The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-04
BONNETS OF THE 400"
MILLINERS WHO GROW RICH IN
CONSTRUCTING THEM.

Made and Lost-How the Money for
Headgear Flies-Men in Milliners
Shops-An Anti-Actress Period-Mrs.
Cleveland Her own Milliner.
Copyright, 1897
NEW York, June There is a good
many women in New York society who
make their own bonnets," said Fifth
avenue milliner the other day. "Would
you believe" she asked, lowering her voice
as if about to tell something too utterly
scandalous for audible speech, ''that Mrs
Grover Cleveland makes her own bonnetsF'
"Well, don't you think they are very
pretty bonnetsg" / asked. But / got no
more definite answer than an expressive
shrug of the shoulders.
Home made pie is all right" she said.
''but hats. no. You can always tell them.
The colors are badly blended, or there is
something queer about the material"
learned from little further talk on the
subject that many prominent ladies buy
| the bonnet frames and material and then
make their own head gear, after studying
| the elaborate hats they see at church or the
| theater. It's big saving for, mind you,
I IL cOoIS dJ le1SL B1,yOO u year LUZ ldSulO1d-
| ole woman to buy her hats on Fifth avenue.
| So the woman VINO makes her own hats not
| only keeps her husband in better temper
but she finds pleasant employment for her
| leisure hours.
In spite of this thrifty tendency on the
| part of rich women the dozen fashionable
milliners on Fifth avenue have become
| about as wealthy as many of their custo-
| mers and they pay enormous rents.
1 Rnf hot
| Consider for moment that Mrs. Willie
| Aston, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Mrs. w
| K Vanderbilt, Mrs. Ogden Goelet Mrs
| Paran Stevens and a hundred others of the
| gilded circle, who distribute theirs patronage
| pretty well along the line, may purchase
| anywhere between fifteen and forty hats
in a season; there being two millinery sea-
| sons in the year-spring and summer,
| fall and Winter. With an average of $50
| hat, it will be seen that one SUCH customer
| is a prize worth seeking
To the uninitiated it seems amazing that
/ one woman can make use of such a vast
| amount of headgear in so brief period
But it must be remembered that each new
| street dress requires "a new bonnet; there is
The bonnet for the promenade, the bonnet
| for the carriage, the bonnet for church, the
bonnet for theater or reception, the bonnet
for teas, ETC., until paterfamillas freqently
wonders why there Is not also an elaborate
| bonnet for bed or for the bath.
| Besides, 1t would never do for the genuine
"swell" to have a bonnet 'done over. "
Her friends could not be deceived by such
trick, and her prestige would be irrepara-
| bly, damaged Therefore, it is that many
costly hats, but little worn, find their way
into the hands and upon the heads of wait
ing maids and poor relations.
There are, of course, exceptions to this
| rule. Some women there be who, while
blessed with millions, care more for money
than appearances 1t is an interesting study
to watch one of these approach an avenue
Milliner with the proposition to make over
a hat. The artist is at first stunned, then un-
| utterably astonished, and finally unmistaka-
| bly, disguised; and as these various emotions
are plainly depicted upon her coun-
| tenance, the customer gradually be-
comes conscious of her own degradation
in making such a suggestion, and seldom
repeats the offense. And after all, when
| you come to think Of it, man is brute
| who will object to the amount of a MILL
| merry bill, for there is nothing that SO en-
hances and emphasizes female loneliness as a
tasteful bonnet-one of the kind that costs
J the most.
The milliners who have secured independ-
ent means by catering to the wealthy of
the metropolis have of late years, like the
dressmakers of the same class, chosen
Fifth avenue as their scene of action Man
sions formerly occupied as the elegant
| homes of the city'S millionaireS are now
occupied by ladies engaged in the con-
struction OF wonderful bonnets for the
wives of these same millionaires. Although,
to be sure, the difference between milliner
and millionaire sounds triiing.
New York's really fashionable milliner
is to majority of people mysterious per-
sonage whose handiwork is ever visible,
but who is herself to be seen only by fav-
ored customers. While New York con-
tains hundred so-called ''swell" establish
ments, there are in reality less than dozen
which are, in commercial parlance.
''sold'
Walking up the avenue from Fourteenth
street, what is probably the most exclusive
shop of all is first encountered at Nine
tenth street. The british lion and unicorn,
fighting for the crown-presumably a hat
crown-are topped upon the huge plate
glass window by the name Higgins. "
From a coupe at the curb pleasant-faced,
slender lady. past middle age, has just
alighted and is entering the door, upon
Nineteenth street. She is Mrs Window,
wife of the Secretary of the Treasury,
and is frequent visitor. 1t is needless to
say that Mrs. Window never requires any
thing loud in the way of hats, for if did
she could not get it here.
During the centennial celebration Mrs.
Windon was accompanied on one of her
visits by Mrs. President Harrison, who has
vowed that New York must furnish her
bonnets. at least during her husbands adj
ministration. She managed to make one
selection during her stay. Mrs. Stephen
B. Elkin's headgear is also conceived and
executed here, and on more than one occa-
sion she has in the pursuit of business
rubbed elbows with Mrs VIM. C. Whitney
while the latter's husband was secretary
of the navy in the Cleveland cabinet For
tunately, the ladies were to much inter.
ested in the styles to quarrel over politics
The fact that New York is the Paris of
America in the matter of female headgear
now goes without saying. Bostonans
Chicagoans, Pniladeiphians, Baltimoreans
and others maintain in turn the superiority
of their respective cities generally, but the
ladies are always significantly silent upon
the subject of stylish Donnets. TEE reason
is that their orders are to be found on file
in the shops of Fifth avenue. Such people
as the McCormicks and Farwells of Chicago
the Kittsons, of st. Paul, the Pullmans OF
palace car fame, the Biglows, Kidders and
Nelson's of Boston, the Wananakers and
Stewards of Philadelphia, the Browns and
Won Bibbers of Baltimore, and hundred
others who lead society in their respective
communities, while they regard New York
as vulgar in many ways, persist in visiting