Some great videos of hats at Ladies Day Ascot June 2010

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS50ywc5rck

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1F5oXRC8NU

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C_GZSzHBpY

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

The Queen’s Toronto Visit

Recently HM Queen Elizabeth completed a great tour of Canada. This tour included Toronto where I live. Of course in every event there was a hat -- matching with the outfit of course.

Two of the highlights of the visit in Toronto came on July 4.

In the morning HM visited St. James Cathedral where she mixed with the regular congregation as well as a large crowd outside. One person had met the Queen on a school visit in Scotland in the late 1950s.

In the afternoon the Queen went to Woodbine Horse Race Track to watch the feature race (the 151st running of the Queen’s Plate) and present the trophy to the winner. I was at the event since I am a lover of horse racing. It was extremely busy and security was extremely tight. I had to not push myself because of health issues so I did not get any good photographs. I did get as close as about 30 meters (100 feet or so) and caught a glimpse of the Queen making here way to the Paddock to view the entrants to the race. Hats are very much encouraged at the Queen’s Plate especially to be worn by women. I would say about a quarter of the women participate in wearing fancy hats (in the premium areas of course hat wearing by women is nearly universal). Men on the other hand are not much of a hatty crowd in general. Of course male horse owners and trainers usually sport top hats and so do visiting dignitaries.

Here is a video of the July 4 events:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GDwW5fm9zo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GDwW5fm9zo

Photographs of HM The Queen

Up close

A friend of mine, Norman Hart, was fortunate to be part of the media scrum at the visit in Toronto. He took some amazing shots of HM in her wonderful hats. They all seem similar in style and of course matching is a must.

Please respect the copyright of these pictures. Norman has given me permission to reproduce these on this blog. All rights remain with Norman Hart. Nothing of course prevents you from sharing this post on Twitter, Facebook or whatever social media.

All Rights Reserved by Norman Hart

NOT to be reproduced without expressed permission.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

The Pork Pie Hat and Buster Keaton

The Pork Pie Hat or Porkpie takes its name from a resemblance to a pie,  pork pie. Although the style is most known as a men’s hat it has also been worn by women as a basic shape. It is most often made with felt but can be made with straw. The crown is flat with an indentation all the way around as illustrated in the pictures of Buster Keaton above. The style is said to have originated in the Victorian Period.

The silent screen movie star Buster Keaton popularized the style and he made his own pork pie hats. He cut down Stetson Hats and modified them Find out how.

While you are on the Buster Keaton site find out more about him. If you are a fan you can watch many of his old silent movies for free on the Internet Archive Website. He wears his hats well but mostly porkpie hats. You can find an example here in his 1922 movie “Daydreams” . Look for more.

Here is a cartoon of Buster Keaton from Wikimedia Commons user RailRoadGun.

Pork Pie Hats in the British Navy

The lower ranks in British Navy wear a form of Pork pie hat.

The top of the crown is enlarged for effect and the brim is not as wide as the pork pie design. It has been referred to as a pork pie style but is also referred to as a square rigger. It seems like an inverted pork pie hat to me.

Here is a poster with an earlier version of the hat.

Wearers of Pork Pie Hats past and present

Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (played by Gene Hackman) in the French Connection

Robert Oppenheimer father of the atomic bomb

Dean Martin was said to be partial to this style of hat.

Jazz Musicians are very fond of the style.

Pork Pie Hat Music

Charles Mingus “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”

Check You Tube for various renditions of this music originally written for the saxaphone

Laurel Aitken “Give me back my porkpie hat”.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

A Love Story featuring two hats

Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet is a Walt Disney Cartoon about two hats that fall in love in the window of a department store. It’s all set in the 1890s or early twentieth century. They dream of a hat box made for two and promise lifelong love.

Disaster strikes when Alice is bought for $23.94 (quite a lot of money circa 1900).

Johnnie becomes “gay” once more when he is bought (price unknown). When he is out he looks for Alice far and wide and briefly encounters her singing their song.

One day Johnnie is lost by his owner and gets into some seedy adventures. At one point he is picked up by a shady character and worn during a brawl in a bar. At this point he is desperately seeking Alice and goes back to the old department store haunt. Then ……………….

hey, nonny, nonny, a nice man found Johnnie
And he cut him to fit on his horse’s ears
‘Twas done without malice
For beside him was Alice
And they lived on for years and years

The moral of the story:

You Johnnie Fedoras, you Alice Bluebonnets
Whenever you find yourself blue
You’ll find it’s June in December
If you just remember that true love will come smiling through

Hats on horses were popular at one time here is a picture of one (you can buy reproductions of it on my Cafe Press store)

There are a number of bootleg posts of this cartoon on You Tube (apparently without sanction from Disney). You can get your own copy of the cartoon in the Make Mine Music 1946 movie and reissued in 1954 (it’s on DVD and a great item for kids today although a bit dated perhaps?). There were some very cute cartoons in this compilation.

The song was written by Ray Gilbert and Allie Wribel (copyright MCA). You can find the lyrics here.

The song was sung by the Andrews sisters in the Cartoon, they were very popular then. You can download the song from iTunes as well as a couple of other versions.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Did you know that the color for 2010 is Turquoise?

In my interview with Barry Moss he pointed out that turquoise will be one of the hot colors in his line this year. Have you noticed that this color is being used by designers of hats in their Spring/Summer collections for 2009? Is it true or is it an urban myth? I would be interested in your feedback.

Every year a company called Pantone announces the color for the next year. Pantone is a world leader in the use of color in all areas of design. The company also provides exact specifications for colors so that there can be exact matches for various shades of color.

