Hats in Time
A hat is part of a costume ensemble and often reflective of a given point in time, an era; a period of time with a
beginning and an end with something going on between them. In this context each era of hat design is distinctive but the
beginnings and endings of design era’s blend into each other and are often not distinctive. For this reason, as we’ve said
elsewhere, it’s a good idea to look in other eras as who knows where just the right hat will pop up. To complicate things
even further, some hats are simply timeless.
We’ve chosen to present our hats by era as it seemed most logical way to do it. Just keep in mind design era overlaps are
everywhere.
1950's - The 50’s was an era of extreme looks. For example, skirts were very full or very tight and it was the same with
hats. Hats were either small and close to the head or lush with large brims. As time goes by, items that are the youngest
are usually the easiest to find and we realize that 1950's hats, as a costumes, at the moment, are still relatively easy to
find. However, really beautiful, interesting hats in excellent condition are not, so we're happy to be able to offer a
selection of them for you.
1940's - The 1940's was an amazing time for millinery in our country. At the beginning of the decade WWII was still
raging and rationing was in full swing. Even fabric and clothing were rationed and women had little chance for a large
wardrobe. They made up for it with wardrobes of hats, sometimes wild but always flattering and interesting shapes,
with a wide range of colors and trims. 1940's hat's today for vintage costumes are hard to find in almost perfect
condition but we have an enormous range of them all either found in perfect condition or now restored to perfect
condition. We've heard from many people that they just enjoy looking at the photographs.
1930's - The 1930's was a fashion period for women of close sleek hair styles and equally close fitting hats. Elegant
and often asymmetrical, they are little sculptural gems that seem to epitomize the word chic. Again, a few of our 1930
hats come from the late 1930's and may seem more like early 1940's to some. Some are early 1930's and may seem
more 20's to others. We have tried to have a generous range of styles, colors and even materials, felts and wools for
cold seasons and straw and light fabrics for warm ones, but remember, with a few exceptions these are vintage hats and
they're a result of our extensive searching. If you don't see exactly the thing you want keep looking. A new possibility
may jump out at you.
1920's - When you find a truly vintage 1920's hat the very first thing that you think, right after marveling that you've
actually found a 1920's hat is how tiny they all were! Hair styles were flatter and sleeker and yes, people’s heads were
smaller. As you look through our 1920's section notice the hat sizes. We have tried to give you the best ideas of each
hats’ size on the web site. Many period costume hats are what we call "perching" hats and can sit on top of any head
size.
1920's hats are a bit unique in that nearly 100% of the hats were in the Cloche style. Cloche is the French word for bell
and Cloche hats look like bells, often slightly flared out at the bottom but always deep covering the head and ears
completely and snugly. This worked well for the 1920's woman with her short and close hair style but for an actress in a
wig or even a modern woman not used to wearing a hat (and ending up with hat hair) not so convenient. We do have
many original 20's hats and many of them are on the small side and we have indicated that in the description. A few of
our hats are new and are a very usable size and many have become 20's hats from hats from a slightly different period,
also a way to get hats of a usable size into our collection. As a side note, remember that our models heads measure
approximately 22 ¼ inches including their wig. You can note if the hat seems to fit them loosely or snugly to give
yourself an additional sense of the hat's size.
The Teens
When we started working on this hat collection we thought it would be rather simple to organize; 40’s, 30's, 20's, etc.
As we've pointed out before, style slowly evolves and there is no black line from Dec 31, 1919 to Jan. 1, 1920. Many of
the later teens hat's look like more roomy 20's cloche's. Unlike the modern sleekness of 20's hats, teen’s hats still have
the size and lushness of the Edwardian period. Large brims, large crown, large flowers and feathers, it seems as skirts
got smaller and slimmer in the teens, hats got larger. Many of our teens hats are close to 100 years old. They have all
been restored to amazing condition and each one is immediately wearable. Authentic teen’s hats are, of course, difficult
to find but keep checking back with us. We're constantly looking for new examples to offer on the "Hatstorent.com"
website.
1890's, 1880’s, 1870’s - As you can imagine, finding genuine 1890's, 1880's and 1870's hats, hat's that are close to 120
years old, is not easy. Hats this age, in good condition and genuinely lovely examples are usually in museums. We feel
we have to offer a small but exceptional collection of these late Victorian hats. The truly vintage hats are indicated and
there are a few that have been created with vintage materials. Again, keep checking back. We will keep trying to add to
this.
1700’s - We happen to have a small number of 18th century style hats. We will be adding to that as time goes by and,
obviously, these are not actually from the 18th century but beautifully done costume pieces made of the best fabrics.
Feel free to ask us about making something based on your design.
Misc. - After finding a wonderful and authentic Brownie cap from the 1950's with its original pins and logo I realized
that we needed another category. The brownie hat just didn't belong in the 1950's section with the other fashion hats but
was just as usable. Check through the Misc. section for anything that might be specific or quirky. We will be
continually adding to it.
Thank you for your interest in hatstorent.com.
