Hats off at Buskerfest Toronto 2010

In late August every year we have the annual Buskerfest in Toronto. We have clowns, jugglers, acrobats and mimes among others. It is a lot of fun! This year we had very hot and sunny weather in contrast to the rain of years past. I have to report that it was not a very hatty event although there was creative headgear and I did spot the odd bowler hat. Oh well more work needs to be done. It was a fun event nonetheless. Each year the crowds get bigger. It is a great setting near the flat iron building and the St Lawrence Markets -- a great historical setting.

I do not believe that most of the buskers get paid for their participation. The rely on “donations”from the audience. Scotiabank sponsors the event and also attendees are asked to contribute to Epilepsy research. There are great performers there and they are looking for paid corporate work as well. Please check them out at the Buskerfest website -- . They are great folks but I wish they would wear more hats -- lol!

I stitched together a collage of the experiences at the events. Watch out for the Renfrews -- faux  Mounties on Horseback wearing the traditional uniforms with the cowboy hat. Please enjoy the video and why not visit Toronto to see it next year?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=caLQbaqffUI

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

If you want to see the names of the performers check out the annotated version on the video on the You Tube video on my Channel (click the link above)

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

You Bet Your Life 1954

You Bet Your Life was a quiz show hosted by comedian Groucho Marx. It was on the radio in the 1940s and graduated to the television later on. The Grand Prize at that time was $3,000 (quite a sum of money). I was searching for some hatty material and I came across one of the shows with a very interesting contestant. The elderly contestant, Mary Saget, was 78 years old (born circa 1876) she was a very sparky spinster. A spinster by choice she told Groucho. She made Groucho extinguish his trademark cigar. When Groucho reached for another as a prop Mary objected to even that since she could not stand the sight of them.

So how do you keep so young asked Groucho? Well it was healthy food and exercise. Groucho asked Mary to demonstrate her breathing exercises. In the tradition of the day Mary kept her hat securely fastened to her head. The hat seemed quite old fashioned for the early 50s but hey you wear what you like. Clearly she was wearing industrial strength hat pins keeping the hat on. No doubt a habit learned when she was a young woman at the turn of the 20th century.

Here is the segment demonstrating her exercises. It was a hoot! How many 78 year olds can touch their toes (let alone in a short time).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FMIzUl-UGQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FMIzUl-UGQ

Mary reminded me so much of my Aunt Lil who was of a similar generation and passed away sadly when she was 72. She even looks like my aunt (great aunt). It goes without saying that she too loved her hats.

You can download this episode and other You Bet Your Life episodes on the Internet Archive website.

©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.

This is a great video from Female Impersonator Grae Phillips. Great job this would be a wonderful hat for a local play.

Although Grae describes the hat as a Victorian Hat in the You Tube title it could probably pass for an Edwardian Hat as well . I came across this fun video by chance as I was on a search for things Victorian.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHLsj0T0YIo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHLsj0T0YIo

Grae seems to “wear many hats”. She has designed some great dress up games. One of this games is based on the Titanic looks like fun, it’s a murder mystery. Check it out! She also offers beauty products that are primarily aimed at cross dressers and and the male to female transgendered community at large check it out.

Grae is a fellow Canadian from the Montreal area and performs there. Google her she has appeared on a lot of talk shows.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

A Video From Many Hatty Returns

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb4xj_1SlPw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb4xj_1SlPw

This video was constructed with public domain images from Wikimedia. The first image in the slide show is Butch Cassidy. No not the guy in the preview thumbnail LOL!

The Bowler Hat Ballet -- Mime Routine

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TWhM3bSD_k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TWhM3bSD_k

This is a great mime routine a la silent movie using a bowler hat.

Why do Bolivian Women wear Bowler Hats?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QviYJptPXEM

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

This is an excellent video on the custom of wearing Bowler Hats by Bolivian Women. The style actually changes from year to year!

Get your Cholita style hat.

Who invented the Bowler Hat?

You may wonder where the Bowler Hat was invented. Word is that it was devised in 1849 by the London hat makers Thomas and William Bowler to fulfill an order placed by the firm of hatters Lock & Co. of St James’s. Lock & Co. had been commissioned by a customer to design a close-fitting, low-crowned hat to protect his gamekeepers’ heads from low-hanging branches while on horseback. The keepers had previously worn top hats, which were easily knocked off and damaged. (From Wikipedia). The firm of Lock & Co is still in the hat business today and has been since 1676.

The reference to the bowler hat being invented 200 years ago in England is approximately correct within a few years.

Related Post

Please see my previous post about Bowler Hat Day

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Who is Zahi Hawass?

Last Saturday night I attended a talk by Zahi Hawass at the University of Toronto Convocation Hall. Unless you are a history or archaeology buff you may not know Dr Hawass but you probably have seen him on television every time there is a show about ancient Egypt and the latest discoveries. Perhaps Dr Hawass has become the most famous Egyptian supplanting Omar Sharif (remember him in Dr. Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia)?. So that is what Omar said himself in the video introduction to the talk.

Dr Hawass was  in my home town of Toronto in connection with the exhibition of ancient Egyptian artifacts at the Art Gallery of Toronto.(AGO) The Exhibition King Tut The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs ends on April 18, 2010. I made a day of it and combined the lecture with a visit to the Exhibit and a dinner at the restaurant at the Gallery. I loved the Exhibit which featured Tut and other Pharaohs but came away a touch disappointed since there were fewer Tut artifacts than in the previous exhibition in Toronto in the late 1970s. I guess it is deemed unsafe these days to transport the more iconic items. However, I did have a favorite item in the exhibition -- it was a small amulet of a vulture that was worn as a pendent -- it was quite comedic, looking like a caricature with a wry knowing smile. Oh well, I will just have to visit Egypt personally -- anybody with deep pockets want to sponsor me? Dinner was at the AGO’s Frank restaurant. I bought a package deal the exhibit plus dinner. Frank is very much upscale and dinner for one cost eventually cost around $80. The service and the food at Frank was excellent. The restaurant actually called a few days before to confirm and to apologize that certain items were not on the menu. I had the Whitefish and it was excellent.

Back to Dr Hawass and his presentation. His hour and a half presentation with photographs was a series of anecdotes about recent discoveries and recent “digs”. One exciting dig was to find (perhaps) the burial place of Cleopatra and that guy Mark Anthony. Sorry everyone Cleopatra did not have the looks of Elizabeth Taylor judging by face on coins of the day. In another anecdote Dr Hawass told us of the visit of President Obama who spent over an hour with him (see You Tube video below). Dr Hawass gave Obama a hat, the trade mark hat -- more on that in a while.

