Show us your vintage hats!

[gingermore]

This is the first time I have visited this thread and I am blown away by the beautiful hats many of the ladies here have collected. I am so inspired. Laura Chase that hat looks beautiful on you. I'd love to see a photo with pin curls. Here is my modest contribution, a repro cloche from Circa

 

[sixsexsix]

i dont have very many, or a fancy head to show them on, but here they are:

 

[Vintage Betty]

Gingermore, that hat looks lovely on you! And sixsexsix, great hats! When do we get to see them on your head??

 

[Vintage Betty]

A few more hats from my collection

Here's a few more hats from my collection. If you see something you like, make me an offer as I'm going to start weeding hats out of my collection and I will be letting these go.

1920's girls bonnets

1950's lace hat with rhinestone embellishments
Fedora Lounge Lore: This hat almost became the Ladies Globe Trotting Hat.

 

[sixsexsix]

that navy blue bonnet is amazing! love it.

also i will start wearing my hats again in the fall....they are all felt so it's a bit too warm for summertime!

 

[crwritt]

Larger ladies' hats?

This summer DH and I attended a charity event that included an auction. Included in the "surprise basket" we bid on was a fancy straw hat from
http://queenofhats.com/index.php/cPath/90?osCsid=b6f40e9c10ab19b093e88523614a3d52
Of course it was Kentucky derby style, so super fancy and way too small for my head.
Last week I finally got over to her shop, just down the street from my Monday yoga class. I tried on so many hats, and was pleased for once that she had some that came in big sizes.

I ended up with the Wallaroo "Eden" hat in black http://queenofhats.com/product_info.php/cPath/90_52/products_id/440
Since I have a big head and lots of hair, it was still a little tight, so Dorinda, the shop owner, put it on the stretcher.

After stretching overnight, it fits comfortably, and I'm just thrilled with it.
I've been wearing this hat a lot, and having fun with the brim, which is so clever, it can be repositioned in many ways.It's great to accessorize with a scarf wrapped around or various ribbons and feathers.

So I guess I'll get to my question. I wonder how many ladies out there just don't wear hats because they have big heads and, like me, have never found a hat that fits?

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm with you -- I wear size 23 hats, and it's very hard to find any bigger than 22/22 1/2, at least around here. The best way around the problem is to look for hats that don't have to fully surround the head -- the little back-of-the-head styles of the early '40s are one good option, and I have one of these I've been wearing for years, a sort of pin-on beret. This style is also very good if you wear your hear in a front roll, like I do.

 

[Sunny]

I certainly would wear more hats if they were easier to find in my size. I think I'm 22 1/2, Lizzie. What I do know is just set up an ebay search for "23". That way I don't eat my heart out over all the darling size 21's out there, or spend a huge amount of time asking sellers to post (often dubious) measurements. I recently just scored with this lovely Czech velour number. It's definitely not 1960s; I think it's late 1930s or early 1940s. It has an elastic cord to go around the hair, too. Size 23 and a wee bit loose, but I wear front rolls every day and I'd rather have the extra room.

Of course, I'm super picky about hat style, too. What I want (and can afford) simply doesn't show up often in any size.

 

[Joie DeVive]

I have the same problem. 22 1/2 inch head.

Sometimes I just strike out as the hats are too small, but sometimes I get lucky. I just bought two at a yard sale that fit perfectly. One was a red and white 1940s ladies baseball cap! Think, A League of Their Own. It has the shorter bill, and a bow on the front.

To get around the size issue, some of the hats out of the 1950s more perch on top of your head than anything, so those work. Lizzie mentioned the ones that sit on the back of your head. Also handy are the ones that perch on the front of your head, such as the doll hat styles.

 

[miss_elise]

i'm usually not a fan of hats, because i have too much hair...so i usually end up with those little hats that just perch on your head...not really very sun protector-y though... and hat pins are king...

 

[Mojito]

I'm 23 around, so am always thrilled when other people put their hands up for the larger size brigade (my best friend is a 21 - 21.5...she refers to me as "Melonhead" and herself as "Pinhead"). I've had some success with teens hats that were made to accommodate more bouffant hairstyles, but I realise that these wouldn't be to everyone's taste. I've had some success and have a few lovely hats, but have still to find a perfect, neat, black skull cloche.

