The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-03
WOMEN'S STRAW HATS.
me Bratds Are All Imported and
the Hats Made Here.
New York Sun.


When asked where and how women's
straw hats are made, a representative of
one OF the largest wholesale and manufac-
turing concerns in the city said:
HOW strange that you should have asked
me mat I've often wondered why women
didn't take more interest in how and where
thelr mats are made, because the average
woman Is almost as much interested in her
mats as she is in her babies All of the straw
mats sold in New York are imported or made
IN II, New England, mostly in Massachusetts.
There are great many hat factories in the
small towns of that State. OF course, the
most Ignorant person knows that every
straw hat, from the cheapest to the high
est, Is made of straw braid. Well this
straw braid is imported from Europe No
straw braid for hats is made in America
switzerland leads the countries of Europe
in tie manufacture of this braid. and the
girls and women of that country are so ex-
pert in making it that they weave it as they
walk the streets. 1t isn't at all an uncom-
mon sight to see the Swiss women walking
along or gathered together in groups talk
ing and working at their straw braid at
the same time.
There are dozens and dozens, almost
hundreds, of different brads. We have the
plain and fancy straw braid, the satin the
satin and chenille, the Benarri, the chin,
Milan, Panama. Manila, Leghorn, Neapolf-
tan. and no end of others. Importers bring
of hats buy it. Most of the employees in hat
factories are women, or. at least, women
ere almost exclusively employed to sew the
braid together. Hat machines are expensive
things, costing from $100 TO $175. This is not
hard to understand, for the manufacturers
OF the machines are working hard all the
time to simplify them. OF course. each ope-
rator has to have her machine. The braids
are for the most part dyed abroad where
they are made.
when the women in the factories get the
braid 1t is soft and pliable and easily
handled. They sew it into hats, which are
first stifened and then blocked. The manu-
facturers get most of their designs from
Europe, though a good many men and
women In this country earn handsome liv-
inES designing hats master acff S mo. Ia
from the imported design and our American
made hats are blocked on these.
1.-THE wholesale dealers, of course buy d.
rectly from the factories and the retail deal
ers from us. Each year finds great improve
ment in the shapes and in the way in which
machine-made hats are turned out. Some
braids are so fine that IL is impossible 10
sew them on a machine, and these must be
made up by hand. All of these fine satin
straw braid hats that you see in the big
department stores and swell millinery stores
are made up in the stores. II takes skilled
workwomen to do the job properly, for the
braid is sewed on to wire skeleton frames
and must be put on lust So
There are lots OF new things in straw hats
this year. Some OF them look like strange
reptiles and animals Some remind che Of
the pictures of the capes, promop:Sries, vol
canic mountains, rolling prairiss and gey-
sers so dear TO the student of the first steps
in geography, and Others are architectural
in design, many being built four stories
high