Zahi Hawass has become a controversial figure in some archaeological circles where archaeology is seen as meticulously siffting through dirt grain by grain and not doing public appearances. He has become a showman. His title Secretary General,  Supreme Council of Antiquities conveys that aura. Dr Hawass has done a lot to promote tourism to Egypt and interest in Ancient Civilizations. So what if he hams it up in his Indiana Jones hat? Hats off to him I say and a big high five.

Here are a few You Tube Clips showing Dr Hawass and his marvellous hat.

On Archaeology

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL-P-zjiCZ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL-P-zjiCZ4

The visit of President Obama

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJtYYvVjYHA

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

The search for the tomb of Anthony and Cleopatra

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ4ugRiL8WM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ4ugRiL8WM

Dr Hawass and the Indiana Jones Hat

So what about the famous hat? It’s a mystery whether Dr Hawass wore a similar hat prior to the Indiana Jones series. He does however, pride himself on his hat being “real”and not made for a movie. Those particular Indiana Jones hats were professionally custom designed. Baron Hats in Hollywood designed at least one of the hats used in the Indiana Jones movies. It’s based on a 1930s style Fedora. You can get your very own upscale replica for $398 in Felt and $498 in Beaver at their website.

Do other archaeologists wear hats? You bet they do. I came across an interesting blog post from archaeologist Paul Barford who blogged about the Zahi Hawass Hat.

Barford had got the replica of the Hawass hat and seemed a little disappointed that it did not seem to be an exact replica.(Materials used are different for example and there appeared to be very minor style differences).Really this is not a problem and the hat costs only $45.

Barford’s post was very informative being as it was by an insider in the profession of archaeology. He noted that:

…. hats are themselves an interesting phenomenon, and in certain parts of our milieu have become a part of the archaeological dress code. A few years ago I did a count of the archaeologists working in Europe and beyond who habitually wore them and it came to (as I recall) sixteen (more than Mick Aston striped sweaters).

The Hawass hat is being sold for charity. The label inside  says(in part):

DR ZAHI HAWASS REPLICA EXCAVATION HAT/ This is an exact replica of my famous excavation hat. All profits from sales of this hat will go to fund the Suzanne Mubarak Children’s Museum in Cairo (100% wool, made in the people’s Republic of China

You can get your own Zahi Hawass replica hat at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, at least until April 18, 2010. I saw it there. You can also get the hat at this vendor website

Although Paul Barford is a self confessed non hat person he did a comparison of the Hawass and Jones hats. Yes, a close examination of the two hats reveals a number of design differences. The Indiana Jones Hat being highly stylized. Barford noted that the Indiana Jones hat has a higher crown and wider hat band, although both appear to be made of felt (being more sun friendly than leather). He noted that the Jones hat was more pinched in the front than the Hawass hat. OK Paul this pinch is known as the “Dent” (see also RCMP Hat). Read more about hat parts in my post on the subject.

Contact Dr Hawass

You can contact Dr Hawass at his website. You can also follow him on Twitter. If you want to be a friend of his on Facebook submit a note saying why. Dr Hawass is currently looking for funds for  Chair of Egyptology at the American Museum in Cairo (AUC). What about it Microsoft or Google why not match funds with individual contributors?

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Mimi Weddell was a well known New York personality on the fashion scene. She was well known for her wearing of hats for the sheer joy of it as well as the style statement. Here are some choice quotes from the New York Times related to her wearing of hats:

Mrs. Weddell excelled, above all, at striking glamorous attitudes, waving her cigarette holder and sporting one of the 150 or so hats she regarded less as a style statement than as a physical necessity, like oxygen.

“Hats give you a frame,” she told The Times in 2008. “However dreary you feel, if you put on a hat, by golly, you’ve changed everything. I keep telling my daughter, my granddaughter, everybody, ‘If you don’t wear a hat, you’re missing it.’ ”

Mimi was a very active person who worked out. A documentary film about her was made I am glad to say and you can get your copy at her Website. Here is a synopsis of the movie followed by the trailer.

Hats Off captures the essence of this most unusual woman, named at age 90 by New York Magazine as one of the “50 Most Beautiful People in New York,” whose full-time acting career began at age 65 upon the passing of her husband, and whose daily routine mocks the traditional image of old age. From grueling 14-hour days at cattle call auditions to her weekly gymnastics and dance workouts, Mimi Weddell exudes a ‘can-do, will-do’ attitude in the face of life’s trials and tribulations, and moves through her challenges with grace, encouraging us all to be more than we are.

Mrs Weddell passed away September 24 2009 a few weeks ago. Please read her New York Times Obituary.

You can read more about Mrs Weddell here in another New York Times article.

Life begins at 65, perhaps not but it does not have to end there. I love these inspirational stories. You will be uplifted by this if you are the “wrong”side of 5o. Please enjoy and go to the website for the movie. Long live hat wearing – RIP Mimi and thank you for being a big promoter of hat wearing!!

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

New iPhone Application from Style.com.

Style.com has developed a new free application for the iPhone.

You can get:
* Couture shows: All the looks from the Paris runways, including Chanel, Lacroix, Gaultier, Valentino, and more
* Style File blog: All content, images, and text, instantly updated
* Party coverage: The latest scoop and party pics on the New York and global social scenes
* Runway videos: Our video library of runway shows, including feedback from front-row faces, hosted by Tim Blanks

Go here to find out more and for the link to download the application from iTunes.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=meuNWgl2ko8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meuNWgl2ko8

This is a very amusing video I found on You Tube that was shown as related to my first video. Don’t really know except he is wearing a cool hat. I looked for information on this particular Wilber Hall (Willie?) but could not find this specific individual -- anyone know the background? More performers should wear a hat.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Here are my nominees for the top ten songs about hats. Please let me know if you have a favorite that is not on this list or you have a particular liking for a song. The songs are not presented in any particular order of preference but you might like to weigh in on an order of preference.

Check out the songs on iTunes.

Where did you get that hat?

by Several Artists

Top hat white tie and tails

by Fred Astaire (originally) and others

You can keep your hat on

by Joe Cocker (and others)

Mexican Hat Dance

by Several Artists

Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat

by Bob Dylan (principally)

Without a hat

by the Fraggle Rock people

The bird on Nellie’s Hat

by Maidie Scott and others

I have a bonnet trimmed with blue

by Kathleen Ferrier (and others like Hattie Jaques)

Any Place I hang my hat is home

by Sammy Davis Junior and others

All Around My Hat

by Steelye Span

Top Ten List added at the following link.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Edward Stuart Talbot

The Bishop and the fancy top hat

I was in the Antique market yesterday on a very rainy day in Toronto and came across the illustration in this post (it’s a partial from the full size picture). I was able to liberate it (a vintage original print) for a very reasonable price.

Of course I was attracted to the very shiny top hat on the clergyman. It has an interesting design. There seems to be some kind of supports for the brim or perhaps to give the brim a turned up shape? I could not tell it was a curiosity to me. Perhaps some expert can tell us about this top hat design? As well I am very interested in characters in general and this man seemed like an interesting person.

