Last June 21, 2009 was the 150Th running of the Queen’s Plate horse race in Toronto. It is no Ascot or Kentucky Derby yet but it is the occasion for many people, especially women, to wear their best hat. There is also a representative of the Queen of England in attendance.(This year it was David Onley). The Queen is of course also the Queen of Canada. The monarch adds 50 guineas to the purse - now $1million dollars Canadian. Originally a guinea was 21 shillings or 5% more than a pound sterling and used in a variety of auction situations in the UK - notwithstanding decimalization in the early 1970s the tradition continues.

You can read more about the Queen’s Plate on this link. It is the oldest thoroughbred horse race in North America and run over a distance of 1 1/4 miles.

This year the race was won by Eye of the Leopard. Darla Sycamore (me the hat revivalist) was at the race. Originally I planned to do a first video production but rain had threatened so I just took a small digital camera. You can see my pictures in the gallery above. The highlight is me wearing a very fancy hat I found at the Antique Market here in Toronto. It is actually a bowler hat and someone painstakingly glued several silk flowers to the bowler. The result is wonderful although the hat is quite warm to wear on a hot steamy day. This is the price of fashion. Enjoy!

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Hi I’m back I took a bit of an unscheduled break. It was my birthday on June 26. I had a Karaoke Party on the rooftop at a friend’s building. Here I am wearing my straw hat and singing Hey Jude.

Sorry for the break. I plan some hat fun during the summer and beyond. Tomorrow I will post some very Hatty pictures from the Queen’s Plate Race last June 21 here in Toronto. You will see me in a very flowery hat I bought at the Antique Market in Toronto. Thank you for staying tuned to the blog I appreciate your support.

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This is my favorite vitage picture of the week. It’s a mother and baby from the 1930s. Any suggestions on the Automobile?

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Concept hats that will drive you crazy with laughter

The Life.com site recently published a wild slide show with some really crazy hats.

Many of these hats were actually “worn” at the world famous Royal Ascot meet. Incidentally Royal Ascot is being held over this weekend. Undoubtedly an event on the Social Calendar in Aristocratic Britain and one where hat wearing by both men and women is mandatory. In women’s hats it is not generally believed that one should hold back and be too conservative.

Here is a list and a bit of a commentary on the hats displayed:

1. Mmmm Cheesy

A very (I mean very) large hat being a replica of a slab of blue cheese (made for a giant)

(Royal Ascot 2008)

2.  King Kong would love this one

A felt hat shaped like a replica (a good one) of a Gorilla’s hand.

(1953)

3. Berry Nice

A dish of strawberries on a hat resembling the grill on one of those 1970s round barbeque’s.

(Ascot - date not given)

4. Gooooooaaall!

A very large replica of a soccer field

(Ascot 2004)

5. A big hit at the Office

A hat featuring rubber duckies and a large sign “I paid for this hat on expenses”.

(Ascot 2009)

6. Yes, the sink’s in there too

A large blue hat surmounted by a large replica bathroom

(Ascot 2008)

7. Just Say Naught

Fancy horse head hats

(Ascot 2007)

8. Someone is Very Patriotic

A very creative hat based on the British Union Jack flag and a heart motif - my personal favorite.

(Ascot 2007)

9. Guess who’s the butt of the joke?

A very large replica ashtray and cigarette

(Ascot 2007)

10. How Dainty: Watercress Sandwiches

A large helping of Watercress Sandwiches - Yummy

(Ascot 2008)

11. The Race is On

A kind of turban like hat with fake turf and very plastic looking horse models - tacky.

(Ascot 2006)

12. Staying Cool

A very large replica of a “99″Ice Cream cone - a British ice cream treat Vanilla ice cream in a cone with a Cadbury flake - a personal favorite treat - but not in a hat thanks.

(Ascot 2009)

13. Head Stands

A model of the stands at Ascot.

(Ascot 2008)

14. The World on her Shoulders

A strange collar with names of European Countries - not the whole world.

