Miss Velma Kelly presenting her cabaret bowler

[Velma Kelly]

Fedoralover asked the ladies from the Powder Room to come over and post their pictures of them wearing fedoras or any other type of vintage hat. Those pictures are especially for the hat lovin' gentlemen here at Fedora Lounge. Enjoy!
(I hope this counts as vintage hat/picture although they aren't that good.)

____

Love,
Velma

 

[fedoralover]

Those are fantastic Velma, thanks, keep em coming.

fedoralover

 

[Art Fawcett]

Thanks Velma, Welcome to the Lounge!!

Gentlemen, this only proves what I have been saying for years, Women look SO much better in our hats than we do!!!

I just became a BIG bowler fan.

 

[Renderking Fisk]

They also look better then we do with them off.

 

[Art Fawcett]

I wasn't going to go THERE Ren, but now that you mention it my wife also looks SO much better in my shirts..

 

[Retro Grouch]

Very nice, Velma! Thanks.

Originally posted by Art Fawcett
Gentlemen, this only proves what I have been saying for years, Women look SO much better in our hats than we do!!!

Yes they do. Yes they do. :clap

 

[Velma Kelly]

Thanks a lot for your sweet compliments, guys, and feel free to come and join my Yahoo group which you can reach by clicking on the "www" button. There are a few more pictures for you to enjoy. (No hat pictures though, I'm sorry.) It would be my pleasure to welcome you there.


Lots of love,
Velma

 

[havershaw]

wow.
great photos...again...!

 

[The Bingstress]

Dagummit...all I have is a cowboy hat and a newsboy cap. I'm going to have to go vintage shopping!

By the way, Big T has tried on fedoras a couple times, but nothing seems to look or fit right with the shape of his head/face. This may be a very rudimentary question, but how does a fella determine the right style of lid for his build? Would Big T be more of a porkpie kinda guy? I know he'd probably dig a fedora for the chilly months that are fast approaching. (Yes, it gets nippy even here in Texas). Where can I pick up some shopping tips before we start our quest?

Hugs & blessings,
The Bingstress

 

[Retro Grouch]

Originally posted by The Bingstress
Dagummit...all I have is a cowboy hat and a newsboy cap. I'm going to have to go vintage shopping!

I see a weekend project.

Originally posted by The Bingstress
By the way, Big T has tried on fedoras a couple times, but nothing seems to look or fit right with the shape of his head/face. This may be a very rudimentary question, but how does a fella determine the right style of lid for his build? Would Big T be more of a porkpie kinda guy? I know he'd probably dig a fedora for the chilly months that are fast approaching. (Yes, it gets nippy even here in Texas). Where can I pick up some shopping tips before we start our quest?

Hugs & blessings,
The Bingstress

I have the same problem. I see a hat I really like, until I put it on. Just doesn't look right or something.

I grew up in Ft. Worth. Yes, it gets cold!

 

[Velma Kelly]

Dagummit...all I have is a cowboy hat and a newsboy cap. I'm going to have to go vintage shopping!

Leslie, I don't know about the guys in here (the real experts when it comes to fedoras and vintage hats in general) but I would think a cowboy hat counts as "vintage hat" because as far as I recall there have been some classic pinups of cowgirls wearing hats and showing off their... horse, of course.

 

[Cabinetman]

I thought it was "Dag nabbit" or "Dad gummit". Of course a combination is just as good. But I certainly don't mean to antagonize.

Wow, MK, the ladies have become ever present. Mrs. Cab may need to poke her head in here, too. She's going to do a show in March called Swingtime Canteen. Set in 1944. It's a USO type of show. We just got the soundtrack and libretto for it yesterday. Sounds fantastic. Made me jealous as it's an all girl musical.

I'll post more about it as it draws closer.

Welcome, girls.

Cab

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Well, I certainly don't feel like the Lone Ranger here anymore. Not only one, but two new gals.

Cowboy hats have as long and colorful a history as you can find in a hat, starting with the Mexican sombreros, through the early cowboy hats and then the Stetson's "Boss of the Plains" hats up to the present.

My favorites, though, are the big, big hats worn back in the early part of the 20th century by both cowboys and cowgirls. Most notoriously, the men who had the big hats were movie cowboys, Tom Mix and Tim McCoy. Who could wear those hats today?

If you want to check out cool old cowgirls hats (and some neat looking rodeo cowgirls), try this site:

www.genkigirl.org/cowgirls/

or another site with not enough photos yet but it is growing, is the Cowgirl National Hall of Fame site:

www.cowgirl.net

Folks, those were big, big hats!!

karol

 

[Velma Kelly]

She's going to do a show in March called Swingtime Canteen.