The genius of Pantone is its color matching system, invented in 1963. The system was originally used in graphic arts but it has been adopted in other areas such as interior design and fashion over the last 45 years or so.

The press announcement on turquoise click here.

Discover more about Pantone by clicking on the box below and go directly to http://www.pantone.com. (I am not affiliated with Pantone).

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg57NTnmlps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg57NTnmlps

From the MBFWNewYork You Tube Channel

Wide-Brimmed felt hats for the fall were very much in evidence from Carolina Herrera at the recent New York Fashion Week. Check out the Carolina Herrera website.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=75EyGfK-Nnc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75EyGfK-Nnc

Thanks to HM again. I love watching her hats that are so carefully matched with the rest of her clothes. I see she seems to favour the slopping Crown or at least some emphasis on the Crown -- there’s a message here LOL. Thank you again. Happy New Year Your Majesty!

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Last Friday I visited the One of a Kind Show in Toronto and discovered the Pook Toque ™. The Pook Toque ™ is a tuque with something extra – two sock flaps are on each side. The addition of the sock flaps is the innovation that allows the knitted cap to transform into many different styles and shapes.

The moose (typically Canadian) involves stuffing gloves into each of the socks to create antlers. Then there is the Donald Trump comb – over effect - one of the flaps is folded over to one side. Or perhaps you prefer both flaps folded over in a kind of Donald Trump squared.  All kinds of effects can created by rolling, bending, tying or curling the sock flaps. You can even turn the flaps inside out and tuck them in so they are not visible at all.

Each Pook Toque™ comes with an illustration sheet showing what effects you can achieve. Here are a few:

Turkish

Rastafarian

The Wave

Robin Hood

Elephant

George Washington

Turtle Neck

Well you need to see it to believe and understand it. You can find this illustration sheet on the Pook site

Where did the funky name come from you ask? Believe it or not one of the co founders of the company is Tony Pook. The other partner is Kevin McCotter.

Catch the CTV Vancouver interview on You Tube

You will not want to miss the demonstration of how to transform the basic hat into multiple styles.

The spelling used by the Pook folks is “Toque” rather than Tuque but essentially they are used synonymously with the two different spellings. The spelling “Toque” actually sometimes refers to a chef’s hat.

The term tuque originated in Canada. A piece of headwear designed to keep the cold out.

According to the Wikipedia entry on tuques:

A tuque is a knitted cap, originally of wool though now often of synthetic fibers, that is designed to provide warmth in winter. Most tuques are tapered, they sometimes have ear-flaps…Tuques may have a folded brim, or none, and may be worn tightly fitting the head or loose on top although the latter is considered more standard.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIeudBmWg90

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIeudBmWg90

My review of the Etsy website through the eyes of a hat lover. It’s a place for crafters to buy and sell.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Joan Crawford would be proud

Check out Joan Crawford

Check out the Dolce & Gabbana latest runway collection shown on Vogue TV – just click and watch on the link below.

http://www.vogue.tv/#Watch/Video_Player/5/341

It’s really an entertaining and imaginative presentation – fur (faux I imagine) – is back together with our favorite hats that remind me of hats I have seen in the 1930s classic movies. But wait, what are the Mutton Chop (exaggerated) sleeves reminiscent of the 1890s (they were gay you know but not that way)? The platform shoes seem kinda like an Austin Powers movie. All in all great spirit – the hats make the day. I’m just having fun and love it guys – really.

Let me know your impressions of this collection by commenting on this post.

By the way please visit the Dolce & Gabbana website for more eye candy – they even have an iPhone Application.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/classic-scenes-bold-hats/pool/show/with/3946335124/

Goorin Brothers are holding a photo contest Classic Scenes and Bold Hats please check it out. Entry deadline is October 18.

Think a very hatty vintage scene.

In a single photo they are looking for creativity showing:

* Historic Settings
* Antique Fashions
* Boldness of character
* One or more people wearing Goorin hats
* Creative use of historical reference
* Creating a complete world we can believe in
* Elegant and beautiful photography
* Involve your family and friends

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Free-form Hat Making from Lisa Battaglia

This post is an interview with Milliner Lisa Battaglia.  Lisa has a very different (from the usual blocking approach) way of hat making which she describes on her site http://www.lisabattaglia.com as follows:

Lisa uses the traditional technique of free-form draping to create her hats. Using a wooden hat form, she drapes, twists and sculpts the material, and then hand stitches the folds to create her signature looks. Each piece is an intricate, beautiful work of art in and of itself. Most of Lisa’s hats can be worn several different ways to fit the occasion or match your mood.

Enjoy the Broadcast:

Please right click here to download the broadcast

(Choose the “Save Link As” option)

A selection of Lisa’s hats from her Fall Collection

(The Buttercup was referenced in the interview)

I hope you enjoyed the interview.

Check out Lisa’s Blog.

Props to the Hat Life Directory for some of the information on Lisa.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Hat Life Hat Lover Award

Hat Life the headwear industry bible, has added a new category to their annual Hatty Awards for people who are passionate about hats. This award recognizes the customers who support the business of hat making. Up until now the award was only for headwear designers, manufacturers and suppliers.

“We realized that without the consumer buying and collecting hats, there would be no retail headwear business. And despite the economic downturn, headwear sales continue to soar,” said Hat Life Editor, Diane Feen.

The first ever Hatty Awards for the trade were given out in 2008 and were met with great enthusiasm and tremendous success. Headwear Industry leaders (and newcomers) who strive for excellence took home Hatty Awards for 2008. Winners included KOKIN (hatter to the stars), Mainland Headwear Holdings, designer and hat instructor Eia Radosavljevic, Legendary Headwear, New York hatter Ellen Christine, Lisa Battaglia, Lina Stein and others.

