Ladies Fashionable Autumn Hats - October 1900
The beautifully illustrated color plate includes a detailed discussion of the latest headwear fashions for autumn in 1900. From stylish turbans to vibrant satin hats, often with garland and other trimmings to create an exquisite fall season hat.
Plate Descriptions of Women’s Hats
Fashionable Autumn Hats (Above)
Left to Right, Top to Bottom
Figure No. 1. -- This stylish turban is made of fancy braid in a vibrant shade of red, a color very appropriate at this season. The rather high crown is simply trimmed with narrow bands of darker-red velvet.
The edge of the wide, turned-up brim is finished with a band of the velvet, and two rows are applied on the edge of the large red satin-Liberty rosette that is disposed against the crown in front.
The center of the rosette is caught with a jeweled ornament. This smart mode would be particularly becoming to a brunette.
Figure No. 2. -- Foliage and shaded roses are used to decorate this large picture hat of black chenille braid. The crown is low and the brim wide and straight.
Beneath the brim, at the left side, two roses with a bit of foliage rest on the hair. A garland formed by the disposition of foliage and flowers around the crown produces the low, flat effect that is characteristic of this season's trimming.
Figure No. 3. -- Shimmering gray taffeta was used for the ruffles that conceal the frame of this unusually novel hat, the edges of the ruffles being finished with narrow black velvet ribbon.
A bunch of Maréchal Niel roses and a bit of their foliage rest against the left side of the hat and also on the hair. Black or colored panne with harmonizing floral decoration and gilt or silver braid would be equally attractive for trimming this original model.
Figure No. 4. -- Dotted satin Liberty in two shades of blue, a dull-gold buckle and bunches of clover mingled with green leaves are used to trim this hat of golden-brown.
The satin is gracefully draped around the rather high, broad crown and almost entirely covers the brim, which droops slightly at the sides. At the right side it is caught on the edge of the brim by the buckle, which also secures a small bunch of the berries and leaves; at the left side are three large standing loops of the textile and a larger bunch of the berries.
The leaves are massed beneath the brim and rest on the hair. A scarf of bright-red satin having black or white dots scattered over it and bunches of currants or cherries could be substituted for the trimming described.
The fancy effects that characterized Summer headgear--the lavish disposition of tulle, chiffon, and any other fabrics, associated with the soft, lustrous pannes and fancy braids, together with fruit, flowers, and plumage as decorative features--will be copied to a great extent in Autumn hats.
Shapes of almost every description will be worn from the quaint Directoire and picturesque Gainsborough types to the small turban. Some of the most stylish models have a broad, undulating brim bent down in front and a low, flat crown.
These odd hats are usually adorned with a garland of flowers or fruit and masses of vibrant foliage, and the effect is incredibly artistic.
Pastel Liberty silk or wide ribbon in several tones is also used to drape these hats. A sizeable Alsatian bow is arranged in front to attain the low, flat effect decreed to be the correct form of trimming.
A long, narrow slide-buckle of dull gold adds an attractive touch to the knot of silk that is brought down on the very narrow front of the brim.
A charming novelty introduced this season to adorn a fancy hat consists of large, broad blade feathers, slightly curled, with velvet disks painted to imitate cherries appliqued upon them.
The stem from which they appear to hang is also painted on the feather, and the effect is very realistic. Currants, both red and white, are similarly imitated, as are also several varieties of small berries.
Fancy birds and breasts will be in great requisition this season both for ornamenting and making entire hats, the many possibilities of these materials having established the mode in favor; ostrich plumes and Paradise aigrettes will be used to adorn the picture hats of velvet.
Long scarves of Persian-printed Liberty in Oriental colors or characterized by natural-looking sprays of delicate flowers on busy backgrounds will be much used for adorning the ideal sailor shape intended for ordinary wear.
A pleasing example of this fancy was a sailor of fine, dark-violet French felt having a broad, satin-faced stitched brim; the hat was trimmed with a scarf of pale-violet hue with flowers scattered in clusters over it and faintly enlivened with bits of the green leaves.