The man was Edward Stuart Talbot who lived a long life from Feb 1844 to January 1933. He is pictured at the age of sixty when he was the Bishop of Rochester (a place in the County of Kent in England). His career in the church was very notable. He was vicar of Leeds and at one time honorary Chaplin to Queen Victoria. The following was said of him at the time of the picture.

He is a fine scholar, theological and otherwise, who won a first (first class honors degree) in Greats (the classics) and another in the old school of Law and modern History; and consequently he has written much good work. Though he is a little lame he is very fond of travelling; and though he is not beautiful he is nevertheless an ornament to his bishopric….he may be confidently expected to rise yet higher in the spiritual world.

In summary an egg head and an interesting character that he was not beautiful seemed somewhat of an understatement but he sure looks interesting. He wore his hat well!

He went on to be the very first Bishop of Southwark in London the next year (1905). In 1911 he became Bishop of Winchester until 1923 (he would have been around 80 when he retired – a real gamer). RIP Bishop Talbot – read more about him at this link.

The bishopric of Rochester goes back a very long time (to 604 AD). The current incumbent has generated a great deal of controversy about his views on the Muslim religion his name is Michael Nazir-Ali a man with both British and Pakistani citizenship.

If you would like a full size reproduction of this image suitable for framing you can obtain it from All Posters -an affiliate of this blog. See the top left side bar on the Many Hatty Returns website it is number 1881938 when you get to the All Posters link. All posters.com has a large number of interesting posters on offer -please support this blog by purchasing a few. If you are lucky you will have a day on which there are substantial discounts. You can also click on the link below.

Edward Stuart Talbot Bishop of (In Turn) Rochester Southwark and Winchester

Giclee Print

Spy (Leslie M….

Buy at AllPosters.com

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Check out the Guardian Website for some iconic Michael Jackson Clothing including the Equestrian hat and the famous Fedora Hat. Click Here.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

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.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Queen Victoria the hat style maven

Last week, on May 18, 2009, we had our “Victoria Day” birthday holiday except it was held on a regularly scheduled time of the month of May not actually on the good Queen’s actual birthday. Her actual birth date is May 24.

Queen Victoria had a long reign of nearly 64 years – the current record. She is always portrayed as the somewhat stern Grandmother of the British Empire but it was not always so. Did you know she was quite the hat fanatic in her younger years and was known as a style setter? I didn’t know until I was doing some research for this post. Just two days before she passed away an article was published in the New York Times (January 20, 1901) The heading in the article is great.

Queen Victoria’s Hats

Many Years Ago She Set the Fashion for a Shape Englishwomen Favor now

Here are some extracts.

The Queen’s hats were always bent down to the nape of the neck

The article observed that this was a style that had been copied into the late reign of Victoria and worn even by young women.

It was noted that, at the time of her early married life, hats were generally worn in the country or for travelling. If a lady wore a hat in town it was much commented upon.

The Queen changed all that by constantly wearing , when driving in the park, large shady hats, handsomely trimmed with lace and feathers. Of course she was joined in this practice by ladies in waiting at the Court.

The article is very interesting. It goes on to relate the story of a new riding hat invented by the Court Hatter around 1850. Victoria ordered several at a time!

There is a great site I found with over 200 images from Victoria’s reign. My favorites are

11,13,27,30,38,48,87,106,160,236. Please check them out

You can read about Queen Victoria in a Wikipedia article referenced here.

Please all you celebrities and Royalty out there wear hats. Michelle and Barack please note.

We need a hat revival now to cheer everyone up and think of all the jobs making the hats, designing them etc.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Here is a great video from the official Royal Channel on You Tube giving us an inside look at one of the 4 Garden Parties hosted by the Royals. You can see that most of the women wear really fancy hats. Oh well maybe sometime soon perhaps?

Was that song I’ve got Plenty of Nothing being played in the background?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKiOcdM6Gbk

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKiOcdM6Gbk

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Hats off to my Blogging Mentor Yaro Starak- his new Membership Site Mastermind Program opens TODAY. Yaro has been a very close mentor and coach in setting up my blogs. I credit him and his associate Gideon Shalwick for getting this far in my blogging education.

I realize that his does not have anything to do with hats. If you have a niche that you wish to serve on the Internet and make very good money then you should explore Yaro Starak’s new Membership site Program.(Perhaps you want to take your blogging to the next level?) I am a member and perhaps  you can join me as a student?

Please visit my sister blog Blogger in Wonderland to read more.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

The Fez is the hat of a thousand nights! Is it coming back stay tuned and read more here.

A Fez is a hat that can be described as a flowerpot with a tassel. It’s quite similar to the smoking cap. The Fez has had many sizes and shapes over time and in different geographic regions. According to Wikipedia the Fez gets its distinctive red hue from a dye collected from the bright red berries of the Turkish kizilcik a cousin to the American Dogwood.

The Fez should not be confused with the Checheya, a red cap in the shape of a truncated cone. It was Byzantine Greek in origin but was mainly worn by many groups in the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). Interestingly the fez was later discouraged and then banned in Turkey through the Hat Law (1925) and the law relating to prohibited garments (1934). I don’t think there is a ban now.

In some references it is said that the Fez comes from the town of Fez in Morocco. I fancy that this may be an Urban Legend. This is the attribution in the Shriners website. I did no further research to verify. The Shriners note that the fez was referred to in the Arabian Nights” in texts from the Middle Ages. Quite interesting perhaps someone should look into this further.

There is a version of the Fez in Indonesia called the “Peci”. That hat is black, elliptical in shape and often decorated with embroideries. The Fez has been used as a military hat in the Ottoman Empire and also in some military units in Colonial Africa over the years.

You may be familiar with the Shriners. They wear the hat as part of their dress and you often see them in parades getting up to various antics such as driving tiny Go Karts.

Here is an old example of a Fez hat as worn by the Shriners. No offence to Muslims this is actually how the Shriners have their hats even today.

The tradition of Fez wearing by Shriners goes back several hundred years (I believe the eighteenth century). This Arabic tradition comes from the Freemasons. In order to qualify as a Shriner you have to be a man who belongs to the Freemasons holding the title of Master Mason. (Yes I know ladies let us not say why do they not admit women remember we do have women only groups -- just as long as business clubs are open to women to allow a level playing field).  Shriners do great works and have funded children’s hospitals in particular. Further information can be found on their Website.

The Fez was made popular several years ago by a British Comedian Tommy Cooper. Tommy performed a magic act that was also a kind of stand up comedian. He wore a Fez I am not sure why -- no offence to the Arabic world was intended -- a different time. You can see an example of his work in the following You Tube clip

This is the link.

