Great vintage hats aren’t hard to find. Most reliable op shops seem to get them on a regular basis, and they tend to hang around longer than shoes, scarves or jewellery. This, of course, is because hardly anyone wears hats these days unless they’re off to the races or a very traditional wedding.
One reason people don’t wear hats these days is because they no longer know how. Hats can look overdone and absurd if worn incorrectly – which they often are (on the odd occasions when they’re worn at all), because nowadays we don’t grow up with knowledge of hat styles, fit and proportion like we grow up with a knowledge of clothing and jewellery. So when we are faced with a hat-critical situation, we usually plonk any available bit of flotsam on our heads, without realising that selecting a hat that flatters is as difficult as selecting a pair of trousers (and lordy, do I hate shopping for trousers).
Up to now, I’ve put hats in the ‘too-hard’ basket. I always eventually feel self-conscious when I’ve got one. I convince myself I look like a potato-head before jamming the poor thing in my (inevitably oversized and full of junk) handbag. This is nonsensical for a vintage lover. Hats are plentiful, beautiful and inexpensive on the vintage market (and another thing to stick a brooch to, which is double points for me). So I plan to change my hatty ways.
Here is the info I’ve gathered thus far about vintage hats… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by thevintagedetective
