For centuries, the hat has been worn to signify status, occupation, nationality, wealth, and religion, and with the rise of fashion as a viable industry in the mid 1800s, the hat became an accessory must for ladies of style. However, the relationship between hats and hair has always been rather tumultuous—the narrow shape of the cloche popular in the 1920s demanded a tight, short bob; the popularity of the Gibson girls’ loose bouffant popular at the end of the 1800s and early 1900s demanded enormous hats that could perch above a pile of tendrils; and when the personal hairdryer arrived and women no longer needed to tame their tresses, the hat took a distant back seat.
Today, wearing a hat for any other reason than keeping your ears warm in the winter can become the ultimate accessory. In all of its various forms—beret, pillbox, Garbo, Panama, and straw, to name a few—a hat adds emphasis, expresses personality, and finishes a look.
I am rather new to hats. I am not sure if it is fashion’s current fixation with headgear, the death of fashion muse Isabella Blow, or just a means to further express myself, but over the past couple of months, I have purchased a slew of new hats. Locally, my favorite places to look are Via’s Vintage where they stack them ceiling high, For Love 21 for the more trendy and less expensive variety, and StyledLife for the investment pieces. I stopped into the latter last week to check out a few styles.
Vintage metallic floral turban ($88).
Circa-1960s multicolor cloche-style by Yves Saint Laurent ($128).
Vintage periwinkle blue cloche-style with silk bow detail ($98).
Purple velour bowler-style hat with grosgrain ribbon detail by Peachbloom ($98).
Vintage olive green and plume pillbox ($98).
A little forewarning: if you are a chic cap virgin, the key to finding a style you like is to keep trying them on. While at Via’s last weekend, in search of a hat to compliment my New Year’s Eve dress, I tried on more than forty different styles before I found one that spoke to me and suited my face shape and hairstyle.
StyledLife, Gaviidae Common, 555 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.; 612-746-5400 |
