Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-04-09

higher crowned and it will be pro-
d,lced in brims OF two and one-fourth.
two and one-haif and two and three
fourths inches or considerably wider
than last years. This years rough
straw win be found in fact to be a
lstrikingly well-designed and distinct
ly handsome hat; and as | said il will
be offered in greater variety as to
material than ever.
i Though constituting comparative-
ly only IA small percentage of the
whole and their proportion still les
SEEMING, there will be, of course,
smooth straw as well, these being
staple goods. Not everybody can
wear creased hat to advantage, and
not everybody wants a rough hat.
There are men who insist on smooth
straw from habit or association or
because they prefer them anyway.
and then smooth straws are worn by
older men.
"The. smooth straw hat presents to
the view to its brim, for instance,
a thin, straight edge. The hat may
indeed be slightly enough; but with
it's hard lines and smooth surface if
| is a sort of thing by itself; il GER
tainly constitutes, as a rule, no har-
monious part of the wearer's attire.
But now you take any of the other
straw hats that have become common
in very recent years, those in the
Panama form, or the creased tops.
or the rough straws. and there isn't
one of them but has about it. coming
from its shape, or from the proiec-
tionS of the rough material of which
it is made, shadows. II has light and
shade effects that give the hat soft
ness and grace; and body and char
acter as well. Thus il is now quite
possible for a man to get a straw hat
that will harmonic with himself and
with his apparel.
"Who gets up these styles in straw
hats? Well. l suppose it might be
said that to a considerable extent
anyway, they involve themselves. If
the hat brim is this year narrow to
the limit or narrowncss. it may he
put down as n reasonable certainty
that next years hats will be made by
all manufacturers with a wider brim.
"Styles that really have a distinc-
tive feature are of course originated
by somebody; but, once. out, or an
nounced, if they are of such a char
acter as really to commend them
selves they are promptly reproduced
ny others. Thus somebody might
bring out hat Just at the end of the
season, that. in the brief time left
for the sale of it. showed unmiStak-
able signs of hitting the public taste.
Obviously, all hat manufacturers
would include that hat in their out
put for the coming season. An
nouncemcntS To the trade, made as
they would he. long in advance, say
turers. would naturally have infiu-
cnce in determining the form of the
productions of other manufacturers.
Some years ago Il New York halter
and hat manufacturer put on an cN-
ceedinglY striking peculiarly broad
brimmed hat that for time caught
the public fancy. and great numbers
facturcrS.
sometimes things come about
slowly. and in rather curious ways.
The creased top fine French Panama.
which. by the way. is made in Alsace
and Lorraine. came TO us first from
London. where in this form this hat
was first introduced, though it owes
its origin i'm form. | have no doubt. to
some creased-top straw hats of Am
crican manufacture worn by Ameri-
can visitors in London"