But this year Hat Life decided to add a new category to honor hat lovers and headwear enthusiasts (of all ages) who not only love wearing hats, but find the act of buying hats a thrill. “Some of our readers have confessed that they have as many as 500 hats in their hat collection,” adds Feen.

To win a Hatty Award, nominees must submit complete the entry form (with pictures) by October 15, 2009. Winners will be profiled in the Annual Hat Life Book, a 350-page headwear resource and trend guide with articles about all aspects of the headwear industry (as well as a list of thousands of retail and wholesale resources).

You can nominate yourself or another company or individual. You should get your nominations submitted by October 15 2009.

The winners will be included in Hat Life’s media campaign and profiled in the 2010 Hat Life book. Watch for the announcement of winners on December 15, 2009

Fill out the questionnaire and send photos – Get your application at:
http://www.hatlife.com/hatty_awards.php

If you have questions please contact the Hat Life people at support@hatlife.com or call 877.428.5433.

Are you subscribed to the Hat Life Newsletter and are you getting your copy of the Hat life annual directory? This has been published for 137 years so they must be doing something right. It is full of useful reference information. Among the many uses are to:

• Find potential buyers for your products and services
• Find fabric, trimming, manufacturers, suppliers, knitters, domestic and overseas production and importers in the headwear industry
• Get contact information of hat retailers around the world

It is an indispensible resource for all players in the hat business worldwide.

Get your free subscription to the Hat Life Newsletter and stay current on happenings in the hat industry. Click below

POST SCRIPT
I interviewed Lisa Battaglia one of the winners of an award last year and I am in the editing phase – please stay tuned for a discussion of her creative process of making hats.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Right click on the images and open in a new tab or window for a closer view.

These are hand made dolls on display at the Distillery District in Toronto, Canada. Please see http://www.dollcollection.ca

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Hat Style on the golf course

It’s that time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the golf season is in full swing (pun intended). Don’t forget a hat to fend off the elements and to look stylish on the golf course.

Check out Wicked Worm golf hats – they are practical and yet have a certain style. It’s baseball meets the French Foreign Legion. The twin peak design obviates the practice of turning the baseball cap back to front. This is certainly frowned on at the best golf clubs. The two peaks are set at different angles to the crown. Whilst the front peak protects the face from the elements, the back of the neck is protected from sunburn and rain running down the neck and getting inside your waterproof clothing. The elasticated inner hat band is designed to keep the hat from flying off in the most windy conditions (hey it’s British OK). The hat is made in the UK from micro fibre. Unfortunately the makers have added two tee holders to the side of the hat – this makes it look a bit like a joke hat (why not add a powered fan for those hot days – only joking). Maybe stylish golfers can be creative and put feathers in the tee holders (or something else?).

Well at least one can try to be creative on the golf course. Yes you need protection from the elements but you don’t have to opt to the baseball cap like Tiger Woods or the Visor favored by many women golfers. Of the two the baseball cap does a better job of protecting the head from the sun which can burn through your hair to your scalp. Many women still favour the visor probably because it minimizes “hat head” which definitely ruins any hair style.

You can be stylish on the course and wear a Panama Hat for example. Be creative – there are some interesting hats in the 1980 movie comedy “Caddyshack”.

Here is a gallery of alternative hat styles for golf brought to you by Aaron’s Hats.

Alternative Hats for Golf

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

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!

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

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.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

(IMAGE a Fascinator from Oh Dina – all Rights Reserved by the vendor)

If you are in the Toronto area over the weekend of May 1,2,3 2009 why not go to the Clothing Show and indulge your taste for fashion both old and new? Go enjoy, indulge yourself, get away from the recession blues. Celebrate the spirit of fashion with over 300 independent designers, retailers and vintage collectors all in one location. You can discover hats and other headwear both new and old.

The show is at the Better Living Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. There will be two brand new sections to enjoy:

• A Men’s section providing a stylish array of leading designer brands and new labels.
• An ECO section focussing on the support of sustainable living through fashion

In honor of historical design, check out the Century of Fashion competition. Here collectors will exhibit their best museum quality garments from the 20th Century.

I am an official media contact for the show and I am looking forward to attending. Perhaps I will see you there? I will of course be wearing a trade mark hat LOL. Oh! One last but by no means least note I have three pairs of tickets to give away. Please CONTACT me at this blog.

• Put Clothing Show in the subject line.
• State that you have signed up for my email list on feedburner or RSS feed.
• Provide your Name and address so I can mail you the tickets (IMPORTANT – hard copy only).
• If you do not live in the Toronto GTA area state that you will be here over that weekend

(UPDATE: Deadline Friday April 24, 2009)(UPDATE one set of tickets left April 23)(UPDATE April 24 NO tickets left thank you everyone!)

I of course accept no legal responsibility for anything relating to this offer. Sorry I could not afford a Philadelphia lawyer to draft a disclaimer. In any case it would be Christmas before we got the wording right. You will have to read the fine print on the back of the tickets for the show responsibility.

It’s FIRST COME FIRST SERVED. Please do not let the tickets go to waste you must be in the Toronto area to qualify or say that you will be here over that weekend (Also important).

PS

I have been very active on Twitter over the last few weeks. The goal is to increase readership. In order to keep this thing going we need traffic and please check out my sponsors. I will shortly add a shopping section to the blog site. Go and have fun and support the cause of hat wearing. Please stay tuned.

