The Portland daily press., 1880-10-06
(Harper's Bazar.l
New York Fashions.
AUTUMN AND WINTER poNNErs.

AUTUMN AND WINTER BoNNETs.
Opening day at the fashionable millinery
houses shows the small bonnets described in
advance of the season, and also many that sars
triie larger, 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. ft)ther bonnets go to this extreme of
size, and are genuine poke shapes; but these
are commended by careful miliners only to
very young ladies who have small and piquant
faces. Elderly faces and those with large fea-
lures have their peculiarities Exaggerated by
these large bonnets. The mediumsized bon-
nets with handsomely 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 advan-
tage. All crown braids or puffs are objection
able with these bonnets, as they give teo
much height, and also add to the breadth.
Flat, broad, or slightly rounded crowns are on
the more youthful-looking bonnets, with we'll
defined hard crowns ON those for older ladies';
but the latter are made shapely by the grace
full 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 fiat orna-
ments. 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.
Com nations OF materials are as universal
in bonnets as in dresses. Plush is more used
than any other fabric, but even this favorite
material will not serve for the gentire 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 tha
differ as greatly as do the fur beavers and the
glossy smooth beavers. In combining materi-
ais the only rule is that one color must be pre-
served, though various shades of that color
may be used; the contrasts of colors are found
in the trimmings. The novelty Of the season
is the striped plush, which has the pile in
dented to form ridges, and sometimes 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 cice
and is used for binding the edges of bTims, ,,and
also of strings of satin ribbon.
Feathers are the trimmings more used than
all others; indeed, scarcely bonnet can be
found without some kind of plumage, while
flowers are not used on 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 braid
ed cofffure that now rests on the nape 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 brims, and some fall low on the ears.
Crowns are made up entirely Of feathers, and
there are pheasant feathers Of natural and ar
tiicial shadings. The more carelessly sthe os-
trich feathers are posed, the more stylish they
are; heads of birds and breast feathers admit of
sitter 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 huted folds around
the crown, with sometimes large bow on top,
or loops on the fsides. Ribbons are used in
broad widths similarly to the arrangement of
the plushes, and the strings may be either rib
bon or plush. Sometimes satin ribbon is
widely bound down one side with plush as
thick as q roll, and this is particularly effect
i've when the ribbed plush is used. The strings
are yard long, and are tied either in front or
behind, but it is considered most dressy to ar
range them in one long g-looped bow low ON the
back hair. The beaded trimmings in the way
of crowns and laces for brims are in greater
favor than ever. Jet, gold, amber, and pur-
pie beads are very much used, but the novel;
ties are the large faceted 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 dies 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-looking fur, and gilt or sill
yer 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 bon
nets for general wear, and are not more ex-
pepsive than fine French felts have always
BEEN Very few black velvet bonnets are
seen, and, indeed, few entirely black bonnets
are made A black velvet bonnet with soft
long-pile plush inside the brim is one of the
most conservative arrangements, aud even
this must be lightsned 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 anv of the dresses that are now COM
pleted by red balayeuse pleatings. Amber
plush Innings and plumage will also make
black bonnet appropriate for nearly all the
dresses brunette will find becoming.
Very dark pheasant brown, and the red-brown
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 es-
pecially for the plaid suits to be worn by young
ladies' bonnets with many breast feathers are
chosen, as these in their natural hues are
made up of the quaint combinations OF blue,
green, purple, red and yellow that are seen In
the stylish Madras plaids:
colored plushes-such as the brilliant Prince
of Wales red golden shades, and the lilac
,r;tb amatbvst fints--chosen with reference to