This is the video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHYnahPkJI8

Recently the Fez is often portrayed in popular culture as a sort of relaxation cap worn by men -- somewhat similar to the smoking cap. It may be making a comeback. Again according to Wikipedia the London Street wear label Yes No Maybe, in conjunction with the New Era Cap Company produced a fez cap as a tribute to Tommy Cooper. Then it is only modelled on a Fez.

Thank you for hanging in here with me everyone your patience will be rewarded. I have been extremely busy on a number of projects and I expect to return to a frequent posting about hats again

I was writing this post last night  my Virus Protection Norton sent me a flashing message that a virus had hit my computer. This cost me four hours to do a scan quarantine of the virus and a complete back up of my computer on a back up drive. Thank heavens I have all this. If you do not have a lot of virus protection or back up please take my advice and get some. I also back up this and other blog databases. Please ask me if you want more information.

Tonight also my website crashed for 30 minutes. The show must go on and I kept going LOL.

On a positive note I have been studying how to do pod casting and I will start doing some fun recorded posts here very soon.

©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.

Another episode of fashion disasters from the fashion police at Yahoo. Here is Paula Abdul in a “Peter Pan”hat.

Well at least she is wearing the hat. I think the buttons on the jacket are positioned in a crazy wrong manner. You be the judge.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

We had our Saint Patrick’s Day Parade here in Toronto yesterday (Sunday). The weather was sunny and around 10 degrees centigrade (approx 50 farenheit). If you live in Florida you get the shivers. Here in Toronto it is balmy.

I saw a few hats there and I thought that I would share some of my pictures in the gallery below. Click on the image for the description and a better view.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to all tomorrow (today if you are in Australia or other points East of us (or is that West I never know?))

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

1. How much fluid does the “Ten Gallon Hat” (a kind of cowboy hat) from the John B. Stetson Company actually hold?
2. What comedian wore a “Yellow Zowie” in one of his movies?  Name that movie.
3. Who wore a “pork pie” hat in his movies? This was a vintage comedian who was most famous for his work in the silent movies but continued to appear in movies until the 1960s.
4. If you know the circumference of you head how do you calculate your hat size?
5. The “cloche”is a bell shaped hat popular in the flapper days of the 1920s. “Cloche”means “bell”in which language?
6. The Tam o’Shanter is named after a poem by which famous author?
7. Which famous person is well known for wearing a “stove pipe”top hat?
8. Why were swim caps hard to obtain during World War II?
9. Who was famous for wearing a “pill box” hat?
10. Who wrote the famous story “The Cat in the Hat”?

Answers

1. According to the Stetson site the 10 Gallon hat actually hold three quarts of liquid. Just imagine a hat had to die to find out this answer!
2. Jim Carrey wore a “Yellow Zowie”in the film “The Mask“. If you are out going you can get your very own bright Yellow Zowie on the Barons Hat site.
3. Buster Keaton wore a pork pie hat (it’s shaped like the famous pork pie out of the UK). It is said that he designed and made many of his hats. These type of hats are now being worn by women as well as men. Like many of the hat styles traditionally worn by men.
4. You divide by pi (3.14 approximately) and round up to the nearest 1/8″. Please see my post on finding your hat size. Yes it comes from the math formula you learned at school. Sometime high scholl learning is actually useful.
5. French
6. Robert Burns – please see my post on the “Scottish Hat” .
7. Abraham Lincoln – see this post.
8. Swim Caps were traditionally made of rubber – a commodity really needed in the war effort in a great number of ways.
9. Jackie Kennedy (see added the Onassis later when she married shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis).
10. Dr Seuss. (Theodor Seuss Giesel)

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

A while ago I wrote a post about determining your hat size. In that post I noted that the bowler hats that jugglers use are perfectly round (or near perfect). When you throw your hat up in the air and it lands you never know how it will sit on your head. As you know regular bowler hats are shaped to fit your head which is not usually perfectly round.

Right now I feel like I am juggling a lot of things so this is the appropriate time to post about the juggling of hats. Personally I am not overly fond of watching jugglers but hey it’s a profession and it does involve hats.

Here is a video on You Tube that demonstrates the art of juggling hats. Please forward to minute 5.54.

It’s the famous in some circles Nils Pol performing in Rotterdam. Put on the hut and come over here and help me juggle.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG9l_3zTa2s

If you are using an RSS reader or email the link is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG9l_3zTa2s

Here is a site where you can see one of the trick hats offered for sale: They are quite colorful and made especially for juggling. Quite expensive to get into the game?

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

My latest discovery at the Antique Market a 1965 Playbill from Hello Dolly starring Carol Channing. This was a very hatty play.

(Right Click for a better picture – not for reproduction)

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

The Oscars are on Sunday and it occurred to me that there should be a special award for where a hat plays a supporting role in a movie. I am a keen watcher of classic movies. I watch TCM (Turner Classic Movies) all the time and I get hat envy watching the actresses wear such wonderful hats. They are so inspiring. I just watched Goodbye Mr Chips. Greer Garson who plays the wife in the movie wears great hats (it’s set around the turn of the century – a golden age). I particularly love the bird winged sloping style she wears while meeting Mr Chip’s colleagues in the common room of the prestigious school. Well no place for a woman you say? Not unless you are the fabulous Greer Garson with a wonderful hat! More about Greer Garson later.

There have also been movies where hat style has been predominant. Who can forget My Fair Lady, especially the Ascot scene? I will write about that in a future post. Hats were the backdrop in many movie scenes. Did you notice the La Valle Millinery Shop as the backdrop in Gene Kelly’s iconic song and dance number “Singing in the Rain“?

I thought that you might want to consider situations where a hat has played a role in the movie itself – a part in the plot as it were rather than a part of “costume” per se.

I have three nominees for all time oscars for a hat in a supporting role.

The Bishop’s Wife, Mrs. Miniver and Witness for the Prosecution are my nominees.

The Bishop’s Wife (1947)

This is the story of a Bishop (played by the handsome David Niven) who prays for help to build a Cathedral and gets more than he asks for. God moves in mysterious ways! An Angel (played by Cary Grant – wow) comes to his aid in very interesting ways. Don’t we need an Angel now – I’ll settle for a Cary Grant look alike. The Bishop’s Wife is played by Loretta Young. It won an Oscar for best sound recording in 1947 and had four other nominations. A charming story.

What about the hat? In the beginning the wife is admiring a hat in the shop window. It’s kind of symbolic that she is looking for the fun that has gone from her life. Cary Grant observes her looking in the shop and also in a later scene. As a Bishop’s wife she apparently does not feel that she has the permission for extravagance especially during a fund raising Campaign to build a new Cathedral.