My Twitter account:

@IFRS_Exorcist

Yes it’s a strange user name related to my other business world of accounting.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

The new edition of the Hat Life Newsletter is just out. There is a very good article in the newsletter about the John B. Stetson Company. The Stetson Company has been getting into various promotions to jazz up their image. (See Stetson’s Hat tricks by Laurie Burkett)

There have been many new initiatives from the new chief executive of the company, Pamela Fields,who was brought on board in January 2008.

According to the article:

Fields, who worked as a consultant specializing in brand revamps before she joined Stetson full time, is pushing Stetson as “Made of America,” something that it plays up on in-store ads, logos and hanging tags. This consistency is new for licensees.

One promotion is with the military. Stetson products will be on offer in many military bases across the USA.

A military calendar is in the works as is a contest for submission of videos by the military to enter a contest to win Stetson products.

Other promotions were directed to the younger set on Face book. Actually a 50 year old won the contest. Well 5o IS the younger set when compared with an 80 year old or even a 60 year old.

Another promotion was the “Hat for Obama”. You can access the videos at my previous post here. I did not know that the people were hired by the Stetson Company but hey anything that gets Obama to wear a hat is fair ball. By the way they did get through the Obama security net (or so it appeared in the last video of the series) – no hat wearing by Obama then! I have also featured the Goorin hat promotion of a hat for Obama.

There have also been promotions directed to the Latino population.

The final note in the article was:

From head to toe, singer Jon Wolfe is already decked out in his Stetson gear. He’s been meeting with designers, picking out jean jackets and shirts that he says look like Ralph Lauren at a rodeo. His album will be out this fall, and although he won’t reveal any song titles or lyrics, he says fans can expect a tune or two about his hat.

Woow Jon Wolfe is one heck of a handsome young cowboy.

I wish Stetson all the best in their promotion of hat wearing!! You can see an old piece of letterhead from Stetson here in this blog.

I have spoken about Hat Life before. It’s a great site for resources in the Millinery Industry.

They Publish a very useful Annual Directory:
“Commonly called the Encyclopedia of the Headwear Industry, The Hat Life Directory is the world’s most popular headwear reference. This full color directory lists thousands of wholesalers, suppliers and retailers. For over 137 years it has been the must-have resource offering complete information on hat wholesaling, manufacturing, retailing, supplying, emerging trends, upcoming events and new product releases. Directory purchasers receive the printed directory PLUS online access.

I take my hat off to them for being in business for 137 years. That’s a compliment from me who rarely goes without a hat, at least when outside of the home.

You can find out more about the Hat Life Directory and its great resources by clicking on the banner at the end of this post. You will be able to sign up for a free newsletter. Please check it out. (Yes its an affiliate link but hey I have to eat LOL)

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Today I have a post about Catherine Povey the owner of Pebbles Hats.

Check out Catherine’s page on the right and the wrong way to wear a hat. Sometimes people just give up on hat wearing simply because they do not know how to fit a hat on their head and play with it to suit them from all angles. Catherine says:

Wearing a hat, as with many things in life, can be done in a right or wrong way. Although there are no hard and fast rules you should be aware of the best way for you to wear your hat. You should really have a good look in the mirror from all angles, what may look great from the front may look dreadful from the side. You need to check!

Catherine has a page on her site illustrating this point.

First of all Catherine is a wonderful designer in her own right and a gallery of her designs is included in this post. She will make you a custom order hat to kill.

An important part of her business is the hire (rental) of designer hats from big name designers. Although her business is located in the UK (hence the British English – hey I’m from Britain originally so I am able to translate to American English) she will rent out to customers in all the far corners of the UK and abroad. She has rented to customers in the USA. Yes the hats she has for hire are that special. She is located in the seaside town of Penarth South Wales – quite romantic.

Her for hire collection includes a who’s who of fabulous designer hats by top milliners such as Philip Treacy. Check out Treacy’s wonderful site.

Here is a Gallery of Designs by Catherine Povey. Please click on the picture for a better view in a new page. Reproduced by permission of Catherine Povey – All Rights Reserved by her.

Thank you Catherine for letting me post these images and being an active reader of this blog.

If you are a milliner and want your designs featured in this blog please send me a selection of photographs of your designs and I will feature them as I have done in this post. If there is anything that you want me to say in particular please let me know. Please Contact me to make arrangements. I will give you instructions on forwarding your images. I am working on putting sound on the blog. It’s possible that I can be able to interview you by Podcast in a month or two. Please let me know if you are interested.

Of course there is no charge for this. I just want to get the word out about hats and the fabulous designers we have working today. We don’t always have to look to the past but we can definitely do that for inspiration.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

I just found a great fashion site called Style.com. I did a search for hats and found 5,864 pictures in the site. See the thumbnails here

If the link gets broken just go to the Style.com site and search for “hat”.

You can click on a thumbnail picture for larger image and slideshow.

In a future post I will list fashion sites where you can track latest runway styles.

If you are aware of good sites for me to list please list them here as a comment.

It looks that hats might be coming back but it’s early days.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Check out the latest styles reported at Bloomacious. Here is the report on the Spring styles from Marc Jacobs.

The little straw hat is in vogue in gray, red and Yellow. The hats are pictured worn at a slant – wonderful!

Check out the Cloche on the Liz Claiborne collection also. Again brought to you by Bloomacious.

It’s wonderful that hats are coming back into style and that young women in particular are embracing them. Keep it up ladies!

