Frills, fringe, beading and braid. Use any or all of it on a statement-making Easter bonnet.

Frills, fringe, beading and braid. Use any or all of it on a statement-making Easter bonnet.
By MARGARET NERY
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Believe it or not, hats have made a spectacular comeback, going to the heads of fashionable women throughout the area.
Dramatic and often somewhat outlandish, hats have once again become the top, distinctly feminine fashion accessory of the season.
Created in colors that rival those of brightly tinted Easter eggs, frilly, frivolous hats, like daffodils and crocuses, are popping up everywhere.
Several years ago -- when bouffant and beehive hairdos became high fashion and when some churches no long decreed that women must cover their heads when entering the sanctuary -- hats were dealt a crushing blow.
Here's the trend: But the Easter bonnet has again risen from obscurity to top the "must have" lists of stylish women.
Specialty shops in the area cater to women seeking a spectacular chapeau for Easter, but large department stores in general are showing basically casual, intergenerational-style hats intended to appeal to young and old alike.
It may take a woman with a lot of confidence to wear some of the rather over-the-top head wear being offered this season.
Typical of those women is Sally Booker, 133 Greely Lane, who "loves hats and seldom appears bare-headed in public." She admits that she has "a passion for hats of all shapes and colors."
However, this season she is still searching for that "perfect emerald green or pink hat" to complement one of the two Easter outfits she has purchased.
At Catherine's in Tiffany Plaza, Jessica Sheets, store manager, says, "Young women who began to wear casual hats because it was a fad may be tempted to wear an Easter hat. But our customers are generally more mature women who have always been comfortable wearing hats, and this year they are choosing frivolous styles that look great with a new Easter suit."
Fashion sense: Agreeing with her is Sylvia Maholtz, the manager at Catherine's in Liberty, who says the clientele at her shop are fashion-conscious, sophisticated women who change styles with each season and enjoy wearing stunning hats.
She explains that to accommodate them she not only has a wide variety of one-of-a-kind hats but, as a personal service, will conduct a style locator to acquire a special style for a discerning customer.
Regardless of their personal tastes, trend-setting women are well aware that the Easter bonnet must be chosen with care.
Although a dramatic, wide- brimmed hat is perfect for such occasions as a garden party, it will neither be admired nor appreciated by others when it becomes a view-blocker at a theater or other event.