The scarf was carelessly draped around the low, indented crown, and at the left side of the front was wired to form a broad bow effect. The ends were hemstitched and fell over the brim at the side toward the back.
Another beautiful exemplification of the mode was a pale-gray felt having a satin Liberty scarf showing a rich, creamy ground with cherries over it. This touch of color was especially attractive.
Hats for Golfing and Outdoor Sports
Hats for golfing and outdoor sports will form quite an essential item in the early Autumn selection, and there is a great variety from which to choose. The soft felt Alpine in the pearl-gray tints remains popular, and there is a wide diversity in the trimming of this rather severe type.
The straight silk band in black or self-color has been supplemented by soft folds of crepe de Chine and silk handkerchief squares with fancy borders. A quill or breast is added in some examples.
A novelty to be worn for wheeling or golfing is in the sombrero shape; it has a soft, indented crown and the wide brim is faced with satin in the same color as the felt and ornamented the entire width with rows of stitching in self-color.
A narrow grosgrain band to match the color selected for the mode is disposed around the crown and tied in a bow at the sides.
The light shades of gray and mode are shown in these stylish hats.
A pleasing new trimming is gilt braid associated with bands of velvet or silk; this is also used to form deep Alsatian bows, combined with black or dark-colored velvet ribbon.
The military effect imparted by this gold trimming is another of the season's novelties.
A light-mode felt sailor was ornamented around the crown with bands of dark brown and a band of the gilt braid between, and the only other decoration was a large rosette made of dark brown and mode tulle over gilt tissue.
A simple bow of velvet and the braid were disposed beneath the brim at the left side. This stylish hat was intended to be worn with a tailored gown developed from light-mode cloth.
The same idea was expressed in a hat of similar shaping in the shades of the army and navy blue, with the gilt braid introduction.
Tulle Hats
The fancy for tulle hats ornamented with jets and spangles, for formal wear, has by no means waned with the passing of Summer, and some beautiful examples are shown.
A charming hat was made of finely tucked tulle and spangled net, with loops of the tulle and spangled wings associated with a graceful Paradise aigrette as ornamental features.
The low, flat crown was of the tucked tulle, and the rolling brim that flared at each side was fashioned from the spangled net.
A soft drapery of tulle was wound around the crown and knotted in front, where the brim was shaped in a point. Loops of the tulle seemingly secured the spangled net wings, and at the left side of the front the Paradise aigrette and completed the useful trimming.
A touch of color could be added by a disposition of flowers or tinted tulle rosettes beneath the brim at the back to rest on the hair.
A hat combining attractiveness and good style was of black fancy braid having a large, flat crown and a fluted brim that was slightly flared at the left side, below which was a bandeau with bright-red cherries resting upon it and against the hair.
A fold of black velvet was brought around the crown, and two large rosettes of black tulle rested against the flared brim at the side. This hat would be appropriate for all except very formal wear.
In Black and White
The approved black-and-white idea was admirably expressed in a new flare hat, the crown of which was rather low and round, while the brim was wide and flared off the face in front.
Bias folds of black panne formed the entire crown and top of the brim, and white satin Liberty was similarly arranged to face the brim.
Black and white tulle were artistically combined to form the large rosette that was adjusted against the crown in front apparently to secure the flared brim and add a decorative touch to the mode.
Two jet ball-pins were thrust through the fluffy rosette. The hair should be worn in Pompadour style with this hat.
Those who care for novelties will appreciate an odd conceit carrying out the combination of black and white.
Bands of black tulle and white chenille braid formed a lattice-work over the entire low, broad crown of the mode, and over the rolling brim, which was in modified walking shape, were arranged leaves of gauze, hand-painted.
On one side the leaves were of white gauze painted in black and white, while black gauze was shaped in the same leaf designs and adorned with white.
Soft folds of black and white tulle were laid around the crown, and in front where the contrasting leaf trimming was joined the tulle was arranged in a large loose knot, through which two jet and cut-steel ball-pins were thrust.
Bronze and Shades of Gray and Khaki
The bronze shades were pleasingly united in a stylish hat made of a fancy dark-brown braid. The rather low crown was somewhat in the Tam-O'-Shanter shape, and the brim was expertly rolled and flared at the left side.