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

I saw an article in Hat Life magazine about the hat worn by Aretha Franklin at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 20, 2009. You may remember that it was a Swarovski crystal studded, heather gray wool hat with a gigantic bow made out of the heather gray material. Hard to miss eh! Ms Franklin sang “My Country “Tis of Thee”‘” at the event. It was fantastic. Ms. Franklin also sang at the Martin Luther King funeral. I saw Ms. Franklin on the Larry King Show on CNN shortly after the event. Larry King asked her about the notorious hat. She just said that she got the hat from a little hat shop in Detroit. Now the “hat is out of the bag” so to speak. The Internet is all a buzz about the hat which actually has its very own website.

The Designer/Maker is now revealed as Luke Song of Mr. Song Millinery. Actually the hat is two designs in one. Reportedly it was Ms Franklin’s idea to incorporate the huge bow on the hat – and history was made – an inspired hatty lady!

The actual hat was hand molded and would cost at least $500 to replicate. There has been a mountain of requests for the hat. Mr. Song has been making a satin ribbon version available for $179 (US). Patience he may have temporarily run out of the materials I read.

Mr. Song, an immigrant from Korea, has been in business for 25 years and Ms Franklin is a long time client. He also supplies about 500 boutique stores across the USA. Things are certainly Going (well) for a (Mr.) Song! (Please forgive my poetic licence in the title to the post. Yes we Brits have a weird sense of humour and we spell it funny). Of course the hats themselves are not going for a song. A very blessed designer is Mr. Song.  A very good day for we hat wearers around the world. Let’s hope there are more to come.

The Gospelrama blog reported that The Smithsonian Institute has asked Ms. Franklin to donate the hat as part of an Obama Inauguration collection. I could find no word on whether she agreed to the request. I am not sure she would take my calls even if I had her telephone number. Does any reader have an update? Please post a comment if you have more information.

Oh yes you can have some photo fun with the hat. You can shrink it or enlarge it for effect. One Jack Shepherd posted a link to a clip art version of the hat. You can use photo edit software to place the hat on a picture. See my picture on the lead to the post. I used Photo Shop Elements for my picture. Perhaps I should have enlarged the hat a bit more but I like it as it is. I also am using the new picture on my About page on this blog as well as on my Face Book page and in the Hat Revivalist League Group on Face Book (I am the creator of the Group). The link to the posting is on a fun site called Buzz Feed. You can post your creations to the site at the link to the Shepherd post at the beginning of this paragraph. My favorite was the hat superimposed on Dick Cheney – quite an improvement – LOL!

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Sybil Arundale (real name Sybil Kelly) born London, England  20 June 1879 & died London 5 Sep 1965. ( See link for source). Sybil was a sister of actress Grace Arundale & in 1893 the 2 girls appeared in music halls and were billed as The Sisters Arundale I found this photograph of her on a postally used postcard, mailed March 5, 1906. It is in the Milton Gossette series No 44. It was sent to Miss Ruth Mellor in Newsome, near Huddersfield England. The sender said the picture looked like her.

I was struck by the hat in the picture which seems to have been attached by two hair pins. It might be held in place with elastic to the back of the hair. Any opinions on this from professionals?  It is a design that someone could use as a basis for a design today. It is not as wild as some of the Edwardian Hats.

There have been some other postcards of Miss Sybil Arundale posted elsewhere on the Internet.

Here are a few other references: Here and here (as Dick Whittington)

No copyright of this picture is claimed. I believe it to be in the public domain,however, I am not a lawyer and can get it wrong. If you are the copyright owner please email me and I will take the image down.

I present the picture for educational purposes and in the greater interest of promoting hat wearing.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

I recently received my copy of the Hat Life Newsletter. I wrote a piece on it a while ago.

It is a good reference and I encourage you to sign up.  I am following up on an article in the current edition.

Check out the wonderful yellow top hat from Australia in the current edition. You will also note on that particular page that hats with high brim seem to be IN – wow what a statement!

By the way:

Happy Australia day to you Aussies!

Sorry it’s a bit belated.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Congratulations on your Inauguration Barack Obama!

Don’t be a Henry Harrison wear a hat! (Look at this video for the reason!) This is a very funny video about the history of hat wearing by presidents at their inauguration. Great Illustrations in the video! Apparently the last hat wearer at an Inauguration was Richard Nixon. This video urges Barack Obama to bring back the tradition and offers a hat (a Stetson no less) as a free gift. There is another set of videos below telling the story.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW8GhOm9UaQ

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW8GhOm9UaQ

The story is that Josh Shayne has partnered with Stetson to produce a Presidential Hat. This is a very grand Fedora.  A limited edition of only 2009 will be made. Here is the story of the making of the hat for Obama. A portion of the sale proceeds will be donated to charity -- please read on.The goal was to deliver the hat to Obama prior to the Inauguration at 12 noon EST January 20, 2009.

This video is the story of the making of the Obama hat and the tradition of Stetson making hats for all past presidents.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTV7cLSuKjY

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTV7cLSuKjY

Hartford York has been chosen by Stetson as the distributor of the Presidential Hat. A portion of the proceeds of sale from the hat will be donated to the Hats off for Cancer Fund. ( See below)

The upscale Pinnacle Hat, is the most expensive hat and costs $295 it is a handsome fedora,  and will arrive in a handsome Stetson hatbox, with a numbered certificate and a special embossed leather sweatband identifying it as one of this special series. ( The goal is to present Hat #1  to the President Elect himself).

“The Pinnacle” is a pinch front fedora from Stetson. It is made from the traditional 100% pure beaver fur felt,  the choice of the West. The hat has a  pinch front  with satin lining and grosgrain band. It is made in America.

The hats are custom ordered and will ship on a first come/first served basis beginning on February 13.

