The morning times., 1897-02-28

TIE one great novelty in the coming
millinery fashions is the use Of vegetable
silk for the fancy plaits, which are at
least an inch wide. This has the most
silky and charming sheen upon it, The
more expensive kinds are made entirely
OF vegetable silk, but il is initiated IN
silk combined with hemp. Here, again. the
range OF co lorS Is very bright, indeed; vivid
piuks, yellows. greens, petunia shades aud
many others are ready TO be made up
into tie fashionable hats and honncts,
while others show a combination OF two
oolorS and sometimes three, such as pink.
yellow light green and cream 1t j. very
light and i likely 10 effect a revolution.
This same fabric has been woven into
ap open gauzc cf a very light thin make
il. various culCrinss, anG it II b,ine rucaed
ana gathered TO form ruchcs for inside
the hats. Some Of them are shot, and
many Of these vegetable silk straws have
the two culors combined in such a way
that they also appear 10 be glace, While
quite new notion are narrow stTawS
freely striped in two colors with the same
effect Of combined coloring.
II Is 10 be bonnet year, and the newest
foundation shapes show the return "f tn"
curtain. Al present it has not come back
TO us in the old style shading the napc OF
the neck. bat stands erect like "A turkey :
tai. and is generally formed Of segments
The cart wheel crown i once more IA
vogue. and 4 number of fashionable founda-
ton shapes are preparing. made OF net, but
worked al over with paiIlc.tcS, ia either
black and steel, or brilliant cOloringS, such
asirdesccnt pe.luia, green or blue. Breadth
characterizcs the new bonnetS. either in the
front or in the rear. and many Of these
Sequin shapes assume the form OF butter
fly with outstretched wings.
The beautiful Russian Empress has
east her Influence over head coverings, and
we find among the newest shapes the
semhance OF a Russian crown. Thou
sands of hats and EonetS Of every i'm
aEnatle shape are making in the vegetable
silk. hut there iS no doubt that we shall
wear more huunets than we have done
or late. and that thcy VIII be considered
far better style than the large hats
The :lanura cturers call these hcnnetS
toaue-. but the world in general associate
this term with "a soft. round form, which
these new honnet> are not. They have
crowns Of some sort, some Of them PIN
nacle-shapcd, some jam pot, and many
have q plated straw hrim, the ruche brim
being introduced also on the hats. The
Java and the japanese Straws and the
vegetable silk are all light and permit
OF being ruched aud plated and treated
i'm altogether different ways to the Old
fashioned straws.
In the hats which are not sailors. and OF
these there are an enormous range, the
crowns are generally sunk IN, and have
q curious point in the center liked the tuit
of the prophet Nearly all the crowns
widen toward the top and diminish where
they Join the brim. Switzerland is con
tributing many OF the straws Which are
used To make them. Both toques and hats
alike fit closely to the head, and we have
bv no means forgotten the comfortable
boat shape wilhelm hats the jampct crown
is quite q feature, SO also is another class
Of hat with a wider bTim and the Mother
Shipton crown, very high and pointed.
When trimmed this is generally rendered
almost invisible by the punches of black
feathers which are placed on either side.
Many OF the hats have a double brim, the
under ore being often of contrasting color
20 the exterior ColoTed chips are in fash
ion and are frequently used for the crown
or for the bTim.
In straw hats the sailor is the dominant
mode The ola original shape seems Ia
be still the lest worn and the most in
favor. but it is made in reds and navy, with
striped ribbon bands as well as a narrow
binding at the edge We are still to have
hats made Of Japanese rush, a nd the bright
japanese straw with its satn-ike surface
f. t-f ,
done now 20 produce liGhtness, and split
straws and split rush help to carry out
this idea The best looking sailors witt
a douhIe brim are still as light as feather
From time to time hats have been lineC
in various ways, and the Russian leathe
was one of the novelties. but now vclve
has been appliqued into this leather JUS
on the forehead, making it soft and very
comfortable, for the insides have to bt
considered as well as the out. Not thai
there is not good deal to be thought OF
with regard TO the outside. Green ano
white rustic plaitS, red and black, deep
pink and other tones, are specially notice
able: and there is a decided feeling fol
green Of all kinds. 1t will take some educa
ton to accustom ourselves TO the bright
glow Of color, which viii appear not
only in the trimmings, bat in the fabrics
Of which the spring hats are to be made
Inthe winterhigh crowns were broughtout
and there are still a good many in the new
models: hut medium crowns are likely tC
be the fashion.
White satin and other ribbon rosettes
are the favorite trimming. and a great
deal OF the finest pedal straw is employed
for cycling hats, for which enormous perpa-