A Veritable Bevy of Vintage Hats

 

I know have waxed, if not raved, on here about my love of 1930s- 50s millinery. Especially, my fondness for felt hats of that period. So you can imagine my happiness when we acquired two private collections of vintage hats in the last few months. Some 60 vintage hats from the 1880s - 1950s, with the majority dating from the 1920s - 40s. It's been so many hats, we still haven't gotten them

Lulu's Top Ten Vintage Clothing Website Awards (Plus Hats, of course)

 

It's that time of year:



The Lulu's Vintage People's Choice Top 10 Vintage Clothing Website Awards voting is now open.





 
Just click on the graphic to vote for us in the comments for the People's Choice. You can list up to 10 of your favorite vintage clothing websites in your comment, but you only get one comment, so use it well!






And now, today's pretty for the hat lovers

A Bevy of Hats

 



Today has been a full day. Home improvement projects will do that to a day, especially when they involve 6 trips to town. So I am just going to show you the pretty hats we posted up this month. This is the tip, or crown if you will of the hat iceberg. We have so many lovely hats right now from two great collections.  Seriously, we have 34 more hats to photograph and add to the site. We

New in February: Vintage Hats

 
Way back on the 4th, I promised a post on the new hats at Past Perfect Vintage. Now that The Merry Widow at the KY Opera Association is opening tonight, I can at long last deliver a post!  And if you're in Louisville, Ky tonight or Sunday - go see the show - it's a wonderful production.
So what did we add to the website in terms of hats? Let's take a look:   1920s Plumed Black Straw Hat in the

And Now, a Word from our Sponsor

 We have added so much new inventory, to both Past Perfect Vintage.com and to our Etsy store, I have fallen behind on showcasing it here.So I'll do the quick and condensed version.
We  added some great hats at The Hats & Accessories, including an Oleg Cassini: 
 
Pretty Tops and Blouses at The Separates, including a gold metallic lace Mary McFadden:

These two 1920s celluloid combs at The

Just a Couple of Hats

Just back from a fruitless trip to town for an auction preview. Since we don't deal in fur, there was nothing for us today.That's how the vintage cookie crumbles some days. So instead of a recent finds post, here's a few hats we just added to Past Perfect Vintage this month.I loved this Borsalino hat - very streamlined and 60s fashion conscious , very Mod and very Italian. And so did someone

A Trio of Hats

I bring you a Trio of Hats in Black and Cream with a theme of three. Three decades,three materials, three silhouettes. Its a bit of a no brainer, but the best I can do with the post-Christmas cold. First up, a Teens Mourning Bonnet in black silk crepe with jet trim and ostrich tips. Not a cheerful hat, but a stylish one. Second, a 1950s cream wide-brimmed summer straw with navy velvet ribbon

Grab Your Hat and Purse

It's grab your hat and purse day here. There's black hats from good makers and and there's yellow and aqua. We have sophisticated ladies Borsalino fur felt from Italy, a 1940s beaded felt hat with grand pearls and rhinestones from important milliner G. Howard Hodge of Fifth Ave., a brilliant yellow felt hat with unusual navy and red velvet accents, and a glorious aqua blue velvet Emilio Pucci box

More 1916 Hats

I have a number of these pages scanned, but think I will just post these 2 more. The variety of styles is fun - width emphasizing wide brim, gaucho style hats with shallow crowns, sheer floppy brimmed summer hats in what I assume is organdy or lace, height emphasizing architectural toques, and tiny brimmed round crown hats that sure look like precursors to the styles of the 1930s. The wide brims

Vintage 1916 Louisville Hats

I adore old Fashion catalogs. I want to call the phone number and order every time. This one makes me by want to stop the show room and try a few hats on. I can even find a few things to order in my 1970s Sears catalog, although it's mostly in the housewares section. And that 1923 dress catalog on the bookshelf with the Paris fashions? I die.The flip side it I get frustrated when I go through

For the Fans of Vintage Hats

The conventional perception is that we don't wear hats anymore, although that isn't really true is it? We just don't wear pretty, fashionable hats. Baseball caps, visored work caps, stocking caps, western cowboy hats; these are still immensely popular. It's the pretty fashion hats that are hard to come by. Two exceptions are the church hats and Kentucky Derby hats, but those are very specific

Flappers A-Go -Go! ( Part 4)

I think this is one of the best 1920s hats I have ever had. This comes out of my personal stash. It was a gift many years ago from a dear friend. A friend with excellent taste and a fine knowledge of costume history. He found it is a small Kentucky town, but it most likely came from California. It has all the qualities I like in antique and vintage clothing. Good lines, great color, rich detail

THE Hat

This is the hat that will henceforth be known as THE Hat, (post Edwardian Division ) at Chez Past Perfect. I have consulted Mr. Past Perfect, and we are in agreement. We have had larger hats pass through our stock. We have seen hats with more astounding fripperies and doodads. But this is the largest brim we have had that wasn't from the Edwardian era. And it certainly beats most other hats for

Coming Soon! A Hat Parade In Black and Red

At least I hope these are coming soon! What with the ballet project, (done) the opera project, (done) the autumn leaves that just keep coming down and getting rained on, ( partially done) AND Kitchen Remodel 2: Cabinets of Doom, (nowhere near done) I just don't know how soon that may be. Really, I have no idea.This is woman with no kitchen sink , cabinets or countertop writing this blog. And

Earthtones = Fall

I grudgingly admit that fall will be here soon. People are asking about suits and coats. Not that it is anywhere near time for wool, but it's on the horizon. Now the good thing about earthtones and all those autumal colors is that in lighter fabrics and accessories, you can achieve that autumn feeling sooner and more comfortably. And if there is anything Vintage Clothing can provide, it is earth

In Your Easter Bonnet

Little did I know, but there is still an Easter Parade in Manhattan. Finding that out this morning made my day. Made me want to start getting my 2010 Easter ensemble together and working up a parade here at home. Alright, it would be me strolling down an empty sidewalk, but a girl can dream, can't she? Now most of the hats that made the newsphotos are of the Truly Silly Hats variety. Not unlike

Everyone Needs 1890s Glamour

I seem drawn to transitional styles. You can also call them cuspers. Those periods in between the big fashion movements, as one silhoette morphs into another. The late 40s into 50s, the 20s into 30s, the 1870s into 1880s. And then there's the 1880s bustle as it segues into the Gay 1890s leg o' mutton.For example, this dress and hat we have just added to our website. The fabrics are a rich

Past Perfect Opens an Etsy Store

Yes indeed! We have done it. We have opened a store: http://www.pastperfectvintage.etsy.com/. Why? It's place we will be selling accessories, hats, shoes and newer, more affordable vintage clothing from the 1950s - 1980s. We might even be brave and sell menswear. We like the format, we like the people, and we like the hearts! The price range there will generally be under a $100 and it will be a

Oh So Stylish 1940s Millinery

1940s Hats were inspired. Maybe it was the war time restrictions on the amount of fabric in the clothing itself and the effect that had on garment design that put the emphasis on hats. Maybe it was the shift toward very tailored suits. Maybe it was the need to express femininity. Or even the need for a bit of gaiety and escape in time of war. Or maybe it was just a golden era of exuberant

The Sublime 1920s Cloche, Part Deux

In part one, I showed off eye candy of mostly wide brimmed cloches. Part Deux features more of the truly sleek brimless cloches. These are the real skullcap/helmet types that require short hair. These hats looked great with the really tubular, linear dresses of the later 1920s. And it's a style that still works for modern short hair and the long, lean modern line.1920s Blue Straw Cloche available