Josh Shayne, a videographer, has been blogging about his efforts to deliver hat number 1 to Barack Obama. He has posted videos to You Tube about his journey to deliver the hat. Will he or won’t he? He wears a very handsome hat himself in the video. What a great warrior to bring back hat wearing back into style. Well done.

Here’s the latest video (# 10) It shows the delivery of the hat to someone said to be an aid to Obama. (Deep Throat) Is he or isn’t he. The suspense continues.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTmG_QTqKIg

Here is the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTmG_QTqKIg

Did Obama get the hat and will he wear it on the big day?

Congratulations on a fun promotion and series of Videos Josh and good luck!

Hats off for Cancer

Hats off for Cancer supports kids with medical hair loss. Please check it out. Every Mad Hatter Day (October 6 in the USA) (10/6 from the famous Mad Hatter illustration) it sponsors a hat drive for the charity.

Hats Off For Cancer collects and donates hats of all kinds to the courageous children who lose their hair due to cancer treatments.
Hats Off For Cancer has donated more than 690,000 brand new hats to hospitals, camps, and individuals worldwide since 1996.

The objective is also to raise awareness of the problems of children facing medical hair loss due to Cancer treatment.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Do you like your police men and women to wear Stetsons or peaked caps? There has been quite a lot of debate here in Canada about the decision of one of our Police Forces in Canada to change their hats from Stetsons to a peaked cap. This was reported recently in the Toronto Star. There is a lovely full colour picture of the new hat in the Star article.

Outside of Canada many believe that the RCMP (the Mounties) are our Police force in Canada. This is true in some parts of Canada but in most places Provinces (similar to States in the USA and Australia for example) have their own Province-wide and often their own city forces. It’s a romantic notion that the RCMP wear the famous red uniform but it is only used for ceremonial purposes.

Here in the Province of Ontario our Provincial Force until recently wore the famous Stetson hats as worn by many US police forces. It’s visions of Highway patrol cops on the roads “Down South”.

The Stetson was around for the force’s birth over 100 years ago it was replaced with a peaked cap in 1997. It was back to the wide brimmed Stetson in 1997. Now it’s back to the peaked cap.

Apparently practical considerations outweighed the sun protection of the famous wide-brimmed hat. There were many accidents with the “fibreglass sombrero”blowing off and being crushed by trucks. It was just too difficult to get in and out of your squad car with your Stetson on. Quite a tight squeeze eh!

The police force in Ontario reportedly like their new caps and they are being phased in. After over 10 recent years some cowboy hat nostalgia still exists.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

I very hot hat item according to the Hat Life Newsletter I recently read is the Mau Cap from Kangol.

Here is a picture courtesy of Aaron Hats.

Please go to the Aaron Hats site and search for Kangol Mau Cap or just Mau Cap. Even though it looks a little unpretentious it’s a hot item right now. Here is a discussion of the origin of the Mau Cap from the Aaron Hat site.

Close to Varanasi in Eastern India is the small but industrious district of Mau, formerly Mau Nath Bhanjan. The area is renowned for its textile weaving, and maybe just maybe that is why we named the Wool Mau Cap in its honor, hmm? Because what is fashion but a perpetual send-up to regionalist culture and pride? Well, whatever the region, the Wool Mau Cap’s shape suggests that there is revolution in the air. And there is a Kangolution.

There are versions of the Mau Cap that can be worn in summers as well, in a light weight fabric.

The cap is kind of sort of like the Greek Fisherman’s hat or a “Newsboy” type of hat.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Here is a great runway video featuring Russian designer Slava Zaitsev.

The large crowns on the hats are spectacular. One is very reminiscent of the top hat, only for women. It’s certainly popular and Britney Spears is working it in her new video “Circus”. Check out the video on You Tube at Britney TV.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=snHczq06qGc

If you are reading this on an RSS feed the link is

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snHczq06qGc

The video is brought to you by Fashion Stock. If you want a lot of fashion videos you can sign up for the video podcast on iTunes, Here is their pitch on the You Tube site.

New fashion video trailers daily! Fashion runway, top models, designers interviews, make-up and backstage beauty. What’s hot Spring/Summer 2009 season in New York, Milan, Paris, Moscow and Miami fashion weeks? For more info and full shows on DVD visit www.MobileFashion.TV

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

This is a guest post from Susan Beausang who sells headwear she has designed for women with medical hair loss. Thanks for the contribution Susan – Great work on this worthy cause. Please check out her site.

Think they’re just for grandmothers in the Polish countryside? Think again. Head scarves are not only one of fashion’s most versatile accessories, they have timeless appeal.

The headscarf is an intimate, personal accessory with which you can create your own unique fashion statement.  Whether you want a polished and elegant look, a casual bohemian flair, or a stay-in-place exercise accessory, 4Women.com has a head scarf for you.  Called “BeauBeaus,”   they were designed by Susan Beausang in a determined effort to be re-establish her sense of style and dignity after losing all her hair due to Alopecia Universalis. Having always been fashion-conscious, she wanted to be noticed for her unique style, not her bald head.  Not only were wigs hot and uncomfortable, she felt like she was hiding under them.  Rather than hide her head and changing identity, Susan designed a scarf with which she could make a fashion statement.  As a result, BeauBeaus are a perfect accessory for any fashion-conscious woman looking to create a style that is truly her own.

