mings. The novelty of the season is the
striped plush. which has the pile in
dented to form ridges, and sometimes a
line of gilt is between each plush stripe;
this is especially pretty in white, black
and red plush. The striped plushes are
used for crowns when the brim is
smooth plush, or vice versa; it is also
very becoming for lining brims, and is
used for binding the edges of brims. and
llSO vi vi SdIlu
Feathers are the trimT ings more used
than all Others; indeed, scarcely bon
net can be found without some kind of
plumage, while flowers are not used or
more than one bonnet among twenty.
The feathers surround the crown, or
else pass down one side of it, and fall
below the back to droop on the low
braided couture that now rests on the
uape OF the neck When breast feathers
are mounted for this purpose, small
wing feathers are added at each end,
and both wings fall below the crown;
when the thick long ostrich plumes are
used, one end is sufficient to lie on the
coiffure. Short ostrich tips droop over
the front OF the brims, and some fall low
on the ears. Crowns are made up en-
!irely OF feathers, and there are pheasant
leaLhers of natural and artificial shad-
ings. The more carelessly the ostrich
feathers are posed, the more stylish they
are; heads of birds and breast feathers
admit OF stlfftr arrangements, and are
MADE to cling to the seam that joins the
brim to the crown.
When plush is used for trimming it is
cut in wide scarf, and laid in fluted
folds around the crown, with sometimes
large bow ON top, or loops on th sides.
Ribbons are used in broad widths SINH
larly to the arrangement of the plushes,
and the strings may be either ribbon or
plush. Sometimes satin ribbon is
widely bound down one side with plush
as thick as roll, and this is particularly
effective when the ribbed plush is used.
Ihe strings are yard long, and are tied
either in front or behind, but it il con-
sldered most dressy to arrange them in
one long loOped bow low ON the back
hair. The beaded trim nings in the way
OF crowns and laces for brims are in
greater favor than ever. Jet, gold,
amber and purple beads are very much
used, but the novelties are the large
iaceted beads in cashmere colors for
dark bonnets, while silver and pearl
beads cut in facets like diamonds, and
OF large size, are used in rows on white
and black plush bonnets. Among other
new ornaments are serpentine coils of
gilt Ike the bracelets now worn; these
infold scarfs of Surah or plush. Large
hies and bees of gilt. jet, amber and ruby
seem to be more used than any other
ornament. Another novelty is the
tigers claw, with natural-lo5king fur,
aud gilt or silver claws. Large hair
pins of gilt are stuck about, and there
are clusters OF smaller pins of gilt, silver
or pearl, with oval heads. thrust as if at
random in the loops and knots of the
trimming. The laces most used are
either plain Brussels net beaded or
stitched in vermicelli patterns with gilt,
or else Spanish lace is used in thick and
rich designs.
Beaver bonnets take the place of felt
bonnets for general wear, and are not
more expensive than fine French felts
have always been. Very few black vel.
vet bonnets are seen, and, indeed, few
entirely black bonnets are made. A
black velvet bonnet with soft pile-plush
inside the brim is one of the most con
serVative arrangements, and even this
must be lightened with gilded flies, or
many faceted beads. To wear with
various costumes black remains the
safest choice, but it is then combined
with a color that is decided by the range
of colors in the various suits of the
wearer; thus black beaver bonnet with
red plush lining and red plumes may be
worn with any of the dresses that are
now completed by red balayeuse plait-
ings. Amber plush Innings and plum
age will also mako a black bonnet ap-
propriate for nearly all the dresses a
brunette will find becoming. Very dark
pheasant brown, and the red-hrown
shades, like seal fur, are useful bonnets
for blondes, and may be trimmed with
the new Spanish yellows, or with the
green-blue shades, or else with maroon
red. The dark garnet bonnets are worn
by both blondes and brunettes. For
combination dresses, and especially for
the plaid suits worn by young ladies,
bonnets with many breast feathers are