The times., 1897-03-21

Although Lent is not vet half gone, the
woman of means has begun to attend
the spring millinery openings, where she
orders stacks upon stacks of hats ''sent
home on approval that she may select her
Easter bonnet at her leisure. Perhaps this
feaSting upon the flesh pots of Egypt in the
form of costly bonnet is not exactl y deyo-
tional for this season of the year, but so
long as the longing to adorn herself in it
for the public gaze is curtailed, she may be
forgiven the vanity which is her hirthright.
The woman who has not means also visits
the spring openings III she has any time TO
spare, hut she doesn't order any hats sent
home, for she hasn't the slightest inten-
tion of buying any. She only looks and
longs. andlooks again. for she must impress
the style of her pet bonnet upon her mind
30 that she may be able TO remember how
IL looks when she gets back to her own
modest store OF cheap materials which
bear SO little resemblance to those on the
fresh, new bonnet she has been looking at
1tis the style more than anything else that
she studies, for this is what makes a hat
different from whatit was last year.
The woman who trims her own hat
must have the courage of her convic-
tions, and set TO work with perfect
confidence in her own taste. 1t is al
ways better to copy something one has
seen in the stores than To attempt original
invention, though it is frequently neces-
sary to omit some of the trimming for
economy's sake In making changes,
however, one has to consider w hat it is
that makes the hat attractive, or gives it
its style else the whole character or the
thing may be changed.
One OF the chief characteristics of the
spring hats is that they are small. There
are few large ones, but they are the ex-
ception. The miIliners must have been in
ooIlusion with the parasol-makers this
year. for the woman who has care for her
complex ion will find little protection for
her face among the hats OF the season, and
she will thus be compelled to provide her
SELF with something more substantialin the
way OF a sunshade.
Even the sailor hats, which are al
ways depended upon to act as shields
against Old Sol, have rather narrow brtns.
Some of the new ones are rather elab
prately gotten up. A brown straw brim,
not over two inches wide, has red
corded silk crown with three straps OF
white kid buckled round it for a band
The woman OF invention win not be long
In discovering in this style a means OF
rejuvenating her old sailor. If the old
hat has a bell crown il would be better
TO remove IL entirely and cut the surplus
width OF the bTIn from the inside, as
the new sailors have rather large crowns. |
The new crown may be made Of buckram, |
covered with silk and then sewed inside |
the brim. The straps OF kid viii help TO |
keep the silk cover in place, as We'll as TO |
cover up seams or flaws in the workman |
ship. White straw, with a pale blue crown, |
may be made very attractive, and other |
VIII suggest themselves TO |
the woman who knows what colors are |
most becoming to her. The kid straps |
are less than half an inch wide, and the |
crowns are not very high.
Other hats are SO small that they look |
like bonnets. Some Of them, indeed, are |
bonncts which set on top of the head. |
Just a suggestion Of the bell crown in |
rather miniature form is quite common |
among the hats With narrow, rolling br1ms. /
1t is allowable to enhance these brims a |
trifle with puffings OF chiffon or lace, but |
not with enough to make it pro ject very |
far over the face. Perhaps these new hats |
are designed to harmonized with the POM
padour style OF dressing the hair-a style /
which bids fair 20 become more popular |
as the season approaches the sea bath /
ing time when any style OF coiffure which |
keeps its place in spite of salt air and
water is bound to be at the highest prem
lum.
Dutch and Normandie bonnets win be
very popular, and 10 some extent those |
mere hair ornaments which were Worn ON
the street some years ago viii return to
US again.
Some of the shapes have straw brims
with satin or velvet brims, and these