 

[crwritt]

I just took out the tape measure and my head measures 23 1/2". I must be in the 99th percentile for head size. Of course that includes several pounds of hair.
I've been saving some hat patterns awhile, thinking I'll get around to sewing them, but realize that any fitted hat pattern is in for some sizing up to fit me.
My Dad had this trouble with hats, too. He used to get greek fisherman's caps at LLbean in XXL size.

 

[LizzieMaine]

A few examples of my own hats -- it's taken me over 20 years to find this many that fit.

This one actually came in the hatbox shown -- a very nice Dobbs fedora, c. 1941-42. The size is marked 7 1/8 -- Dobbs was one of the few manufacturers of ladies' headgear that marked its sizes in mens' format.

No label of any kind. This one features two fabric-covered spring clips that pin to the sides of the head and tuck under the hair to hold in place. Nice halo effect.

Marked "BELVEDERE" by Henry Pollak, New York. An interesting curved brim style worn tipped slightly, but the sweep of the brim neatly clears my front hair roll. A bit too fancy for everyday wear, but looks very nice with a blue or grey suit.

This is the hat I wear most everyday in winter -- sort of a modified beret with an interesting snailshell fabric ornament on the side. Fits neatly over the back of the head. Merrimac Hat Co.

The perfect summer hat, c. 1934. No makers label, but this was a very very common style in the mid-thirties. It's a very light rayon with a stiff stitched brim, and fits nicely on the back of the head if your hair is rolled in front.

And finally, we have this one...

Standard-issue headgear for FL Bartenders. It's been a tough week.

 

[Joie DeVive]

The perfect summer hat, c. 1934. No makers label, but this was a very very common style in the mid-thirties. It's a very light rayon with a stiff stitched brim, and fits nicely on the back of the head if your hair is rolled in front.

You have some beautiful hats Lizzie! I especially love the first and third ones.

I think I may have the long lost cousin of your summer hat. Mine's linen and someone turned up the back brim and stitched it in place, but they look pretty similar to me. I thought mine might be 1930s, but wasn't sure.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Yep, that's the exact style -- that fold across the top of the crown was a standard feature for this sort of hat. It was most often worn cocked slightly to the side, with the brim tipped jauntily over one eye, but it can work nicely as a back-of-the-head style if you pin it in place. Otherwise, the wind will whip it right off.

 

[Joie DeVive]

Thank you for the information and advice Lizzie!!

I suspected it might be 1930s, but I wasn't positive. When I saw it at an estate sale I pounced on it like a cat on a mouse. It didn't even have a price on it, but I snatched it up anyway. I was surprised that it had been left behind with the other picked over hats. Imagine my surprise when the seller gave it to me for $1!!

 

[crwritt]

Thanks for showing off you hat collection, Lizzie. Especially the helmet!

 

[deadpandiva]

I think I need a better photo but I can't tell if I am wearing this hat correctly. At first I thought it was a bonnet but it doesn't fit that way.

 

[Vintage Betty]

I think I need a better photo but I can't tell if I am wearing this hat correctly. At first I thought it was a bonnet but it doesn't fit that way.

Deadpandiva - you look so good in hats! When do we get to see your hat block?

There are two ways to wear your hat.

The first might seem uncommon to you, but you would actually push the hat FORWARD to be more obvious on your forehead. In other words, you lower the front to cover your forehead by about 2-3 more inches. This was a common technique for the lovely vamp in movies.

The second method is to perch the hat back more so that your front rolls would be around the front, and the hat perched back and up on your head. Hope this makes sense.

I'll rummage up some images later this week showing you how models wore them during the Golden Era.

 

[olive bleu]

ok.what is the correct way to measure my noggin for hat size? I am another one with a huge head and have pretty much stopped looking for the past few years. I used to have a small collection, got stored in a friends basement..got water damage...no more hats. Every once in a blue moon, i will try some on, but they're about the right size for my kneecap.And i get discouraged. I have never tried bidding on any , or buying online because I have no idea what size I am. I know there is probably something here already on this.Help?