THE SPRING HATS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 251, 16 July 1908, Page 5

THE SPRING HATS.

' To eyes that' have become accustomed to ... pictured or actual hats of an enormous size, accustpfned ' t'o crowns'of .all heights and de- ;. grees ■ of: pokiness, and to wide turned-down ;. brims', there lis.- nothing''- very', startling .' in ' the new season's' hats'as sl}own in a spring • display at ,6110 of our principal shops/ All , day", yesterday women were, busy trying 011 : the; ;new models, J and - finding .with- delight that, they'are, a whole) very becoming. , Of' course). there are sonie, extreme in sizo or shape*. but very few of these, and 'most . that :are showii are artistic'in colouring .and quaintly shaped. ■ . A new colour that will ho much seen'is so like- our .old friend, electric blue that the ; , rash . purchaser. may speak of ■ it by. that term, but if she is wise she will talk of "petrol," and explain. to the uninitiated . that that is what'the particular ,blue in . all its. varying depths is to be called for the sea'spp,] It is a 'colour' that combines .well v with ' browns, "greys,, and -creams;; But for gorgMiisj "startling colour,, the sort'of thing . .V . to lighten up a' whole'.dingy room,- give me - the >nopular. .cerise, hard, .brilliant, ,'and asdertiw;,' biit so cheerful.' ■; ' OiM poiht_abriut the\n'ew, hats'is that 1 they 1 are : often: lined with a- contrasting- colour, and this may be of tulle or of-another petrol of chip. .. There are; petrols lined with moles : lmed.-with petrol, white lined,with green, and so on; an easy way to make. a, simple hat Joofe effective. Ban- . deaux are .to-be done away with,-most: of the -hats, droop down'ratlier than turn;up,' and,, . , being without bandeaux, they .sit so snugiy on the head'■ that. the, droop is accentuated. The • ladies in .the English ;.papers '.are" often, ■so. buried inVtheir hats, that.one imagines • themhaving. to. tilt their heads . far . back before-they can . sco what is beforo them.. ■ ' Loops-are.,much ; used. On one very effective hat- tho crown was wreathed with a seriesof .over-lapping.loops of four-inch wide ■ . cerise;- ribbon,- and at, the {side a spray ; of : flowers..'-, Bunch'es. of looped; baby ribbon are to be ..seen- on- other , hats, and on others bunches.of looped narrow. straws-There must be no niggardliness'with these loops. '"One'.of. the 'hats', theMilliner-;to]d:-.me, had'sixty-one-yards of;baby ribbon on it (this, byi the way,.'wasv.tied/ beneath the chin with streamers of, the. ribbon) and another had , nearly .'fifty'.yards of. straw - made ■ -into countless, loops. : , Flowers :of ■ all sorts are to be seen, - and most of these in natural sizes and exquisite shades, y!The' faded roses- of yesterday -are dead and this year the flowers bloom ' with, vivid, bright, colourings. Leaves' are to be much' in'evidence, leaves set ' around ithe crown like stakes in ,a palisade, - leaves"; hanging singly and like Matters from . tho top'of the; crown. ;In fact-; .the tattered ■. efFect>B;.n'ot<'nn(«in]iipny'-and , it' has; nothing but its' novelty to recommend it. r ' There are plenty, of pretty: smart-hats without" search • ,))eing made i'for; the bizarre. Wings are still -with' us, and parrots' wings with vivid greens -and complimentary, -reds are likely to.be very, popular. The "Merry ' Widow"' hat in those monstrous. dimensions that made it difficult for the wearer, to enter a London cab is not likely, they say;' to come here, but .the " Merry' Widow" sailor with low crown and extravagant brim is on view. , Thero are floral toques such as have been much worn in Melbourne, and -the Charlotte Corday hat with ,which Parish was infatuated, : is:!represented by a, mob-cap-shaped affair with liugo puffed crown of pale' pink' net,; and -ajhrim edged with several ..'rows . ofJ narrow pale jiink kilted 1 ribbon, Charlotte .Corday also, it is ; understood, is not; likely to become ■ popular here. : Wellington is no ; place for . her. '• -'•■'V l/;\--v-■ One .of the prettiest and most becoming hats hadJ a -high crown, with the brim narrow ih .froht, wide behind, , covered with jetted black 'net,-' and; trimmed with large red rose- and spray of leaves. There were several .' wide flop Leghorn hats. • trimmedwith' bunches-of baby ribbon in/ various 'shades, and- with strings'-of tho. same shades. A V Vmart, little greii; hat with a'beehive crown was ■ covered with masses' of grapes, green and of most delicious appearance a tantalising hat :to look at. on a hot day. ■ ' Quite a number of the : hats were small and Vim, and.on these flowers/were mainly used. There'was a .large green'mushroom hat, the ; flome-sliaped'crown covered with large black V berries, and with a brilliantly colpured par- ' rot -with outstretched wings clinging at 0110 • side. The wide brim was lined with black. ■ 'An artistically- tinted hat was of crinoline straw and tulle in champagne and mole- ' trimmed with a -wreath of laburnum in the same tints. A novel effect;was achieved by a cuir, or , c'opper-'colonr'ed - straw, with a . wide drooling brim lined with petrol, and - , trimmed simply with masses of flat leaves in petrol and autumn tints.