PLUMES AND FEATHERS IN MILLINERY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2604, 10 February 1904, Page 63

PLUMES AND FEATHERS IN MILLINERY.

(From Oub. Own Coerespoxdent.)

LONDON, December 24, 1903.

Ostrich feathers are this season almost a necessity ; it is quite the exception to gee a big picture-hat without at least one monster feather curling about in one of a variety of ways. All the fashionable ostrich plumes are immense, being both of great length and breadth, and they are exceedingly beautiful, though the mode of arrangement is not always so pleasing as one could irish. This remark applies especially to the treatment by which the feather is turned inside out, so that the bony portion, instead of being outside, is bent inward, and is quite invisible, the feather fronds on either side forming a sort of inverted rufile. Many of the most expensive hats are trimmed solely with one or more plumes, and depend almost entirely for their originality upon the arrangements of the feathers. One rather favoured way is to lay the ptem of the feather toward the back of the hat, allowing the full tip to fall just above the face in front. The long, curling plume is apparently permitted to fall as it will ; tihe quill is drawn through a flat sailor bow, and secured there, while the feather half encircles the crown, ultimately wandering off the hat brim and falling on to the hair. Eor a wide-brimmed shape, tilting up at either side, a drapery of three feathers can be employed with fascinating result. There are black plumes and wihite ones ; but undoubtedly this seaeon the coloured plumes are most fashionable. The colour chosen harmonises with the fluffy beaver of the hat. or else with the velvet with which the shade is covered, and as a result we now have feathers of deep blue, rich dark ■n-ine tones, maroon, pink, and pale shades, ■while shaded plumes are a good deal seen, and are to be had both in tints and colours. . , Every year as many as fix auction sales of feathers take place in London, and the last one for this year was held quite recently, when literally tons of feathers wo sold, realising somewhere about £200 000. In the assortment were innumerable magnificent specimens, the majority coming from Soutu Africa; a few are received from Egypt, and aLso a small supply from Australia and California. In their natural swle, feathers are the ra-cst of all. and that accounts for toe fact that in West End shop? one is usually asked at lea.st £5 for a splendid while plume. On urrivd in London the crates of feathers are beat lo a feather warehouse,

and there sorted and tied up into bandies of varying quality, f-o Hint there are many grades. In order to illustrate this Tact, I may merely note that -nhile seme feathers sell a.s low as sixpence per poand, others realise from £20 to £25 per pound, and as much as £50 has been paid for a pound nf feathers when of exceptionally beautiful quality. It is stated that some of the poorest specimens go to France, and that in clus course they return again to England, transformed into such splendid-look-ing specimens that only an expert in feathers could detect the difference between one of these made-up specimens and one whose value is several pounds sterling. "The process of cleaning and dressing tihe feathers is one that requires considerable care," writes an authority on the subject, "for they are ficst washed in hot, soapy water, and rinsed in pure warm water. Afterwards they are bleached in sulphur fumes, then put into an indigo solution ; again washed in clean, warm water, and hung up to dry. The shafts of the feathers are pared or scraped down so as to make tiheni more flexible, and the barbs are curled by drawing them delicately over the blunt edge of a knife-like piece of hot iron. Dull or drab-coloured feathers are put through a somewhat similar process, but as they are usually dyed black the bleaching operation and the indigo are omitted. Feathers to be dyed in light colours are usually prepared by being first bleached in the open air, as- it is found that they do not retain the colours well if bleached by artificial means. Great dexterity is displayed by the plumassier in building up large plumes out of a number of small ones, or out of broken pieces. So carefully is this done that it is almost impossible to distinguish a made feather from a natural one, unless by a very close inspection. This manufacturing process is a very profitable one, and it enables women to obtain -imparatively a cheap feather, which looks as good as a real one." America is always one of the most important purchasers.

Clusters of light -coloured cog's feathers are being used now. A cluster is placed at the side of a toque in Italian military fashion, and some of the cog feathers are shaded, always springing from a jewelled boss on the brim of the shape. Snakes are among the novel hat trimmings. These realistic-looking things are made of tiny shaded cog feathers in bronze r-nd green, which look like scales: the result is not pleasing. On simple tailor-made tux bans the head 01 an owl is used either at the side or in front, taking the place of a ro&ette.