Many women shy away from head scarves, thinking they’re difficult to tie or not going to stay put.  The BeauBeau is designed to address both of those issues.  They’re “pre-tied” with an elastic band.  Once on your head, they look like they’ve been tied and styled by a pro, when in fact they’re as easy to put on as a baseball cap.  They’re also designed with long flowing tails, for a feminine look, or gathered with the elastic scrunchie.  For those who like to change their look often, these scarves come with options.  Gather the fabric at the back of the neck or slightly at the side, a la Parisiene.  The BeauBeau never slips, needs no readjustments, and comes in a wide array of fabrics and patterns.  From “Color Me Classy,” soft charmeuse printed in rich brown, lavender and burgundy, to Black and Bloom, a smart classic black and white print.  There is a fabric, style and color combination for everyone and every occasion.  How about the Pampered Headwarmer, a luscious combination of cotton jersey and cashmere?  Going running?  Try the Aqua Power exercise scarf, a stylish lycra-blend scarf with just the right amount of stretch when working out.  You may want to simply complement your hair style with a Transitional scarf, a headband with the same great pre-tied design and available in the same beautiful fabrics.

It’s no wonder that celebrities and fashion icons continue to promote head scarves as a timeless must-have accessory.  While head scarves are NOT just for women with medical hair loss, it’s nice to know that there are stylish and comfortable headwear options for those of us who refuse to surrender our style and dignity along with our hair.

Medical hair loss in women is often poorly understood and misdiagnosed.  Even when the true cause is known, there is little acknowledgment of the deep emotional impacts on women.  Fortunately, women with medical hair loss are reaching out to each other and creating resource and support groups.  Some especially helpful resources and advice can be found at:

National Alopecia Areata Foundation www.naaf.org
Alopecia World  www.alopeciaworld.com
Her Alopecia www.heralopecia.com
Bald Girls do Lunch www.baldgirlsdolunch.org

Susan M. Beausang, President
The BeauBeau: “Beautiful Scarves for Beautiful Heads”
www.4women.com

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

An interview with Ailie Miller from Dollie Vardin Millinery in Auckland City, Auckland, New Zealand.

Some highlights from the interview:

Ailie started as a milliner 30 years ago after reading a book on how to renovate old hats into cocktail hats.

A “great hat” embodies a simple style, not stiff, a good angle and colour blend.

The trends for Summer 2009 in New Zealand (the Winter time in the Northern Hemisphere) will be a softer brim, stronger crown and a continuation of a fondness for men’s styles, particularly the Trilby. Favoured colours will be cobalt blue, purple, orange, yellow and green. This information on colour trends came from Europe so likely we will see much of the same here in the Northern Hemisphere in our summer.

There were some other pieces of hat wisdom in the interview including advice to use dramatic eye make up when wearing your best hat. Enjoy the video! 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdWaRgBzDK4

Here is the URL if you are reading this on an RSS reader.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdWaRgBzDK4

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

The cloche hat is a fitted bell shaped hat. It is normally made of felt. “Cloche” is the French word for bell.

They were very popular in the 1920s and early 1930s. Quite a change from the very large flamboyant hats of the pre war Edwardian era.

Here are some fun period photographs from my local Antique market showing cloches.

Even the young children are wearing cloches. The men’s hats are stylish too but we will get to them another time. I spot the straw boater and the Homburg – very elegant.

The cloche was usually (an still is) worn low on the head but there is a variant style where the brim flares out. It is, of course, the signature flapper hat.

Caroline Reboux has been attributed as the designer of the cloche hat. By all accounts she was a well known and well respected milliner in the late 19 th century and early 20th century. Apparently she would measure the size of the felt hat on a custom basis to a customer’s head.

Madame Reboux was attributed as the first milliner to add a veil to a hat in the 1920s. I would have liked to have met her. A very stylish lady! One of her famous clients was a complete role model of mine – the one and only Marlene Dietrich. She apparently had her trade mark berets designed and made by the house of Reboux.

Cloches are very popular today. They actually flatter the faces of many people who feel that they cannot cannot wear hats generally since wide brims do not flatter their head shape. Here is a Betmar cloche, kind courtesy of Aaron Hats.

This is described in their catalogue as::

Elegant and chic Betmar’s newest Italian cloche trimmed with a thin patent band and patent covered buckle. The brim is a bit longer on one side adding to the allure. Easy to wear and perfect to flirt from beneath. Made in Italy.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

There is nothing better than to watch the Queen (the Queen of England of course) sport her stylish hats. She is old school and has never given up on her elegant hat wearing. You can see this in her recent visit to Google.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xDTZMYfa6g

It’s a lovely green number with a coordinated green suit. She sure sets an example for us all. Oh that we had her clothes budget. We can only drool over her wonderful hats. You can visit the fashion era site for a page dealing with the Queen’s hats and some lovely examples.

Tomorrow the Queen will be presenting her annual Christmas Day Message. I was born in Britain and I moved to Canada where the Queen is our head of state. She is the face on our currency. I look forward to the message and it is intended for all races, creeds and religions. Originally it was a message for “British Subjects” but now it is watched by millions around the world by “Brit-o-philes” everywhere. You know the British TV programs, especially the period pieces, are very popular. The nostalgia of it all. You can catch the Queen’s speech at around 11.15 EST in North America (16.15 GMT). It runs for about 10 minutes. Please check your TV schedules. Last year the speech was posted on the “Royal Channel” on You Tube. I am not sure if there are plans to do that again this year but I would not be surprised

Talking about nostalgia -- we can view the first Christmas broadcast by Queen Elizabeth on the You Tube Royal Channel.Please visit this link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBRP-o6Q85s

The Channel has requested that embedding be disabled for this item.

Don’t forget to tune into the Royal Channel on You Tube for more hat style from H.M. The Queen -- very inspiring!

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

This is very funny video from Jib Jab a site that parodies a whole lot of stuff especially politicians. As George Bush is about to leave office this is a nostalgic look back at the 2004 election.

