Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-05-24
CHANGES IN THE PARASOL.
From the Old lointed Kind 10 the Latest Style

erne, from the clumsy, bulging, un-
slightly rain-defence in use among our
grandfathcrS Specimens Of the para
sol in vogue early in the century, sucn
MS are now sometimes found in the
depths of hair-cOvered trunks in old
att;cs. show that ii was usually small.
plain except for a fringe or ruffle with
q jointed handle of wood. bone or
IVORY.
This silk covering was most COM
monty white. but green was a fav"rite
color, as il was supposed to be goGa
for the eyes There We're two joints in
The handle. one near the middle of the
stick and one at the top, So that the
cover could be turned half over, lying
parallel with the stick. and the whole
be used ms a fan. This ionted style has
never wholly gone out. continuing To
this day ii the small articles known To
ihe trade as carriage parasols. But it Is
noW restricted to these only. \ reason
given for The general change to the
jointleSs stick is that, as parasols he
came larger, the supersructure re-
quired firmer support.
The old parasol frame was Of whale
bone, with bone tips, and it is said that
ID themselves. sewing together and
stretching over it cores Of silk, which
They cut from their own drcSs-g goods.
The frame ANA stick have undergone
ihr same improvements in the parasol
as in the umbrella. including the hol-
low steel ribs ana the steel tube or rod
running through the stick, which
makes it both strong and light. In
deed. the steel rod was used for para
suIs NY far back as the fifties. although
it iid NOT become a notable feature Of
American umbrella manufacture un-
I'll about 1850.
PardsDls pure and simple as dis
tiuGuishcd from the more substantial
Kind known as coaching parasols. are
creations Of lace. chiffon. ribbons. edg-
ings ana all the prevailing fabrics Of
the season, which are gathered, shirred,
ana flounced to correspond with the
leading styles in feminine costume. and
are of tintS to match or harmonic
with the fashionable colors of the day.
Some are especially designed for
blondes. and others for brunettes.
There are also. for persons Of quiet
tastes or those who are in mourning Cr
semi mourning. most eldborately trim
white, some Of which are decidedly eX-
pcnsivc.
The distinguishing mark Of the para
sol known simply by that name. with
out any qualifying adjective, is that il
is always lined, and in the finer kinds
the ribs are covered with silk 70 match
the lining. Most Of the novel fashions
i'm parasols are derived from Paris but
q
crs here to conform tO American IDEAS
ana tastes. In the French articles the
workmanship is not So thorough as in
the best American. and they DO not
show 50 many varieties Of ornamental
tion.
All the elaborate combinations are
handWork produced by girls who are
artists in their line, like frst-class
milliners. The manufacturer or his
foreman having given 4 girl very
general idea of the sort Of parasol
wanted. she proceeds to build the coy
cring from the top downward, using in
ho design ana the selection Of ma
jarlals h-r own taste and judgment.
combined. Of course with her expert
rrea ana her knowledge of the prevail
ing styles i'm dress. Four Of the girls
a
YORK umbrrIla-h house have been EN-
pIoycd i'm the same establishment for
over IL years. and, as there are few of
their class, they are highly paid.
Time ana expert labor are very inn
pnrtaut elements in the cost Of
pltasol. ana, as the materials differ
greatly IN eXpensiveness. the range Of
prices is extremely wide, reaching
-
$40 ana 500.
In exceptional cases. where rare lace
trimmings and covers are used. the
price may hc several hundred dollars.
ANA a salesman told the other day Of
one lace-covered parasol, purchased
abroad by the wife Of a New York mil
lionairc, which was valued at $500
Lace covers are not now in vogue SO
much as formerly but lace borders will
be used extensively this year. IN gem
eral this seasons parasols will be Of a
NOR" elaborate character than those
i'll the last few years. the trimming be-
ing more profuse. while the colors are
lighter and more diversified
\ distinctive style has been de-
Nolopcd in this country. called the
coaching parasol originating in Paris
and coming into favor with the revival
of the four-in-hand team and the in
stitution Of coaching parades. In the
beginning ii was intended not only to
be Il guard for the complexion against
the rays Of the sun. but also to prot ect
the fair occupant of a coach-top
against n sudden shower. As first de-
signed it was a little umbrella. made
in plain silks to match costumes Of any
color the only yornamentation beinga silk
bow of the same hue tied upon the
thick stick, which usually had a club
handle. Trimming was then intro
duced. becoming more and more elabo-
rate. ana now the coaching parasols
are carried by women of quiet and re-
fined tastes upon all occasions.
They form a great majority of all the
parasols manufactured. and are a very
close second to the more fragile and
delicate kind even for the most "dressy''
use. They differ from the latter not
only in being of more substantial fab
ric, but in being almost always unlined,
and never trimmed on the top. Cheap
coaching parasols are made of union
taffeta, the mixture of silk and cotton
now 50 largely used for umbrellas. but
although the quantity of these iS not :