My Hat Collection Part 3

Submitted by windupkitty January 12th, 2011
Certifikitsch Winner

This is an unusual hat that looks like it could be from 1940, but actually, it’s from the late 20s and was hand made in England.It’s made of a raw rough silk and it’s very delicate. It’s also so well made that it has kept its shape and the funny thing is that I’ve never really been able to get a great pic of what it actually looks like on. It sits flush against the head, and the brim is much taller than the pics…It almost looks like a cartoon baby bonnet! The stitched pattern is insanely beautiful and accurate, as are the delicate folds. As the woman who gave me this said, ” we didn’t have the money for extra embellishments, so we created them ourselves with stitching”…

Here’s a very different style from the same era, though it was made in France (to me, this looks very Russian). Amazingly, the bird is still in tact, and the design is very simple. It’s not lightweight and it’s very warm. I’ve worn this quite a bit, but can’t in the car as the bird’s wire “tail feathers” are too high! It’s not necessarily meant to sit to the side, but I like to wear it like that…One of the many things I love about hats (especially vintage!) is that you can turn them/wear them any way you like!

And again, something very different from the same era. I don’t know where this was made and it looks to me like it was worn by someone in the field of religion (Catholic?). It’s incredibly delicate and basically deteriorating on the inside. I’ve often wondered,given the fabric, thread and the way it’s aged, if it’s older than 1920, but I think that’s unlikely…I call it my “pope hat” :)

3 Responses to “My Hat Collection Part 3”

  1. Allee Willis

    Stunning! Love the brim on #1. The back KILLS me! Really elegant with just the stitching.

    The little cap with the bird is great. I would wear that one. My mom used to have wonderful celluloid ribbon bird earrings that would have made an excellent match with this hat.

    The jeweled Pope cap is fantastic! Is that a little tassel hanging from it?

  3. windupkitty

    Thanks guys! Yeah the pope hat is pretty ornate…that IS a tassel hanging from it. It’s made of very fine silver thread that’s fairly heavy (might have some real metal in it?!) The same thread is used throughout the hat and there are a few places where it looks like beads have been snipped off of it, as opposed to having fallen off…I speculate that there might have actually been something semi-precious attached to it? But that’s just because I love a good story and have a very wild imagination!