SPRING MILINERY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 9 April 1927, Page 17

SPRING MILINERY.

WHAT THEY WEAR IN PARTS. We were all expecting big picture bats to, become fashionable as soGn a.» the warm weather arrived, so, just to show independence, dress designers have decided that we must wesif small hats again, for the time, being, at any rate, and the new models afe iso tiny that in Paris —where, by the wav, these hats originated—we are told that women are thinning their hair si/ that they may fit the hats oh. Here, where the shingled head is more usual than it i,s in France, such a desperate step will probably not lie necessary, but perhaps we wont like these new hats when they come over—we haven t seen them vet, we have only be aril about them.—and then, in spite <>i the dress designers, we will go back to me brimmed models which havealwayfc been the most becoming for Englishwomen. ... These new tiny hats are almost like a cap, they fit the head so. closelj. Sometimes they are cut to a little point in front, in frivolous imitation of the cap popularly supposed to be worn by Mephistopheles. and certainly they present a most complete contrast to the high crowned hats winch we have all been wearing lately, lhe vagabond hat is no longer very fashionable. but they have tried to popularise it again this spring by making it with a brim and a crown of different colours.' If the colours are chosen carefully, sometimes the effect of this is rather good, so women may he induced to take a second look at the vagabond after all. Lightweight felt is chosen to make many of the new hats which are designed for everyday wear. Ver y often, they are trimmed simply with two bands of differently coloured corded ribbon twisted round the crown, or else they may be finished with appliques of snakeskin or the very fashionable calfskin. It is very new, too. to have patterns of differently coloured felt “inset”, into the crown of your felt hat. and another idea is to give a felt ]lat ,£l nar " row brim of calfskin. Tweed hats are new, but promise to have a success, especially for sports wear. They have, b(een designed by Molyneaux, of Paris, and are made of fine tweed patterned in small, gaily coloured checks. If they are trimmed at all, they are simply given a stitched design, or els© a narrow belt of pigskin~is, buckled round the crown, which may either be moulded to the shape of the head, or else it follows a higher line, and is slightly draped. The hat and handbag to match fashion has “caught on” in Paris. With felt hats it is considered smart to« carry a bag made of the same felt, and tweed hats are accompanied by a tweed scarf and handbag. Felt and straw are an unexpected combination, but hats with .straw crowns and felt brims have been worn this season on the Riviera, where all the very newest styles are seen. Hats made entirely of flowers have been designed by’ one French milliner, but usually the simpler type of model is! the most popular. Plain black felt hats, trimmed with glycerined ostrich feathers, set at one side and sweeping down over the shoulder, are worn a good deal with the smarter type of afternoon frock; and velvet hats are also popular. Some of the newest velvet ones have, a patchwork effect, since they are made from pieces of velvet joined together with stitching. Others are trimmed with hands of leather or green sharkskin —the latter is sharing a place of honour with calfskin this season, for trimming purposes. Loosely swathed turbans are also being worn a good deal, and have been adopted for restaurant wear by many of the smartest Parisiennes. These velvet turbans, trimmed with an aigreete at one side, certainly match evening frocks, provided they are worn in the right way, but very often it is only the Parisienne who can carry the combination off properly. It is fairly certain, though, that big hats will be worn again, as .soon as the summer comes. They have had quite a success on the Riviera, and that is usually a sure forerunner of a success in London and Paris. These new picture hats are made of fine, softly-coloured straw, and have wide brims which droop downwards all the way round, and are hemmed with a facing of silk or velvet, while a twist of the same material is swathed round the crown. Evidently they have decided to be simple for the time being, but they will probably grow more elaborate when the garden party season arrives.—“ Sydney Morning Herald.”