Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 June 1877 — Bound Hats. [ARTICLE]

Bound Hats.

The novelty among shade hats is the use of Manila straw of ecru shade, woven (n a slight, indistinct pattern, and very light and pleasant for midsummer wear. The crowns are high, and the broad brims are Indebted on each side and in front in Watteau fashion. A large cluster of roses is in front of the crown; fringed ribbon of pale blue, rose, or tilleul forms a bow on top of the crown, and the ends pass down the indented sides, falling behind as streamers; a small bouquet of roses holds the ribbons back; the brim is lined with silk to match the ribbons, and euged with very narrow Valenciennes. Other shade hats have large crowns of white chip, with broad brims of rough straw. Thi.-se are trimmed with lace scarfs, sometimes all black, and again with white Valenciennes insertion in the middle, with black thread lace on cacbside. This scarf passes around the crown, has a bow in front and streamers ltehind. Apple blossoms, snow-balls, or roses with rubber foliage and hanging buds, are clustered in the lace bow, around the crown, andurder the brim on the sides or back. The Gainsborough, however, remains most -picturesque of all summer hats, and is more faithfully modeled after that seen in the lost picture of the Duchess of Devonshire. The crown is ample, and the broad brim is turned up ou the left side evenly with the side of the head, and not projecting in the least, while the right side is compressed closely against the head. In many instances a velvet bandeau is below the brim to fit it securely to the head, and the hat then curves away most gracefully in front. White chip Gainsboroughs', trimmed with cream white gros grain, black velvet bandeau and bindings, and clusters of pale pink crushed roses filling the turned side, are in the perfection of taste. To complete such hats, a characteristic feature is a bunch of short nodding ostrich plumes placed just in front of the brim and curled over toward the face. For the hat just described, these plumes may lie of dark crimson, cream color, white or very pale blue. White hats are evidently preferred for fetes and afternoon drives in open car riages; yet there are also black chip hats with broad brims, trimmed under the left side with drooping fringe of scarlet berries of the mountain at h, or vines of wild roses, or yellow buttercups. There are also rustic straws, all black, or black with gilt, qr else creamy white crowns of Tuscan yellow, with brims striped or plaided with black. Walking hats suitable for eity streets have narrower brims and high crowns in English shapes, such as the Cxford, with low sides rolled against the crown somewhat like the familiar English walkinghat; or the Equestrienne, with brim turned down all around, and very high square crown; or else a modified Gainsborough hat, which is called here the Danicheff. Fastidious milliners object to putting flowers on these round hats that are to be worn in town and for traveling; they use instead feathers, buckles, wings and brooches, reserving flowers for the more picturesque shade hats described above. Velvet cut from the piec ■ and edged with gold braid or with silver is used for bauds around the crown, with loops on the left side holding a shaded wiug, a bunch of cocks’ plumes, or of ostrich tips. The rolled brim is not faced on the outer edge, but has a biased velvet facing next the head, whicn is also edged with tinsel braid. This revival of tinsel braid at the beginning of summer is an unseasonable caprice, but it has suddenly become very fashionable for trimming, not hats only, but basques and overskirts of dark wool or silk. There are imported -white chip Oxford hats, trimmed with olive brown velvet, gold braid, and shaded greenishbrown cocks’ plumes, also black chips, with black velvet, gold braid, brooches of rennaissance designs, and shaded green wings. White or black Equestrienne hats have black satin scarfs laid in rich folds around the crown, and held by an antique gold buckle, or else one of lophophore feathers, while on the left side far back is a cluster of short curled ostrich feathers, with some peacocks’ breast feathers to give a touch of color. Velvet bands edged with gold also trim Equestrienne hats, and there is still a fancy for the tough threaded gauzes, either black, blue, cream-color, or cardinal, forscarfs on hats of every shape. The Danicheff, with one side rolled up and filled in with flowers, is, perhaps, the most useful and popular of dre»sy round hats. This is worn quite back on the head, while the Oxford and Equestrienne are low on the forehead, affording grateful shade to the eyes, as well as contracting the apparent height of the forehead and the length of narrow faces. Colored chips are liked in the Danicheff ‘shapes, and the best houses show olive, mandarin yellow, and navy blue hats of this style —Harper's Bazar.