The hat was a very fancy hat with a mountain of curly ribbons, tied with a bow under the chin in a manner similar to the Regency bonnet. This hat longing all happens in the first five minutes and it is an integral part of the story line. In the end Cary Grant persuades Loretta to buy the hat. You can view an extract on You Tube (minute 5 in the excerpt). I love the other customer trying on the “desired” hat and Cary’s remarks to her – hilarious. Loretta buys the lovely hat and she transforms into a happy go lucky person. She goes on the lam on an adventure skating with Cary. It’s a glorious scene and truly cheers everyone up! The hat was a symbol of lifting the Wife out of her doldrums. Don’t we need that now?

Mrs Miniver (1942)

In Mrs Miniver the hat in question comes into play in the very first few minutes of the movie.It is symbolic of a diversionary extravagance at a time of great trouble. It is set in the early part of World War II when the outcome of the war seemed far from certain and the possibility of Britain losing the war seemed to be in play. An uplift was surely needed. Greer Garson (Mrs. Miniver) boards a bus on the way home. She is already wearing a fabulous hat by the way. She feels an irresistible urge to return to a Millinery Store to buy a hat she had apparently seen during her shopping expedition. It was a lovely hat with feathers – lucky it had not been sold!

All this seemed very foolish and extravagant during the war. She was worried about her husband’s reaction. She need not have worried. The husband, played by the suave Walter Pigeon, had just bought a car! Really could either item be afforded at that time? It is a charming story. I love this movie.

Mrs. Miniver won six Oscars in 1943 including best picture and best actress (Greer Garson). There were six other nominations including one for Walter Pidgeon. If you have not seen this why not?

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Another little known hat scene that plays a pivotal role in the movie plot is in Witness for the Prosecution.

In the movie Emily French (played by the very under rated Norma Varden) meets Leonard Stephen Vole (played by Tyrone Power – a suave lady’s man) while she is trying on hats in a hat store. Vole is window shopping (I’m not sure why he was looking in the window of a woman’s hat store – surely not a gift for his wife as he seems to say) and sees French trying on hats. One hat in particular strikes her fancy. It is an outlandish hat with a huge bow on the side. Maybe it would be fashionable now? (You can see the seen at minute 6.20 approx in this You Tube Clip) In a later scene Vole meets French again in a movie theatre where the infamous hat is obstructing the view (minute 8.20 approx). Vole befriends French. It’s 1957 and we do not actually see anything – it’s all innuendo and in any event we are not sure if it is more than good friends. Was cougar popular then? It was in Victorian times when Disraeli had an older wife.

Vole is an out of luck inventor  looking for a break – support to commercialize his improved egg beater? His wife is played by Marlene Dietrich, my all time role model. She had such presence and style and is great in this movie. Vole is later accused of murdering French.

Vole relates the hat scene in a flash back to his barrister, played by Charles Laughton. My favorite quote from the scene from Laughton:

“I am constantly surprised that women’s hats do not provoke more murders”

It’s a great movie and was nominated for six Oscars in 1958. Norma Varden carries the hat well. As I say she was seen a lot in a lot of movies and does not seem to get much credit.

……………………………………..

Please let me know your choice. My personal favorite is the Bishop’s wife since the hat symbolized the achievement of joy. Let’s bring back wearing of fancy hats as a symbol of bringing joy to the world and take us out of these terrible doldrums and depression we have got ourselves into. Will you join me?

UPDATE Feb 20 8pm EST
Amazon Links

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Check out the Goorin Brothers website. Goorin recently had a competition to choose which of their hats would be most becoming to President Obama.

Goorin is a keen supporter of bringing back hats. The following is a quote from their site:

Goorin Brothers is bringing back the hat with vigor and purpose, appealing to a very special class in society. The New Royal Class, as Goorin sees it, is comprised of those creative, unique individuals found in every walk of life who blaze their own trails. These original thinkers thrive in an atmosphere of underground inspiration and want a hat that will help them express their distinctive spirit. Wear a Goorin hat and you can tell your story without ever having to say a word…

They have been in the hat business since 1895. Like they say Vive la Revolucion! Indeed! The time is come and is at hand or shall we say head!

Goorins’ hats are not only for men, there are hats for women but there is a  heavy masculine influence in their offerings The trilby for women is quite popular now as you probably know.

The hats are not all masculine. I do like their Cloche the Ginger R, it is very reminiscent of the twenties.(The description refers to forties style – I think it is more a twenties style with forties influence – what do you think?)

The hat chosen for Obama by their clients is a cool looking fedora/trilby called the Blake. It has a black and white jazz influenced hat band – very cool. It is quite unisex. They say We think it is only fitting that our next great President wears a hat that evokes his style and mark on the world.

I agree with their thoughts exactly. I am hoping that Michelle and Barack wear hats. Let’s create thousands of jobs to make hats for the world (both in the USA and elsewhere). By wearing a hat let’s say I am sick of all this negative talk and I am not standing it any more. By wearing a hat you say let’s celebrate life!

They have a sign a petition promotion please go to their site and check it out. In fact support all the milliners and hat designers everywhere in the world. You know that I wear a hat everyday. Please join me and the cause of hat wearing everywhere!

Oh I forgot to mention the Minna design group referred to on the Goorin site.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

I have encountered a few men lately with top hat envy. Of course I tell them about my blog. I great way to chat up men eh?

A few weeks ago I was presenting a workshop on pension accounting. I spoke with one of the other presenters and asked about his “top hat” plans (pension plans for senior executives). He said “What happened to this hat wearing thing anyway? Perfect I gave him my card for this blog. Any opportunity to promote hat wearing. Please support the cause and tell others about this blog.

This morning I was having my usual breakfast across the road from where I live and I ran into a young man I see wearing hats a lot – usually a Trilby – very cool. I had previously given him my card. I gave him my new card that has the new profile picture of me wearing the Aretha Franklin hat. He promised to take it and share it with his office colleagues. We got talking about Lincoln (his birthday was yesterday) and his Stove Pipe Top Hat. we were discussing how difficult it is to come by really good quality top hats. I said that he should check out the Baron’s Hats website. They show the replica of Lincoln’s hat. Hey it’s expensive but what the heck – it’s good to stimulate top hat envy. You may recall my telling you about how Barons has meticulously recreated Abe’s hat from careful measurements of the real thing on display at the Smithsonian Museum.

Well perhaps you readers an tell us where to get quality top hats by leaving your comments here. It’s not only for men. Britney Spears wears one as Ring Mistress in her new Video “Circus“.

In the meantime I acquired another picture for my collection. Here is a man wearing a light coloured top hat with a high crown. It’s likely from the Civil War period but could be up to twenty years after I think? He has a smart top hat but his suit looks like he slept in it? Too bad we do not have a name or occupation,

It would be great to have your dreamboat guy take you out wearing his smart top hat. And you wearing your best tea party hat. By the way do not forget your hat at your Valentines High Tea Parties!

(All Rights Reserved)

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Happy 200th birthday Abe!