(Ascot 1973)

15. We bet this one got a great reception.

A large replica cell phone on a large brimmed blue hat - bizarre.

(Ascot 1992)

16.  All that Jazz

Creative musical head wear featuring a very large trumpet.

(Sep 2005)

17. Our Daily Bread

Salvador Dali wears a replica loaf of bread.

(1958)

18.  A Hat of Note

A creative hat made of sheet music

(Sep 2005)

19 We’ll be the Judge of that.

A trucker hat - how did THAT get in there?

Well many of the hats appeared or are due to appear at Royal Ascot. If you like Horse Racing and the whole ambiance of horse racing and the hat wearing you may also wish to check out another Life slide show featuring horse racing events and their fans from many eras and different countries many of the feature hats.

Check out the Life.com website for many great images and a nostalgic look at hat wearing in past periods.

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A few weeks ago a reader of this blog brought her You Tube video site to my attention. Lisa has a hat business in New York, New York. Here is Lisa’s latest summer cocktail hat video. Enjoy!

Here is the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw-Azs1Ak1Q

Check out her You Tube Channel

Let me know your favorite. I am very fond of the “Folies” hat with all the feathers. These Fascinator styles are becoming very popular with the younger set. Of course they cause the minimum disruption to a hair style.

Lisa is a very creative milliner and boasts hats of all kinds for all shapes of heads. This is important as many people tell me that it’s OK for me after all I look good in hats and they do not. I believe that there is a hat for everyone. You just have to find the right style for the shape of your head. My favorite style is very wide brims and high crowns. I do not feel comfortable in little hats. Really in the end the right hat for you is one YOU are comfortable wearing.

All of Lisa’s hats are hand made in New York New York. Please visit her boutique.

http://www.lisashaub.com

I have not posted much recently I am very busy learning new stuff. My plan in the not too distant future I hope is to post some You Tube videos of my own. I just bought a fancy camera and I am on a steep learning curve. I am also working on a podcast - yes I gave been for 2 months. I’ll be taking the plunge soon. Please stay tuned for more hat fun.

If you have a millinery business please tell me about it and I can post your videos or pictures of your creations here.

Don’t worry I will be picking up the pace this week with some interesting material.

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The reverse on the photograph reads

Edward Adams son of Mr and Mrs Elisha Adams Glencoe Ontario.

His wife Amelia Otton Adams

I recently acquired this photograph. I do not know the date but it is great we have names and locations. My best guess would be between 1915 and 1925 but I am not sure. Anybody else have any other ideas? The look and feel of the actual photo is similar to ones I have from around 1914.

Glencoe Ontario is just West of London Ontario Canada about half way between Toronto and Detroit - I did not measure it on the map.

Well I love a man in a top hat and that goes without saying. Amelia is wearing a great down turned brim hat made from a really shiny elegant fabric. They both look really smart don’t they?

OK they are not the Addams Family of comedy fame. LOL

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Meaning of “Hattie”- the name

Did you know that the girl’s name “Hattie”is a variant of Harriet and Henrietta? Both of the names are originally German. Hattie is quite popular as a first name but very rare as a surname.

The name “Hatty” is rare both as a first name and a surname.

The actual meaning of “Hattie” is Home Ruler . This conjures images of a picture of a Dominatrix wearing a very large brim PVC hat. But I digress.

Hattie was their name

First let’s speak about the Queen of women named Hattie, at least in my mind. Hattie McDaniel (1895 - 1952) was an African American woman. At the time this politically correct description had not been thought of. Other descriptions were made of black people and you know how offensive they were - I shall not repeat them here. It was a difficult time for racial minorities of all kinds and particularly women.

Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to sing on the radio and the first African American to win an Academy Award. She won the award for the world famous portrayal of Mammy in Gone with the Wind. Before going to Hollywood she played the part of Queenie in the Musical Show Boat. She reprised that role in a 1936 version of Show Boat. Sadly her career consisted almost entirely of playing stereotypical maids and other servants. If you are a fan of classic movies as I am (I love looking at the hats - they are a joy) you will notice that African Americans were usually portrayed as subservient. This was true even in such egalitarian movies as You Can’t Take it With You. In that particular movie they preached poor is OK and even good yet the household had an African American maid! Well I digress. I take my hat off to this Hattie for being a pioneer. Well done Hattie you will live in our hearts for ever!