Taffeta shading from light gold to deep bronze was draped around the crown, and a shaded Impeyan breast was disposed against the flared brim, secured in front by an oblong bronze buckle through which a knot of the silk passed.
The low, flat effect in trimming was attractively carried out in a stylish toque recently seen.
The entire crown was made of a silk handkerchief square in Oriental colors, draped carelessly over the flat frame; at the left side of the back the ends were knotted and rested on the hair.
The rolled brim was formed of wide, fancy black braid, which was arranged in a broad Alsatian bow in front. A long, curling quill disposed around the left side of the crown lent an added charm to the mode.
A square of panne in useful colorings combined with broad chenille braid would be pleasing in a toque of this style.
An unusually stylish hat in a modified walking shape that would prove almost universally becoming was made of black and white fancy braid. The brim was rolled and flared high at each side and shaped practically a point at the front and back.
A folded band of black panne was arranged around the crown, and in front four blackbirds were adjusted as if in flight. This brilliant hat would be appropriate to wear with a black tailored gown or a gown of dark red or blue trimmed with black braid or stitching.
A cute gray felt hat in the popular round shape has the brim slightly rolled all around, and the soft crown is indented.
A loose garland of large mauve orchids encircles the crown and is joined at the left side by a bow of black velvet. The low, flat effect carried out in this simple decoration expresses one of the novelties of the season.
A khaki-colored felt of similar shape was trimmed with russet-tinted foliage in wreath effect around the crown, a bow of scarlet velvet joining the ends. The shaded breasts that are just now so much in evidence would be a pleasing substitute for foliage and flowers on these smart hats.
A stylish toque made of pastel-green velvet artistically draped over the frame has a pheasant with outstretched wings adjusted in the front and spreading over each side, producing the flat effect just now so much in favor.
This little creation would be an attractive accompaniment to a gown in a shade of green to match, and, if preferred, a large black bird and black breasts could be employed instead of the pheasant, the touch of black adding distinction to the mode.
All-Black Hats
An all-black hat is essential to every well-appointed wardrobe. An example of the rare style is made of black panne with the brim of spangles. The crown, in Tam style, is flat, while the brim is rather wide and bent over at the left side of the front, where it is caught with a long jet buckle.
Soft folds of the black panne encircle the crown and form large, loose knots which are arranged to give becoming height just above the indented brim at the side. Two beautiful ostrich plumes fall around the left side of the hat--one above the brim and the other on the hair beneath it.
A shorter plume falls attractively over the brim at the right side near the front. This beautiful hat is intended to be worn off the face, and the hair should be arranged in soft, loose Pompadour effect to ensure becomingness.
A perfectly flat effect results from the arrangement of two long plumes over the brim at each side in a turban made of mode velvet. The crown is low, and the velvet is softly disposed over it, while the golden-brown plumes entirely conceal the rolled brim.
A pompon effect of feathers is adjusted in front and conceals the joining of the plumes. The mode would be suitable for wear with a light tan or castor tailor gown.
"Fashionable Autumn Millinery," in The Delineator: An Illustrated Magazine of Literature and Fashion, Paris-London-New York: The Butterick Publishing Co. Ltd., Vol. LVI, No. 4, October 1900, p. 502.
"Descriptions of Millinery Plates," and "Fashionable Autumn Hats," in The Delineator: An Illustrated Magazine of Literature and Fashion, Paris-London-New York: The Butterick Publishing Co. Ltd., Vol. LVI, No. 4, October 1900, p. 503, 505.
Editor's Note: Some terminology used in the description of women's clothing during the 1800s and early 1900s has been changed to reflect more modern terms. For example, a women's "Toilette" -- a form of costume or outfit has an entirely different common meaning in the 21st century. Typical terms applied to "toilette" include outfit, ensemble, or costume, depending on context.
Note: We have edited this text to correct grammatical errors and improve word choice to clarify the article for today’s readers. Changes made are typically minor, and we often left passive text “as is.” Those who need to quote the article directly should verify any changes by reviewing the original material.
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