You have a special place in my heart. My favorite great aunt called her house “Lincoln Villa”. Sadly the railings in front of the house were removed to support the War against Adolf Hitler. Well better losing a few railings than to have Storm Troopers on your Street! Our family was a great admirer of Abe and so is Obama. As we all know Abe made the Stove Pipe Top Hat famous. I love top hats – they are so sexy. They seem to be making a comeback. Certainly high crowns are in high fashion – it’s a start.

Here are some posts I made about Abe recently:

http://www.manyhattyreturns.com/2009/01/14/obama-dreams-of-lincoln-with-his-big-stove-pipe-top-hat/

http://www.manyhattyreturns.com/2009/02/06/the-mysterious-death-of-george-warden-and-his-stove-pipe-top-hat/

©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.

I am looking for movies where hats have played a significant supporting role. I will be posting more on this very soon as the Oscars are coming soon.

I posted a request for suggested movies on my group The Hat Revivalist League on Face Book. Right now the group is really just starting up. I am looking for people to join up right now and by joining expressing their desire to bring hat wearing to daily wear. Please come over and give your support and join in the conversation.

I am asking for people to post pictures of themselves in their favorite hats as well as other pictures in the public domain or those they own the right to publish. Please take care when posting pictures. You have to have the permission of the subject and also the right to publish.  I am looking for suggestions as to what to do with the group. One idea is that we could adopt a charity to support? Please submit your suggestions here or in the group discussions on Face Book.

I asked for nominees for hatty movies. One of the members of the Face book Group came up with the Secret Life of Walter Mitty a movie from 1947. I do not remember having seen this movie. The movie seems to be out of print and otherwise hard to obtain. Someone has posted the scene in question on You Tube. The movie is based upon a 1939 story by James Thurber. It is about a mild mannered dreamer. The Walter Mitty character has crept into popular culture to describe a personality of an ineffectual, hapless dreamer – one who is unrealistic and achieves nothing. It’s too bad it’s a great story and the bits of the movie I have seen are wonderful. I am reading stories that the Secret Life of Walter Mitty will be remade with Mike Myers in the starring role in 2010. I love Mike Myers but I am very partial to Danny Kaye. Let’s hope that the old version will be re-released. I wonder if hats will feature as much in the remake. We must express our views strongly.

Danny Kaye (Walter Mitty) walks in on a wonderful presentation of delightful hats from Anatole of Paris. They are truly a feast to the eye. He goes into a dream musical scene with even wilder hats from Anatole. What a great sequence and really dated today. My personal favourite is the “Striptease hat” that is actually several different hats in one – very clever idea. I wonder if someone can bring back “the Striptease Hat”?  The Wikipedia page about the movie provides the following very interesting background about Anatole of Paris:

…one of his (Danny Kaye’s)  best remembered dream characters, “Anatole of Paris”, a fey women’s milliner whose inspiration for the ridiculous chapeaus he creates is in actuality his loathing of women. The Anatole character is based on “Antoine de Paris,” a women’s hair-salon professional of the era, known for creating preposterous hairstyles. The lyrics to the song Anatole of Paris were written by Kaye’s wife, Sylvia Fine.

Sadly the love of hats has become faded. We are out to change that here. Please give us your support. Bring your hats out of the closet and wear them proudly and join the Hat Revivalist League.

The Walter Mitty Story has been posted on the Internet and is extremely short. It seems to me that there is a lot of “poetic” licence here and hats may well be cut out of the story line that appeared in 1947 – I don’t know? There have been other movies where hats have been cut out of the story line when the movie is remade. Ninotchka, starring the wonderful Greta Garbo, featured a great hat as the desire of the assistant Commissar from Russia (Garbo) in 1939. The movie was remade in 1957 when the object of desire was Silk Stockings – the movie Silk Stockings featured Cyd Charisse as the assistant Commissar from Russia in a similar but not identical plot. What happened to the hat idea? Probably stockings were more an object of desire since they were not available at all in World War II since silk was a valued war material for parachutes. Memories were still fresh in 1957 when Silk Stockings came out. Perhaps stockings were chosen in honour of Cyd’s famous legs – they were outstanding!

Oh please join the Hat Revivalist League and let’s bring hat wearing back!

©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 took most of the day off yesterday to watch history in the making.

It was a very grand and very moving affair. What impressed me most was the large crowds in the Mall at Washington DC – there seemed to me to be way over the million estimate I read in one report this morning. Of course they were not able to see the event at the Capitol first hand. They just wanted to be there to soak up the event.

The crowds included all races and ages. Young children were there with their great-grandparents. Everybody was well behaved and it all went well. There were reports of minor illnesses in the crowd but there were no major problems reported thank heaven. It was a moving historical event – the first African-American president of the USA. Of course we look back to times when people were not respectful to African Americans. It was a different time and thank heaven again that it is over. This is thanks to many people who stood up for their rights and dignity. Just to think that the White House and Capitol were built in part by slave labour. For several years African Americans, or most in any event, were relegated to domestic labour. Just over 40 years ago there were issues of segregation in the American South. Wow how far we have come!

I was quite taken with the occasion and got emotional and tearful – although as you can see from my picture I am not African American myself. I think there is bound to be a new age of understanding. Let us hope so. In these times of economic difficulty more than ever we need to pull together. We must not be divided by race or religion.

Now for the hats!

I of course was watching closely for the hats that were worn at the event. It was a cold day and you could see the breath of everybody.

First of all, I was a bit disappointed that Obama did not seem to wear his Stetson hat referred to in my post yesterday. (It’s an interesting story – go back and view the videos if you want a smile).  Perhaps the hat did not fit him? Perhaps he did wear it in private?

I understand why the hat was not worn and I am not going to belabour it. Hats simply are not in style for state events in the USA. This is compared with the UK when the Queen holds State events many hats are worn. To wear a hat might be considered to detract from the sombre message in the Inaugural address. Perhaps hats can be a part of the ceremony in  four years? Very few in the official party wore hats. I noted only one, a wonderful black hat.

It was a cold day and there were many naked heads. Why not wear a hat?  Were they afraid of “hat head”? There were some attendees at the Capitol event who wore hats. Jimmy Carter, the former president, was wearing a very sporty flat cap. One of my favorites was Ted Kennedy who looked very dapper in his fedora. He seemed so happy to be there. I was distressed to hear that he later had a seizure but reports this morning were that he is better. Get well soon Ted!

My favorite hat at the ceremony by a long shot was the large grey hat with the enormous bow worn by Aretha Franklin. You can see a picture of the hat in this MTV article. Ms Franklin sang “My country tis of thee…”. It was moving. Apparently she also sang at the Martin Luther King funeral.

My second favorite was the man in the red fedora hat. This man was sitting at the place were the dignitaries entered and enthusiastically greeting everyone. I did not catch the identification if there was one. Who was that man I’d like to shake his hand. What a statement of celebration!

