Female Hat Etiquette

[Lillie Librarie]

Ok ladies, please correct me if I'm wrong but I can't find any info on female hat etiquette. I have this beautiful late 40s wide brimmed felt hat with a birdcage netting and I haven't really worn it anywhere because I'm not quite sure what to do when the birdcage is in the way. Like if I wear it out to dinner how do I eat? Do I flip the birdcage back, or turn the hat, or take the hat off? If I take the hat off there is the inevitable question of where to put it. Please let me know what you think.

 

[Wire9Vintage]

Well, hats aren't to be worn at night, so if you're talking dinner, it's not an issue. For a lunch, just flip the netting up over the brim. If it's a longer or nicer lunch, I'd vote for removing the hat. You'd just be more comfortable.

 

[Lillie Librarie]

Thank you, thats kinda what I was thinking too. So is it brim hats or all hats are not worn at night? I've been told that a women should never wear a hat with a brim at night since she doesn't need it to keep the sun out of her eyes.

 

[Lauren]

Some hats were worn at night, but most often it was something along the lines of a feather, veil, flower, etc. I have one hat from the earlier 30s that's a gold lame evening hat, but for the most part hats were not a popular evening accessory, other than the early to mid 30s and then again in the late 50s if I'm not mistaken, in the form of little beaded hats.. but I'm not sure on that.

 

[Wire9Vintage]

I have seen vintage hats called "evening hats," but they're more of a headband, really...just a decoration in the hair.

Hat etiquette certainly has changed over the years. Take, for instance, hats in church. Once upon a time, a woman didn't dare go to church...any church...without a hat. Now, even in Catholic churches, hats look odd. Certainly, there are locales where hats remain standard, and the bigger the better!

But for evening, I'll refer you to my 1967 Amy Vanderbilt etiquette book. Anything earlier is quite outdated as far as hats go. But in 1967 this is what she says about dinner and evening: "Hats worn with dinner suits or dinner dresses are intended to remain in place throughout the evening are are usually tiny enough not to obstruct the view of those behind one in the theatre. If there is any doubt about a hat obscuring someone's view at the theatre, the movies, or a meeting, a woman should remove it promptly. If she's asked to remove it by someone having difficulty seeing beyond her, she should do it immediately with murmured apologies." (pg. 187)

Now, that said, the book also notes that at formal receptions, including wedding, teas, luncheons, and meetings, if a woman has come in hat, she remains in a hat. However, if there is dancing, say at a wedding reception, the hat would be left with the coat. The book continues: "Certainly if most of the women at such an affair are hatless, one or two women who cling to the older convention in the matter will seem inelastic, to say the least." This cracks me up! Of course, these days, wearing a hat is making a statement...not being inelastic!

But to (finally!) get to your question, yes... hats worn at night are tiny, brimless affairs. So tiny, in fact, today we would probably not refer to them as "hats" at all.

Sorry for the long response! I love this kind of thing!