Evening star., 1915-04-02

season. The importation of ostrich
feathers in 1913. when the willow
plume fad was at it's height, amounted
to over six and Il quarter million dol
lars, nearly double that of 1912. Last
year it fell back to something over S4.-
100000, and it Is believed that this year
a still greater shrinkase will be noted,
because the hats trimmed with ostrich
feathers now average less than one in
hundred.
The origin of some new method Of
using these feathers will tend to in
crease the demand. Perhaps this has
already been begun in the feather flow
ers shown this year for the first time.
of ostrich feathers. thus utilizing old
and discarded stock, but the quantity
is not likely to be large.
The average woman finds the prices
in hats lower this year than usual. and
the milliner ad-
Millinery Prices mits that this is
Lower This Year. the due amount mount Of Of
woven fabric being used instead OF
straw It is cheaper and easier to cover
a hat frame with silk or satin than
with straw braid. While few eXclus-
i've shops have not lowered their prices,
the variety Of five and ten dollar hats
is tremendous, and the milliners are
making up price in the numbers sold
The STYLES are changing SO rapidly that
a model may become passe even IN
few weeks, and many women prefer %
buy four or six has at moderate
price during a year. rather than pay a
high price for one OF two.
A speaker at a millinery convention
claims that the millinery trade OF this
country has quadrupled in value IN the
past quarter of century; while the
number of hats actually sold has null
tiplied at least by ten. This takes no
account Of the enormous number OF
hats evolved each season by the home
milliner While the sales in the shops
are tremendous. they are necessarily
reduced by the large number OF wom-
en- who are each year making their
own hats. Millinery classes have be-
come especially popular as an occupa-
ton during Lent; and y is noL ui, z,
church parlors. The rich woman not
only trims hats for herself, but for
charity.
In a number Of cities Easter hat sales
have been held this year for the bene-
fit of the war sufferers of Europe. In
Washington one woman manufactured
twenty-five spring hats from her own
materials. which she donated to Bel
gian sale Most Of them sold for SIS,
though a few remaining at the end of
the bazaar were auctioned Off and
brought less. sale held in a large
hotel in New York netted over $1,000
on hats manufactured by fashionable
women and sold for charity.
-
Flowers Of many kinds represent the
most popular hat trimming of the pres
ent season. The
Flowers Popular importations Of
rl artificial flowers,
LID oeoson' fruit leaves and
grain designed for hat trimmings have
exceeded 100000 since the war broke
out. and an equally large quantity Is
manufactured in this country. Flow
ers are made Of leather. Of metal and
prepared paper as well as Of silks.
velvets and other fabrics. The newest
fad Is the perfectly fiat or pressed
flower which has the effect of being
pasted upon tho crown of the hat.
Some of these arc so delicate and
fragile that they are covered with
band of transparent chiffon or maline
to protect them. While the hand
made rose Is less in evidence than
season ago, it Is sometimes supplied