Another honorable mention goes to the lady in the traditional turban style scarf based on those worn in Western Africa. I tried one on at a clothing show last fall. They are very colorful and I may wear one next summer. I see no reason why us non African American folks cannot sport such a style. I do not consider it to be disrespectful if done appropriately. (It might be a problem as a Halloween outfit for example, just be sensible and respectful). (In a future post I will discuss this wonderful head scarf). I have also been known to wear other types of traditional dress from time to time. I tried a Sari. This is much more complex to tie on than the African scarf – that’s another story.

I did spot some very elegant hats in the crowd and to those people I say well done! We hatty people should continue to set an example. I see more and more people wearing hats.

Good luck Barack! I would of course like both you and Michelle to wear hats. You will be looked at as style setters. Please wear hats sometimes?

©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.

Have you seen the latest Nicole Kidman Movie “Australia”?  I have only seen the trailer and it holds a great deal of promise of being a very hatty movie!

Essentially British aristocrat goes to Australia (wearing beautiful hats). After that it appears to become sort of a Quigley Down Under with a whole variety of Australian Outback Hats. I’ll probably catch the movie on DVD later when I don’t have to view the long movie in one sitting. Personally I do not like sitting in the movie theatre for long movies. I do enjoy looking at historical themed movies though.

Some reviewers do not have a very favourable impression of the movie. There is too much of it for one thing. Too much of an epic. Perhaps it would play better as a three part series on PBS? The costuming appears to be first rate if one can go by the trailers . Nicole Kidman talks a good British accent as an expatriate British aristocrat. The award of worst British accent by the way goes to Dick Van Dyke in “Mary Poppins”. Check it out I am sure you will agree!

Here is a really unfavorable review by  Lou Lumenick of the New York Post. According to him the movie is the cinematic equivalent of an all you can eat buffet.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF666zRjbKw

Here is the link for RSS readers:

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

The inauguration of Barack Obama as the first African-American president of the USA is coming soon on January 20, 2009. Obama truly has a lot of things on his plate and people of all political stripes around the world wish him well. Who are his mentors? It has been widely reported in CNN and elsewhere that Obama has a great admiration for Abraham Lincoln. Indeed he has modelled many of his activities on the iconic president.

There is serendipity here. It will soon be the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birthday coming soon on February 12, (It was in1809). The Smithsonian has published an anniversary commemorative magazine about Lincoln  and have devoted a page to Lincoln on their website. There is a special exhibit going on now at the Smithsonian .Check ot the pen and ink drawing of Lincoln in his stove pipe hat! I am a history buff as you may have gathered by now. We can learn a lot about the present by studying history and we can make what is old new again – for example the renaissance of hat wearing that I strive to achieve. But I digress. You can pick up the Smithsonian Magazine special edition at your local bookstore/newsagent. I picked up my copy. It has a lot of discussion of facts and myths about the great man.

Back to Barack Obama! Recently the New York Post published an article dealing with connections between Obama and Lincoln. In the lead into the article the Post included a fake picture of Obama wearing a top hat. It’s a nice thought – I wish that he would actually wear a top hat at the inauguration. So I can dream can’t I? By all accounts Lincoln looked very dapper in his famous hat. He was a tall, slender, man who was very dramatic in his signature stove pipe top hat.

The New York Post article is worth checking out. Of course some of the connections between Lincoln and Obama are obvious. Lincoln, like Obama, was a Senator from Illinois (it is known as - The Land of Lincoln“- shown on licence plates – or at least it was at one time). Another important connection is that Lincoln has a strong connection with the African-American community. He was the president to declare the emancipation of slaves in the USA in 1963. It was an important cause over which the Civil War was fought. At the conclusion of the Civil War the slaves obtained their freedom. Of course it was to be over far more than 100 years that the African American people were able to obtain true “freedom”. We are there perhaps but many would still argue that freedom has not been fully achieved yet. The election of Barack Obama is a huge milestone to be celebrated. Let’s hope it leads to a better understanding all round.

It seems clear that Obama has read many of the more than 1000 books about Lincoln. He has shown his admiration of him in many different ways. Notably Obama has formed quite a notable, strong group of advisers and Cabinet members, many of whom were his former rivals. This was something for which Lincoln was well known for – the coalition of rivals. Lincoln made his chief presidential rival William Seward Secretary of State. Read Mr Lincoln and New York as a background to the rivalry between Seward and Lincoln. Seward was the Senator from New York and the original favorite for the presidential race for the old Republicans – the party of Lincoln. As well, Seward did not get the nod for the Vice Presidency – the process was different then – fascinating! You can see the strong sense of deja vu here as Hillary Clinton has accepted Obama’s invitation to the office of Secretary of State. It almost gives one the shivers!

There are many throwbacks to Lincoln and you can read about them in the Post article – things like using Lincoln replica china! It’s almost a fetish!

Let’s go back to the very important matter of the Stove Pipe Top Hat. It has always been very much a source of regret to me that the famous Lincoln Memorial does not depict the great man wearing his signature hat. These signature pieces are important – consider Bob Hope (for you youngsters out there Hope was a very famous vintage comedian who lived to be over 100 years old – Google him!). Hope had a famous song Thanks for the Memory . Well thank you Abraham Lincoln for the memory of wearing your top hat!

The most famous portrayal of Lincoln was in a classic movie called Abe Lincoln in Illinois released in 1940. It covers Lincoln’s early days as lawyer up to his election as president. The movie starred Raymond Massey, truly a master of Lincoln tribute. Massey reprised his Lincoln role for years after. Interestingly Massey was a Canadian. He was part of the Massey family who brought you farm tractors!

Perhaps I have got you excited enough to get your own stove pipe top hat? The starting point is for you to look at the original stove pipe top hat at the Smithsonian museum. Check out the famous hat at the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia site together with a number of other artifacts from Lincoln.

If you are suffering from a major case of stove pipe top hat envy you can visit Barons Hat site. Barons is the hat maker to Hollywood and has provided custom hats to movie stars and hats featured in many movies. It’s a wonderful site. One of the features involves the reproduction of Lincoln’s famous hat. Check the story out on the Barons site. The recreation was a meticulous and painstaking affair. The process included a visit to the Smithsonian to view one of the original hats worn by Lincoln up close and personal and to witness a very careful measurement taking process. What an awesome privilege! You can see the exact specifications at their site. The hats can be obtained for $498 and up to over $1000 depending on the materials used and whether you would like simulated aging. I stand in awe.

There are many other suppliers where you can obtain stove pipe hats but none as super as the Baron’s ones. (you can search reenactment sites if you wish).

Please Barack please wear a stove pipe hat someday. You would look really cool in it and you would do wonders for hat revival – it’s a worthy cause.

Please check out Obama hats on my previous post.

