The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-09-08
FIRST SHOWING OF
THE SEASONS PARIS HATS

The merry war is waged between
large and small hats, and apparently
the latter will be the victor, for the
great majority have small brims, and
it is by the brim that a hat isNjudg-
ed, large or small. In height they are
enormous at least-veritable towers,
some leaning one way and some an
other, and others that are upright.
Then there are pokes, which are en-
tirely different in every particular, and
have a way of being quite fiat and jut-
ting out to a great distance at the
back These are not heavily trim
med as a rule, but with this exception
hats are very heavily trimmed. There
may not be such q variety of trim
ming used as formerly, but what is
used is used with no thought of stint.
Everything is enormous, wings, feath-
ers bows, ornaments-irrespe of
the size of the hat on which it ap-
pears. Any contrivance to accentuate
height is resorted to. Naturally the
more conservative are going to want
notifications of this mode, but as
many argue, why bother to import
hats that are not ultraAthey can al
ways be AmericaniZed. Crowns are
very prominent both as to shape and
Importance, for on the crown the great
majority of trimming appears, the
brims being left free; indeed, often
there are no brims As is to- be ex-
pected, there are many draped crowns,
even very, high ones, and these are
higher nearly always at the back than
elsewhere. Brims turn up often at
this point and occasionally are point
ed in the front, but these are about
the only lines they assume. There is
fad for white or light crowns on dark
brims Bengaline silk is used for
many of the draped effects and, of
course, velvet both in the plain and
uncut variety. There are also fur
crowns, it being expected that fur as
a hat trimming will be very strong,
although there are not many all fur
hats being shown. One hat, very
small one, however, was greatly ad-
mired. 1t has the steeple crown and
is made of mole skin and edged with
ermine, a green wing and handsome
dull gold and green ornament being
used to trim. Mole skin seems to
be greatly favored, as does sealskin,
and these two pelts have brought into
favor the colors peculiar to them There
are many very dark hats-hats that
appear black at first glance and on
inspection turn out to be midnight
blue, gunmetal, seal or maroon.
There are all sorts of high
wings, some rather tightly clustered
and finished at their base with a large
head, usually an owl. While one sees
these effects in plain and fancy colors,
the majority are snowy white, as are
many of the handsomest wings. At
the Openings, white wings on black or
dark hats were very numerous. There
are many amber wings and fancies
being shown, not a few having touch
es of black or white, many in the
kingfisher blue wings, not shaded, but
in two decided colors. A novelty is a
wing partially covered with velvet,
pasted flat on the wing, the feathers
protruding from it,
This Season the hats were wearable
as well as being novel, a fact which
adds to their value. One of the very
smarteSt hats shown, a creation of
Louison's was a large velvet pressed
shape, rather fiat as far as the shape
was concerned, but trimmed with
spreading coeue novelty which COW
cred the entire top to within two in
ches of the brim edge, bunch of the
feathers being bound tightly together
and springing out and up from the
crown In manner difficult to de-
scribe, but perfectly stunning in its
effect. Coque was also used to trim
poke of bright purple beaver, by
Germaine, the feathers being intro
duced at the back. Larfe wings and
shower effects were usei cleverly on
some models, as was npvelty ribbon
in topaz satin, having hair line of
black, the ribbon being plated into
conventional ornament which was
used at the base of the wingsZThe
Millinery Trade Review.