The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-04-07
And Now It's the
Hair Net.
Revival of Old Fashions Brings
the Couture Net Into
New Prominence.

With the return of SO many Of the
old-time fashions-and the way in which
the times of the first Napoleon, the early
Victorian days, the still earlier ones Of
the Inflated Marie Antoinette and yet a
few more, are mixed and mingled BY the
fashionmakers Of today is something to
make the student of history believe that
he Is -encountering a nightmare-aIl of
the more prominent features pertaining
to each have come into prominence once
more.
And Of these there Is none more promi-
nent than is the hair or coirure net.
And at the same time, be 1t said, there
is no feature of current fashion so mis-
applied and so abused.
The use Of the curling iron has brought
about a state of affairs whicl even the
eoifeurs who apply them deplore. The
hair. already made brittle from the con
hnued use Of heat. is made still more
so by the amount of brilIlantine that the
professional hairdresser resorts to to
make the locks Of his client stiI more
glossy and to hold those refractory locks
and short ends in order.
The modish couture of the moment calls
for a waving Of a patiently artificial char
acter. and it must be admitted that,
when eleverly achieved, It proves vastly
DECOmtuE 10 the great majority OF women
All of the up=to-date hairdressers now
adays keep on hand quite a goodly stock
of everything pertaining, even remotely,
to their trade, and, with the single ex-
ception of hairpins, there Is no call for
anything more than there Is for the hair
toned from real human hair, there is, as
might be expected, a bewilderingly large
number OF shades to select from. The
matching Of ones own hair In those Is a
cotton Of nfna. ufuhf end nrroh
for it is not only the tint Of the front hair
or pompadour that must be ma tcbed but
that of the back hair, which often varies
radicall-, as well. When cleverly chosen
one of those nets is absolutely invisible
when in place, but its adjusting is a mat
ter that calls for a light touch and clever
fingers, so that the natural hair under
meath is not crushed nor matted down. but
allowed to assume the natural spring that
it presents when no net Is fastened
over it
There is a new all-oEer net of rather
thick silken threads that hafrdressers use
to fasten on over the finished couture
when the client has the hair dressed for
some important function some hours
ahead. Some of the best coIfeurs In
New York will not go from their shops to
dress anybody's hair, no matter what
price is offered, insisting that the client
come to them. Since they are able to
guarantee that the artificial wave which
they put in will remain ia good order for
at least three days after, they are practi-
cally able to dictate their own terms.
Far otherwise is 1t with the Partisan
cofTeur. Few aud far between are the
clients who come to his shop. Rather
has he his appointment book filled for
weeks ahead with definite dates for each
and every client. Madame So and So
takes Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
at 10 O'Clock, her daughter an hour later,
and so on; for there the coineur attends
to all the needs of the hair, to dressing,
-shampOoing scalp massage, brushing-fn
short, whatever Is deemed necessar ~ to
the health and Hell-being of the hair Is
his province, and the fee Is a monthly
one that includes all Of those services.
without any extras upon the bill.
The front net over the pompadour being
IN some instances too patiently present,
some of the leading Partisan hairdressers
have resorted to cutting these little short
locks across the forehead and curling
them lightly, SO that they may be brushed
up or cOmbed up over the edge Of tie
front net, and aid in the illusion that
there is 20 such thing there at all. This
delicate little fringe CT light curis proves
distraetingly pretty to pretty nearly
everybody, and there Is no doubt but thar
it will take here Immediately, once that
returned sojourners in Paris and along
the Riviera bring back the mode with
them.
The back net Is quite a different shape
and size from that which keeps the front
locks In order. And there are back nets
and back nets. One to cover the high
eolRure and quite another for the low
one. That for the former Is somewhat
triangular IN shape, the little rounded
point being caught down at the nape Of
the neck and the broader part attached
to the high knot. This disposes comfort
ably of those annoying little "scolding
locks that appear at the nape of the
neck, struggling out usually In such man
iner as to make ones whole appearance
careless and untidy.
For the low couture there Is a bag
shaped net which is slipped over, and
caught usually with fancy pins that add
a dressy touch The ali-over net, as its
name implies, covers up the whole Golf
fure, back and front, while the jewellers
display those with beads. jets and mock
jewels caught into silken or the finest Of
wire meshes.