©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.

Here is a story of a retired hat factory worker who won a big lottery jackpot but passed away before collecting. It’s a bonanza for his family, however.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090103/world/lottery_legacy_1

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

As you probably know Barack Obama’s inauguration as president of the USA will be January 20, 2009. Coming soon.

There has been a lot of Obama mania. It is exciting that we have the first African-American US President and it is an historic moment. There are a lot of memorabilia collectors out there and there are a lot of people who want to have something to remember the event.

On the Cafe Press site there are tens of thousands of designs for various products, T shirts, mugs, and more importantly hats. Sadly they are only baseball caps and truckers hats but what the heck – it’s a hat.

There are a lot of creative people out there. Some have done a great job at designing official looking January 20 stuff. I like the Barack is in the house one (the White House). There are many other supportive sentiments such as “Obama Mama”, Vietnam Vets for Obama, Hockey Mum for Obama (not Sarah Palin by implication), Canadians for Obama (there have been surveys in Canada showing the support of a substantial majority of Canadians for Obama), and of course Kenyans for Obama (referring to his father’s heritage).

They still have the stuff from the election on file. If you want to be a grinch. You can get some anti Obama stuff too. I like political satire. One I noted was a picture of Obama and Hillary Clinton with the captions “Dumb”and “Dumber” respectively (from the John Candy movie). Another graphic shows Obama with a gangster hat “ObamaHood”- “Spread the Wealth Around”. You may ask after the 40% hair cut in the stock market – what wealth?  Check out the link below.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Forget your troubles come on get happy -- or is that Get Hatty!

The wonderful Judy Garland appeared in a 1950 movie called “Summer Stock“. This sequence featured Judy Garland in an iconic performance. She wore a fedora and a Jacket and left her pants at home! If you got the legs show them off. Her daughter, Liza Minnelli, also did a great number that was sort of similar -- Mein Herr from “Cabaret” - all hat and minimal clothing!

Judy appeared with the incomparable Gene Kelly in the movie. It was to be her last musical at the studio.

Here it is forget your troubles come on get happy. “Get Happy” (by) Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler.

Other artists who performed this number were Doris Day and Ella Fitzgerald.

Forget your troubles c’mon get happy
Ya better chase all your cares away
shout Hallelujah, c’mon get happy
Get ready for the judgment day

Do we ever need this uplifting after 2008 -- the year from hell -- unless of course your name is Barack Obama. May your dreams come true in 2009. Good luck to Barack by the way we wish him the best.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U-rBZREQMw

Here is the URL for RSS readers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U-rBZREQMw&eurl=&feature=player_embedded

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

Happy

New Year!

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

While browsing through channels on You Tube I found this great Video from ITN in the UK. It is from Charles and Camilla’s wedding a few years ago. There was a strange mixture of people at the event, including show business personalities. The hats were delicious and not only the women’s hats. It was more of a day at Ascot than a day at a Royal Wedding. There were men in top hats there -- how good is that?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIJMyv7BawQ

If you are viewing this by RSS feed or e-mail here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIJMyv7BawQ&eurl=&feature=player_embedded

How do I get a feeling that the guests were looking to outdo the bride? Is this a social no-no. Can someone familiar with wedding etiquette weigh in with their opinion? Please add your comments below. I have heard that it’s not nice to outdo the bride. I have also heard that it’s a big party why not go all out and celebrate.

Just for fun here is a fun Edwardian Wedding Picture I picked up this weekend. Almost everyone seemed to want to outdo the bride?

©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.

If you are like me you have a huge collection of hats and are constantly on the look out for hat boxes. Hat boxes are often not found at milliners or hat shops. I bought a very expensive hat and it was given to me in a very flimsy box. Most hats are easily crushed and need proper protection. Please make sure you pack them securely with tissue paper.

The picture above shows some boxes that were not purchased from hat stores.

The red stripe box on the bottom was purchased from Indigo Books, a bookstore in Toronto. The middle brown box, marked “wreath box” was purchased at Winners, a sort of mini Wal Mart, in Toronto. The green box on top was purchased at Second Cup in Toronto. Second Cup is a chain of coffee shops.

The red striped box box is quite large at  15 3/4 inches in diameter and 8 inches in height. It holds a large hat. The box is from Indigo on sale and cost a little over $15 Canadian, on sale. Indigo also had smaller sizes.

The brown box is a medium sized box at 17 7/8 inches in diameter. But it is only 6 3/8 inches in height. It does hold a wide brim hat with a low profile. Remember it is intended to store a wreath. It was purchased from Winners store for around $15 Canadian

The green box comes from a coffee shop called Second Cup, it’s their large size. It cost around $12 Canadian. As hat boxes go it’s small. You can fit an average size military hat into the box. It measures 12 3/4 inches diameter and is 5 1/2 inches in height.

As you are hectically Christmas Shopping look for your hat boxes in all the strange places. You might get some bargain hat boxes in post-Christmas sales. Please let us know where you got your boxes. Were they called something else – like “wreath boxes”?  And please send us pictures and information.

You might get really lucky and get a gift packed in a hat box.

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

You can leave your hat on is the perfect Stripper Song by Joe Cocker and it is a lot of fun. Buy the song and do a private dance for your honey, male or female, gay or straight or whatever. A real spice up for the holiday season.

Information about Joe Cocker can be found on his site.

The lyrics of the song include the chorus “You can leave your hat on” a lot of times. The implication is that you should take everything else off.

Deleted You Tube Video removed from You Tube

©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.

One of my idols is Greta Garbo. She wore her hats with dignity and style. I posted two videos of hers in the “Hat Nostalgia” Blog the visuals and music bring tears to my eyes.

Here are the videos again and we are very grateful to the poster to You Tube for the wonderful gift.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=10NiLMQNY0Q

www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3_mh2elKCM

I am obliged to Fabienne from Belgium who posted these wonderful videos to You Tube. Here is the URL of her blog in French. Great pictures of Garbo. http://ciccione.blogs.allocine.fr/

A few facts about Greta Garbo

Born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson
18 September 1905(1905-09-18), Stockholm, Sweden

Died 15 April 1990 (aged 84 New York, New York

Her famous saying was “I want (vont) to be alone”. This was said with a heavy accent, you believed she did not really want to be alone.

Some Movies of hers:

Grand Hotel

Mata Hari

Queen Christina (loved the boy dress up but not too convincing)

Anna Karenina

Camille

Ninotchka

In Ninotchka she plays a Russian Commissar, in Communist Days who went to Paris on a mission. She falls in love with a very decadent hat on display in the hotel. The Movie was remade as a musical in the Fifties as “Silk Stockings”- you guessed it the objective of affection were silk stockings. I suppose it was left over from World War II when silk stockings were very hard to come by. Still I believe hats should have been more of a priority.

©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.