How many types of head wear can you spot in the video?

In the background you can spot some Vietnamese Conical Hats. You can see them on this site.

They are known as Non La. They are made from young leaves that are left out in the moisture and flattened. There are about 16 – 18 rims tied together to make a rigid hat (the secret is how to make the threading invisible from the outside of the hat). The hat is then coated with special oils for protection.

Other head wear in this video (no particular order)

Cowboy hat

Soldier’s Helmet

Indian Headdress (twice)

Baby Bonnet

Dunce Cap

Bush Hat (Australian Style)

Statue of Liberty Tiara

Crown

Nurses scrub hat

There was an unidentified hat when bush was riding on the missile. (Dr Strangeglove spoof)

Bandana

You will have to come to the site to view the video. Please sign up for the feed at the top right hand corner.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

The Tam o’ Shanter is a Scottish bonnet  originally worn by men. However, women have adopted a form of this hat and it is often known as a “Tam” or a “Tammy”.

The hat is named after the Robbie Burns poem Tam o’  Shanter, written in 1790 and six pages long; this is regarded as a classic like many things by Burns. The poem is often illustrated by a character wearing a hat in this style. You can read the original and a translation on the Robert Burns UK site.

The hat is usually made of wool and has a pompon ( known as a toorie) in the centre. It is quite a floppy type of hat with the crown sometimes twice the diameter of the head. They are available in many colours and tartans. Originally they were dyed blue ( the famous “blue bonnets”), owing to the limitation of available dyes.

The Tam is referred to as a “bonnet” from old French ( and not as a “beret”) although it does not look like the very fashionable bonnet worn by ladies in the late 18th. and early 19th. centuries (reminiscent of Marie Antoinette) . A beret on the other hand refers to a rounder more tighter fitting hat. This is confusing – just call it a “Tam”.

The Scottish Tam o’Shanter is sometimes worn with a feather plume that is known as a “hackle”. This plume adornment is now mostly worn by bandsmen (or perhaps women as well?).

Here is a charming photograph of a baby wearing a Tam complete with hackle. It was originally a cabinet card from late Victorian vintage. The baby is posing in a lovely wicker baby carriage (“pram” as we called them in Britain). It’s a great image. Probably the baby carriage was a prop in the photographer’s studio. Of course, babies did not generally wear Tams complete with plume – that would be a bit unsafe don’t you think?

The Tam is very popular  in Scottish Regiments and was worn as battle dress in World War II. Of course, don’t confuse this with the beret made famous by Field Marshal (Monty) Montgomery. During the War they were plain khaki but now the dress Tams are more stylish.

I am obliged to various pages of the Wikipedia for some of the information in this posting. Their articles are interesting but vary in quality.

Women wear a form of Tam This one is made by Betmar, picture courtesy of Aaron hats.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

I found this great item at Aaron hats. They call it the “Hat Can”‘. Not very romantic but functional. It is a box to take your hat with you. If you have a great hat to wear to a wedding you do not want to get it crushed in transit. It reminds me of the nostalgic days of stagecoach travel when elegant ladies would pile hat box upon hat box. Hats were an essential part of daily wear. Let’s bring that back and soon. It takes a hat with a 4 inch brim. Don’t know what that is in metric.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

The Internet is a buzz about the new tour of the newly slimmed down Britney Spears. Her theme based on “Circus” – a throw back to vintage circuses pre-1960. Those who have had a glance of the new music video describe it rather like a fetish scene. Britney is dressed up as a fetish Ring Master, or should we say Ring Mistress. The look features tight outfits, bare midriff and of course, the best thing, the top hat with the feather. Of course there are performers dressed as Circus animals – a throw back to the “Cats” Musical. If you really want to see the look you can find a photograph here.

Of course top hats are sexy. They were worn with style by men in the 19th Century, in Victorian times. Female performers have borrowed the top hat as an accessory from male clothing, similar to the oversize men’s shirt. Reportedly men find this sexy, and Lesbians are also intrigued. Well so they say. Marlene Dietrich was famous for her Top Hat routine in the movie “Morocco” - it was considered to be very sexually ambiguous.

Yahoo recently published a great picture of three women in Top Hats - Britney Spears, Madonna and Heidi Klum. All three looked great! We can look forward I think to a whole lot of top hat influenced designs coming out of this “Vintage Circus Glam”. I do not remember the vintage circus that way. I found it boring and the Ring Master particularly pretentious. The clowns were a waste of space. It was supposed to be a treat to take a kid to the Circus. For me it was worse than a trip to the dentist. That’s saying something – my dentist at that time was an alcoholic and I had to go there since he was a customer of my parent’s store. Crates of empty liquor boxes were piled outside his surgery. Well the Circus was more painful than that to me. I have not seen this video yet but, other than the top hat I am likely to be unimpressed.

Incidentally there is a blog with a Circus theme – Pickled Pink - that looks at the influence of the Circus on fashion, music and movies. It will be a busy place. We need to look at it to see how this affects fashion – if at all. I love top hats and I am certainly rooting for them.

There was a little blurb about the Britney Spears Circus Hat today in Canada’s National Paper The Globe and Mail . It referred to high capitalism (evil landlord) and the “Monopoly” guy as exponents of the art of top hat wearing. Well I paraphrased the article a little bit. A few weeks ago I posted in “Hat Nostalgia” a very amusing Edwardian Postcard that featured a fun little guy driving a vintage automobile. His passengers were not as classy? Here it is again for your amusement.

I will explore Top Hats further in this blog. This is only a little taste!

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.