Cab, does the show have any connection to a movie called "Swing Kids"? We had a show here in Germany called "Swing Time" which was based on that movie. (And another show that was based on it opened in Germany around the same time, too.)

By the way, I'm a musical performer, too. I studied music, dance and drama professionally here in Germany. So yes, please make your wife poke her head in here, too! I'd love to meet her.


Love,
Velma

 

[Cabinetman]

Let me grab the script...Looks like it was developed in 1993. Originally directed by Kenneth Elliot, Off Broadway in February of 1995. Starred Alison Fraser and Emily Loesser (daughter of Frank). It ran over 300 performances. Maxine Andrews appeared in a cameo as herself, then died two weeks later. It appears that it played in London, too, but "who knows where or when."

It doesn't say anywhere it was based on a movie, but could be related, I guess. I am not familiar with that of which you speak. This was written by Linda Thorsen Bond, William Repicci and Charles Busch.

Cab

 

[The Bingstress]

Big T and I were just over in Fort Worth the other week, and we drove by the Cowgirl Hall of Fame. I pointed at the (very beautiful) building and said, "Next trip, I want to go there!" Neat to get a sneak peek of the exhibits inside. Thanks for posting that, K.D.

As for those cowgirl hat pics on the genkigirl website--zoiks! It's a wonder those ladies could hold their heads up. The hats look like they weigh 15 pounds each. Here's my version--a straw hat with a feather band that my hubby bought me at the state fair last fall.

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Bingstress -- Thanks for the photo. Yours is a good, practical hat. Is that a Shady Brady? We women look great in those.

I know what you mean about those big hats, especially when women were riding broncs and bull dogging in them. One woman in a bronc photo looks like she was about to set sail. And some were wearing skirts!!

Unfortunately, two women were killed bronc riding in the 30's and, after that, they banned women doing anything in the rodeo except barrel racing and, oddly enough, stunt riding. Now, you don't see anyone banning men from racing at NASCAR when one of them gets killed. Go figure....

I tried on a Tom Mix and I look silly in one. Or maybe we all do in this day and age. Maybe you just had to be there....

Glad you liked the sites. The Cowgirl Hall of Fame is a great organization, they recognize not only cowgirls, but pioneer women, movie gals (Dale Evans was an inductee some years back), authors and artists. If you get to visit, let us know how it is. I might get to visit there myself in a year or so. Your can also get a membership in it, they send all sorts of neat things.

karol

 

[K.D. Lightner]

I posted this earlier, on another thread, but here (again) is my cowboy "Gus" hat -- it is a 4X Stetson and I only wear it on party occasions and rodeos, etc.

Sorry I don't have the computer savvy or the newer machine to open this correctly, but you can hit it and open it yourself, I am told.

karol

 

[jamespowers]

Originally posted by The Bingstress
By the way, Big T has tried on fedoras a couple times, but nothing seems to look or fit right with the shape of his head/face. This may be a very rudimentary question, but how does a fella determine the right style of lid for his build? Would Big T be more of a porkpie kinda guy? I know he'd probably dig a fedora for the chilly months that are fast approaching. (Yes, it gets nippy even here in Texas). Where can I pick up some shopping tips before we start our quest?

Judging by Big T's avatar, I would suggest a fedora with at least a 2 5/8 inch brim. That porkpie stuff would probably have too short a crown for him. His shoulders are also a determining factor. He doesn't appear to be a lanky guy so a substantial hat with a substantial brim would probably work well. I checked around on one of the auction sites and came up with the attached picture of a possible style for him. Pass it by him and see what he thinks. He would happen to be a 7 1/8 by the way?

Regards,

J

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Originally posted by The Bingstress
Big T and I were just over in Fort Worth the other week, and we drove by the Cowgirl Hall of Fame. I pointed at the (very beautiful) building and said, "Next trip, I want to go there!" Neat to get a sneak peek of the exhibits inside. Thanks for posting that, K.D.

As for those cowgirl hat pics on the genkigirl website--zoiks! It's a wonder those ladies could hold their heads up. The hats look like they weigh 15 pounds each. Here's my version--a straw hat with a feather band that my hubby bought me at the state fair last fall.

While in Fort Worth, visit Peters Brothers hats and find Big T a nice Fedora. Or have him a custom one made. Here is their site with phone number and and address in downtown Ft Worth.
http://www.petersbros.com/
They ain't far from the Cowgirl Hall of Fame.
Dusty