Women's Hats

WOMEN'S HATS.

Fetching Creations For Fall and Winter Wear.

[Special Correspondence]

New York, Oct. - Let us talk a bout hats a little, for they are in such strong evidence these days that one cannot quite ignore them. The big Josephine hat, with its rakish poise upon the head and its turbanlike drapery and toppling plumes is entirely too much to leave its beauties unhonored and unsung. This peculiar style of hat demands more or less of the empire in other articles of dress, and so we see the short waisted gown with a very thin guimpe and the quaint short Spencer jackets, besides the ugly long coats as they used to be.

There are shapes of every description and material, and it is safe to say that no two hats or bonnets are exactly alike, for every shape is capable of being twisted or bent into a dozen new forms, so that each face may be fittingly framed. The old, old silk beaver, with its soft lights and shades, is one of the most uncompromising of them all, and yet it is possible to obtain some new effects from that by bending the brim this or that way or deliberately tying the sides downward with strong ribbon strings not less than two inches wide. This changes the front into a poke form. Pink velvet roses or other flowers are generally set along under the brim, and buckles and plumes are posed upon the Crown. Feathers of the ostrich are the only suitable ones for these bats, and to be in keeping they should be of the finest quality, with long, lustrous flues. These poke shapes are very becoming to youthful faces. They are even worn by very young slips of girls. Once in awhile some misguided old woman will see one on a young person and go and buy one for herself. "It were better for her that she had never been born."

Chenille braided closely into wide strands and these sewed together is the foundation of many of the prettiest and richest of the dressy hats. The brim and crown are both made of the braided chenille, and generally there are two large loops of the same at one side. The addition of a velvet rosette of very narrow width and perhaps two or three rich black ostrich tips make of this an elegant and dressy hat. Turban shape is oftenest seen. In some cases the brim is made of chenille loops so thick that they look like feathers closely curled. The crown is of velvet and the trimming anything you want. Round bolero turbans with black velvet brims and light felt crowns with velvet bands are quite well liked. These have pompons of velvet ribbon or ostrich flues. There are other shapes, more than I can mention. A favorite, because it can be brought under such easy subjection, is a flattish brim, rather wider in front than the back and with a bell shaped crown, this also made out of proportion. This takes any style of trimming. It is as often seen trimmed with stiff taffeta bows for a growing girl as with the expensive garnishing of older people's requirements.

Grebe breasts, gull feathers and pheasant breasts are all among the most desirable of the fashionable trimmings. These breasts of birds, being very close, are used almost exclusively on the turban shapes. The grebe is a silvery white shading to gray and almost black in certain lights. The crowns of such turbans are usually of white, either velvet or some one of the thin white stuffs shirred and gathered into a close mass. One very pretty toque had the foundation of black velvet with a narrow piping of very pale blue satin around the edge. It had a soft, wrinkled crown. In front were two rosettes made of black silk mull, dotted with black spangles and edged with very narrow black velvet ribbon. There were four softened quills of drab shaded off to black, all lying easily toward the back and all dotted with black spangles.

There was in one place a capote for a young lady of silk beaver in dark blue. The whole arrangement was in a poke shape. The brim was faced with black velvet. The trimming consisted of a scarf of black silk mull with silver spangles and a white scarf also spotted with the same spangles. These two scarfs were trimmed together and bunched up into pretty drapery at the left side and in the back. From there one string came down on the right side, tying under the chin. This was odd, but pretty. In front were three pale blue plumes curled closely.

For evening the bonnets are as small as one likes. Some are mere wreaths of flowers, with perhaps a little gauze or something light and thin for a crown. Some have no crown at all, the hair showing through the center. Alsatian bows fastened to some sort of a rouleau are also seen. These bows are often quite covered with spangles. Black lace or velvet. mingled with white, is among the most fashionable color combinations. Rich ribbed silk cut on the bias is made into large, stiff bows and frequently spangles, and around these line black lace Is twined.

Olive Harper.