Hat Roll-Call

This past year has been a very good year for finding vintage hats in op shops at bargain basement prices. And, I decided, Easter is an eggcellent time to parade some before you (sorry, that was irresistible). These summer hats coincidentally all feature bows.

First up is what I suspect is a 1930s navy and natural straw hat found on one lunchtime spree at a store near my workplace. It does not have a label on the inside, but I am estimating it to be from this era because of the shape and materials that are very similar to another straw 1930s hat I own. The lining of the brim was torn from the crown – easily fixed – and otherwise it is in very good condition and was a steal at $10. It looks very elegant on, and the other great thing is that it fits very tightly, so even a high wind was unable to whip it off my head.

The second hat is possibly from the 1980s. It is a huge cartwheel of natural store, and tied with a black jacquard taffeta bow at the back. The fabric has the distinctive moiré pattern of that formal fabric that was so popular in the Eighties. This does threaten to take flight on a windy day (a hat elastic fixed that), but it offers great shelter from our strong southern sun. A $4 bargain from a little charity store.

Also from the 1980s is this black straw closely-fitting visored hat that I found at the same time as the Prada kepi, in a huge vintage warehouse in Geelong. The deep crown features a black grosgrain ribbon that forms a bow at the back. The visor provides great shelter, though not so at the back clearly. Perhaps I should be wearing it 80s style, with a giant white shirt with the collar turned up to protect my neck? This was another cheapie that cost only $4 (reduced from $8).

I do hope you are all having a very Good Friday!

Photos: March 2017

Cop it Sweet

A few months ago my friend Sapphire and I went down the coast to Geelong for our annual vintage hunting trip. One of the items I bought that day was this little gendarme-style hat, by Prada. It was Sapphire in fact who first picked it up out of a jumble on an enormous table, but she wasn’t interested in it and cast it aside.

It is based on a French kepi. This style of hat was most commonly associated with the French military and police uniforms. The first versions appeared in the mid nineteenth century, and were worn without a chinstrap (it’s missing on my own sadly). They became well-known during the Crimean War, and can be seen worn by French officers of that conflict in the photograph below.

A little while later when I made it to that table, I tried it on the abandoned hat and was immediately entranced. The tag dangling off it declared it to cost $8. Later, when I went to pay for it and another straw hat, the man at the till chuckled over it, amazed that I would wear it. “It’s cute!” I declared, and upon request, modelled it for him. He had to agree it was charming. Even sweeter was the subsequent discovery that it was actually 50% off on top.

Photo: March 2017

What I Actually Wore #130

Serial #: 0130
Date: 02/07/2013
Weather: 19°C / 66°F
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

This is an outfit that was dictated by the cool weather. Once I picked out the navy and white houndstooth skirt, it was easy to build on it with warm layers. It used to be once upon a time that pink and red were considered a ghastly combination, and I’m not quite sure why, since they sit beside one another on the colour wheel and therefore meld quite harmoniously. Both colours look great with navy too.

Some of the items I am wearing were bought second hand in op shops: the coral pink merino wool and silk knit (the front panel is silk) has no label, but I suspect it may be Kookaï; the vintage houndstooth pleated skirt; the red wool beret, and the vintage 60s handbag. The patent wedges are by Australian label Nude, and I purchased them on the online sale site, Ozsale. All the items are still in my wardrobe, miraculously, except for the white and pink striped cotton tee I am wearing under the knit – that wore out.

The other interesting piece is my necklace, which is made up of a number of different charms that I have collected on my travels: an antique Moroccan coin, an 1890s cash register key, a crown and a high-heeled shoe. I have since added some cherries, a pair of boxing gloves, a dove and an antique-style key. I last wore it yesterday. I don’t like charm bracelets, but I would like to make a pair of charm earrings to wear with the necklace – each with two or three different dangles. I do enjoy a-little-bit-wrong things as well as odd things, in both senses of the word: eccentric, and uneven.

Items:

Knit: second hand
Top: Dazzling
Skirt: David Jones
Tights: Columbine
Hat: vintage
Earrings: handmade
Necklace: souvenir/vintage
Ring: souvenir
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Shoes: Nude
Bag: vintage 60s

Photos: July 2013

Le Gendarme Avec Charme

Say bonjour to le gendarme Patrice! Normally he is not a gendarme, but a philanthropy manager at the theatre I work at. But yesterday he visited my desk and his eyes popped out with excitement when he saw my vintage Prada hat sitting on the table. “Can I try that on?” he begged, and as soon as he donned it, he was transformed.

He was already wearing an outfit bought entirely in Europe on his last trip: a Breton striped top from Merci in Paris, navy trousers from Philippa K in Denmark, shoes bought in Zurich, and a watch he adores from Larson & Jennings in NYC, but the crown of it all transformed him into a Gallic gendarme, with charm. Aptly, for the jet-setter he is, he poses by a poster of The New Yorker. Très stylé!  

In the Purple

So here is the violet hat I bought last week in favour of the ugly ruffled number. This hat contrasts on every possible point: size, colour, style quotient. The enormous brim, which can be easily turned up or down (for more serious coverage) in any direction, makes it eminently practical on a hot day, completely shading my face and neck. And the vibrant and dramatic colour gives it huge style points.

The label is Le Panier (French for basket), and is designed in France for adults and children. The hats are handmade from the leaves of the pandanus, raffia and rice plants that are found along the coastal regions of Madagascar, Mauritius and Rodrigues. They also design beach bags and a limited range of homewares.

This particular style – the Capeline – is made from raffia and comes in an array of colours. I also love the striped Demi-Capeline.

Check out their website, though stockists are not listed there; according to their Facebook page, they are currently selling at various markets in Australia – or op shops, if you’re lucky!

Photos: Two days ago