WINTER PLUMES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 101, 9 April 1936, Page 11

WINTER PLUMES

According to the old adage fine feathers make fine birds; but they also make admirable hat trimmings, And we do not go only to the poultry-run or ostrich farm for our feathers; we make them ourselves from astrakan, fur, from felt and lace —anything at all that pleases us and suits our hats. Was there ever a woman who did not like “funny hats”? Never a one. Even if she cannot wear them herself, she loves to look at them and know that designers are still able —eien alter the hats of the gay nineties—to introduce variety into their “funniness.” The term “funny” is used really as an explanation to men who understand hats to be headgear that protect the head and keep the sun out of the eyes. They aie not . funny, not even odd to our eyes, accustomed to charm, ing eccentricities, though men stil regard them a little uncertainly in the early days of a new season, vouchsafing no opinion until they discover that women still continue to wear them, and therefore they must be “all right.” As a matter of fact, men mve funny hats, too, and while this season hats may not be extreme, they have sufficient novelty to arouse interest. Hats for autumn and winter are possibly less extreme than hats of previous years, but theii variety is legion, as though the best has been culled from the experiments of other years. Tyro, lean and military are the two greatest influences in the hats. The Tyrolean types are high and glittered and pleated, but they are not as high as last year’s Tyroleans, and their feather trimmings are not as startling. Not that feathers are lacking in surprise this year; on the contrary, on other types of hats, military, pill-box and sporting slouches, they rise high from the side of the crown, from an upturned brim, are spiked right through the crown of a hat, or stand up at the back like perky sentinels. The military plumes are the most startling of all. They fall in cascades over the crowns of high hats, they jut upwards from metal mounts in a fine manner, and they fall in a confused group, sometimes partially covering the face. Cloque feathers are most generally used to adorn military hats. For all the new notions in hats there are some, quaint little feminine types that have no particular inspiration at all. These are pillboxes, turban toques, hats with small brims, berets in some very new moods, halos, and sailors Veils, particularly in dressy hats, are taken for granted; many of these are stiffened and of a wide mesh, while others are quite oldfashioned. and are patterned in large black or white spots. Rich fur felts and velours predominate in black and brown —and for chic and expensiveness combined, black antelope Velvets and chenilles have it, for cocktail wear, and for matching dress and coat trimmings, coney and Persian lamb forage caps, and Russian toques of Astrakan.