Now to a couple of other women who we renamed or nicknamed as Hattie as their first name and the name stuck with them. Indeed they are not known by their “real”names.

I grew up watching Hattie Jacques (her stage name). Really she was Josephine Edwina Jaques (1922 - 1980). She performed mainly in the UK, in British movies but some of her performances may be known by old timers”in the US and Canada - certainly by Brit Ex Pats such as me. She was best known for her fourteen Carry On movies. You just add the word after Carry On … Doctor, Regardless etc. The best of British comedy at that time - full of dialogues with double saucy meanings - a kind of moving saucy British Seaside Postcard such as produced by Bamforth. Hattie Jacques was a portly woman who was often portrayed as a Matron. The Carry On movies were released from 1958 to 1974 during a time of somewhat lesser “political correctness”they are quite dated. RIP Hattie Jacques you gave me many a smile/laugh.

I am quite a fan of the next Hattie, Hattie Carnegie. Just to set the record straight Hattie Carnegie was not related to Andrew Carnegie the well known Industrialist. Hattie’s father was an artist and a tailor - quite a humble beginning really. Her father was thought to have introduced Hattie to fashion - good job!

Hattie became known as Hattie through her earlier involvement with hats. She was born Henrietta Kanengeiser (1889 - 1956). Not sure where the “Carnegie”came from - there’s a story there perhaps?

Hattie was originally a milliner as I said. The shop was called Carnegie - Ladies Hatter and was based in New York on East Tenth Street.

It was not long before Hattie became a fashion maven She opened a dress shop near the current location of Saks Fifth Avenue. She ventured into this new field with little formal training. No doubt though her father would have given her quite a bit of training in the field. She developed her own Couture line and sold this along with creations from the likes of Chanel and Dior. She was the first to introduce ready to wear in the high end fashion market.

Hattie also developed a costume jewelry business, a cosmetic line and if that is not enough a line of chocolate products. Obviously there was no shortage of confidence and chutzpah. Her jewelry items are much sought after by collectors.The “book pieces” (featured listings in books about costume jewelry) can fetch hundreds of dollars.

She had many name clients such as Joan Crawford and the Duchess of Windsor.

Well this leads us to the most infamous and scary “Hattie”of all and yet “she” was not a real person.

Hurricane Hattie was a category 5 hurricane that hit Central America during Halloween 1961 and killed 275 people. Read about it here.

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This postcard was sent in the mail in Canada. It’s postmarked June 13 1916 and mailed from Eva to Gordon Patterson in Markham Ontario. Eva is an Old Pal of Gordon. Eva asks “Did you ever come to this corner?” This is all very enigmatic.

I love the flirty hat on the Betty Boop like cartoon girl - ribbons and feathers - men killers to be sure!

I have been busy planning future content on this blog. For some time I have been working on Podcasting. I recently bought a video camera and I am planning on exploring my own You Tube Videos. Blogging has taken me on a very exciting adventure and I am learning new skills. I am going through a period of information overload right now. You have not seen anything yet so please stay tuned and be sure to tell your hatty friends about this blog.

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Too Happy? Then give him the Sack

I got this postcard today at the Toronto Antique Market. Sorry it’s a little messed up. I cleaned it up a bit. It has not been postally used but has been around for about 100 years so you can forgive a little griminess.. The caption reads

You really are too cheerful

I must give you the sack (translation:Fire You)

Your smile extends right round your face,

And halfway round your back

The man does not look like a servant. The woman at the back who is administering the “sack”must be the lover or mistress. What a great Edwardian Hat with too very large hat pins. Boy were they ever lethal weapons! The postcard is from Britain hence the British English.

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