Weekend Eye Candy - Jacques Fath, 1957
Jacques Fath weaves black silk ribbons into a tight fitting cap. The loops at the back resemble a fun coiffure. Notice too the mix of a double strand of pearls AND a brooch. Love!
Showing posts with label vintage hat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vintage hat. Show all posts
How to Dress Up Your Hair for the Holidays
If you're like me, you'll be wearing a dress you already own to your holiday parties this year instead of going out to buy a new one. But how can you make your outfit look different on a budget? How about dressing up your hair with accessories?
A dramatic cocktail hat from the 1950's is one way to make an impression. A woman in a hat exudes confidence, poise, and style. And a dramatic sweep of aigrette feathers adds a hint of mystery and allure to your outfit.
Take one dramatic chandelier earring and wear it in your hair instead of on your earlobe. An old fashioned bobby pin will hold it in place.
Or use a dramatic rhinestone brooch to accent your up-do instead of your lapel. Use bobby pins to anchor it in place.
A black satin ribbon cockade worn over the ear looks grown-up and just right. This could look too babyish if worn at the top or back of the head, so be careful with placement.
Want to wear dramatic feathers without donning a hat? This vintage 1950's hair comb is adorned with black ostrich plumes and can be worn in many different ways. Available at Couture Allure for $45.
Weekend Eye Candy - Rose Valois Hat
One more hat - this one by Rose Valois, Spring 1950. Have a great weekend!
P.S - Check out these beauties just added to the website:
How to Buy a Hat #5
Final tips when buying a hat:
- Wear color or florals on your head with tailored suits and coats. This brings the eye up to your face.
- When choosing a turban style, leave some hair showing at the brow, and consider letting some curls escape at the back or side. Don't hide all your hair, and don't wear a turban over long flowing locks.
And finally, if you wear glasses, choose more feminine style hats, but avoid veils, which can get tangled in your frames.
I hope you've enjoyed this series on how to buy a hat. Now go! Make the world a more beautiful place! Wear a hat!
Hats available at Couture Allure. Click the pictures for more info:
A 1960's Mod era studded dome by Frank Olive:
A 1960's brown satin turban by Christian Dior:
A 1960's wide brimmed Breton by Lily Dache:
How to Buy a Hat #4
Tip #4 when buying a hat:
"Try to buy your hat for a specific costume or wardrobe. And when you are buying it, try to have the costume either on, at at least with you. The hat that sits in your closet is the hat that you can't afford. Charm is reason enough for buying a hat, but if it can make itself socially agreeable to your clothes - so much the better!"
Again, this rule applies to all accessory purchases. You may love it, but does it work with the rest of your wardrobe? It is better to buy one hat that you can wear with multiple outfits, than to buy one hat and then have to buy a new outfit to go with it.
As an example, the wonderful gold sweater with matching turban above by Florence Reichman makes a stylish set. But can she really wear the turban with other items in her wardrobe? Probably not.
How much more practical and versatile are these fedoras from Dobbs? Still fashionable, yet they would probably work with many more items hanging in your closet.
How to Buy a Hat #3
Tip #3 when buying a hat:
"Always look at the back view of your tentative hat. Sometimes, wide 'sustaining' bands will spoil the look of your hair; streamers can look ridiculous; and sometimes a dreamy sweep of straw will crumble into a linear apology in the back. Be stringent. Never buy a hat that is becoming from only one angle."
Just as you would check the back and side views if you were buying a dress, you should check those views when buying a hat.
The hat above is a white felt postilion by Dobbs, from January 1941.
What's a sustaining band? Many hats from the late 30's into the 40's were worn tipped forward over the brow and needed a band slipped over the back of the head to hold them in place. Often times, it was just a thin elastic cord, but I've also seen many with thicker bands like this.
How to Buy a Hat #2
Tip #2 when buying a hat:
"Always stand up when you are buying a hat. Many's the lady who, framed in the little square mirror, looks charmingly proportioned, only to find, when she rises that she looks either pinheaded, or top-heavy. Never buy a hat the day you are experimenting with a new coiffure. You'll end up throwing them both away!"
Good advice, and one I would suggest when buying jewelry or belts too. It's important to see how your accessories look when compared to your entire body in a full length mirror. And take dramatic changes in small steps. If you're not used to wearing a hat, be sure it works with your current hair style before buying.
The hat above features red roses on a black and white striped base with an alluring spotted siren veil. By Walter Florell, January 1941.
How to Buy a Hat #1
Vogue magazine's January 15, 1941 issue was all about hats, hats, and more hats. This week, I'll feature their tips for how to buy a hat. After all, "no hat is worth buying unless it makes you look prettier than you ever looked before. No woman can really explain why she buys a hat anyway. She just feels a great big urge to set something pretty on her head. All she really knows is that the 'something pretty' has a delicious psychological effect, and buying it is always a kind of spiritual adventure. Hats are emotional stuff..."
In this day and age, it's hard to find hats in stores, unless you're shopping for vintage. But have you ever tried on hats? There is something about them that does make a woman feel different, and believe me, if you wear one you will get noticed! I wear a hat sometimes when I go out, and I always get a positive comment or two. Modern designers have been showing hats on the runways for the past two seasons, so it's time to go buy a hat! Here's how:
"1. Always buy a hat as if it were the only one you'll have. That doesn't mean it must be a stern-brimmed pull-on. It merely means that it must be thoroughly in tune with you at your most attractive. Don't be above getting a touch cosmic about your hat-of asking 'But is it ME?'"
Above, a classic swagger hat in white felt with a snap brim bound in navy grosgrain with a band and bow in the same. By Knox.
In other news, congratulations to Mistress Meeyee, who is the winner of the 1950's scottie dog top!
Weekend Eye Candy - And a Quiz
From the October 1964 issue of Vogue magazine. This photo is part of an ad for Cover Girl make-up. The photo was taken by Richard Avedon.
But who designed the hat? Answer on Monday!
1961 Paulette Mink Hat
Paulette is considered one of the great French milliners. She opened her first shop in Paris in 1921, and by 1939 was designing for royalty and the Hollywood elite. She continued making hats into the 1980's.
This hat from 1961 has a rounded mink brim. It was sold in the Saks Fifth Avenue Paulette Shop. As featured in the September 15, 1961 issue of Vogue magazine.
Get the look with this early 1960's mink hat by another famous milliner, Irene of New York. Available in our EBay store.
1963 Sally Victor Hat
From the March 15, 1963 issue of Vogue magazine. This turban hat, by Sally Victor, has swathes of red and gold velvet intertwined in the folds of white chiffon.
You'll notice that with dramatic hats like this and the Lilly Dache posted yesterday, the models' hair is pulled away from the face and tight to the head. They are each wearing dramatic make-up and statement earrings, which are needed to offset the high voltage drama of the hats.
Get the look with this late 1950's red satin cocktail turban, now available in our EBay store. Click the picture to see the listing.
I love vintage hats, can you tell?
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