Hats, Hats, all those beautiful hats!

Every generation has its own fashion trends and hats have certainly had an influence on these styles.

The Roaring twenties:  The first image that comes to mind is a picture of a Flapper in a Cloche hat.  Ladies wore their hair short and their dress was the “no curves” look.  Women could often make their own dresses as the style of this era was straight up and down.  You didn’t need to be an accomplished seamstress or buy a complicated pattern to make a “shift” dress.

During the thirties money was certainly scarce and the country was whirling from the “crash” of ’29.
The depression era was having an impact on style as well.  As the flapper hats of the twenties were being replaced with less boyish hats, women were re-making their old hats by adding new trim and embellishments of their own.

The beginning of World War II once again, brought change. Hats were quickly replaced with more practical items.  Homemade knitted and crocheted hats, turbans and scarves were quickly becoming part of the more sensible…. make do and mend times.

Curves and the hour-glass figure were back in vogue and dresses had more flowing skirts and the hats were changing accordingly.   The hair styles were getting fuller and the cloche was replaced by hats with wider brims and flatter crowns that were often worn in an asymmetrical fashion…. Or, pancake style.

We have all browsed through the family photograph album viewing pictures of our loved ones and friends sporting their Sunday’s finest which often included pictures of women and men alike, wearing their favorite hats.

I think we have all heard the stories from our Mother’s, Grandmother’s or Aunts, about how, “in their day”, they dressed to the nines, and wouldn’t dream of leaving the house without a hat, a pair of gloves and a matching handbag.   Indeed, it did seem like a more quiet time.  At least, in terms of the busy lives we lead today.  Just think about having time to dress up and go out to a leisurely lunch or tea with our friends – No fast food….No cell phones, no computers, or Face book or twitter (whatever that is).

Yes.  Indeed, we women have come a long way….broken down many barriers, accomplished anything we set our minds to; we have careers, families, own businesses, run corporations, hold public office…..But I think….once-in-a-while,  it’s just nice to daydream….

To be continued……

Part II

Hats, Hats, those beautiful hats!

The fabulous 50’s.

When we hear the “fifties,” we think of diners, drive-ins, cherry cokes ,  poodle skirts and rock and roll….But that was later.

It’s the early fifties and the dress was more conservative. Tailored boxy look suits worn with pumps or flats and the hats were relatively smaller in style. Pill box, small velvet sculptured styles and the pancake style with crimped edges.  Women were decorating last season hats by putting small fruit, berries, roses or feathers to make an old style look new again.  Gloves were a necessity – especially, sparkling clean gloves were the sign of a lady.

Women loved the flawless look of the stars on the big screen and the new pancake makeup was becoming a popular choice to help achieve the same look. Frosted nail polish became a hit along with frosted lipsticks to match.

Hairstyles were varied;   the poodle cut, neck length wavy styles and pony tails. Stars like Elizabeth Taylor were choosing the more sophisticated look of the soft permanent wave hairstyles.

Towards the end of the 50’s, hats were becoming affected by the new hairstyles. Salons were becoming more popular and the hairstyles were making it much more difficult to wear hats. The beehive, the French twist and “teased” bouffant styles were the rage.   After spending hours at the hairdresser, ladies were becoming more reluctant to put on a hat that ruined their new style.  A pretty scarf was much
better to cover the hair and save the Pouf.

The shirtwaist dress with a full skirt and fitted bodice were very popular, but the young girls preferred the circle skirts,  heavily starched crinoline petticoats with a blouse and cinched belt.

In comes Elvis, crinoline, Dick Clark and bandstand…..…….
Ladies Hats and More
Lady Dress Up
www.ladieshatsandmore.com
www.ladydressup.com

Hats, Hats those beautiful Hats – Part III

Last time we talked, we left off in the 50’s – when hats were on their way out-of-style. Aside from the beautiful Audrey Hepburn, I really haven’t found much on the hats of the 50’ and 60s (at least, ones that truly sparked my interest, that is) and since I’m always in a “Vintage” mood, and I’m an incurable hopeless romantic, my mind naturally wandered to the Southern Belle, Scarlet O’Hara, Tara, Rhett Butler and “ I’ll worry about it tomorrow “ days.

So, let’s see….What is a Southern belle?

According to Wikapedia:    A southern belle (derived from the French belle, ‘beautiful’) is an archetype for a young woman of the American Old South’s upper class. A Southern belle epitomized Southern hospitality, cultivation of beauty and a flirtatious yet chaste demeanor.

The archetype continues to have a powerful  aspirational draw for many people, and books like             We’re Just Like You, Only Prettier, The Southern Belle Primer, and The Southern Belle Handbook are plentiful. Other current terms in popular culture related to “Southern belles” include “Ya Ya Sisters,” “GRITS (Girls Raised In The South),” “Sweet Potato Queens,” and “Bulldozers disguised as powder puffs.

Cover illustration of Harper’s Weekly,  showing a stereotypical  “Southern belle” September 7, 1861.

When you picture a Southern Belle…. What do you see?    A big hat with lots of beautiful feathers, a gorgeous hat with a big satin bow, a lacy bonnet, or perhaps a large brimmed straw hat with a big green velvet bow? …Hmmm.   I’m thinking about a southern belle dress made of green velvet……. Drapes!  complete with the rod.  Okay,.bless my heart, I digress….But how can we ever thank Carol Burnett for this fabulous image).

Maybe we can’t all be Southern Belles, but I am thrilled to report that hats are back…. in a big way …and a lot of the thanks goes to the Red Hat Society.  You know, it’s just amazing how many events we can come up with to wear a hat.

Personally, I just love hats; red hats, colorful hats, dress hats, casual hats.  I love to make them, I love to wear them.  I love new ones, vintage ones and especially, the big Southern Belle hats.

Until next time, have some fun, play dress-up, put on a hat, enjoy each day.

Warmly,
Lady “G”

HATS ARTICLE # 4

Greetings friends – Happy Summer!

I’m happy to be back and as always, I’m thinking about hats.  I really can’t help it.  It’s one of my passions.

When we last visited we had worked our way up to the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s.  Women, for the most part, were quite content to be estranged from the fashion demands and trends of buying, making and/or wearing hats, at least, where I lived.  I do remember some photos of Barbara Streisand in some really cute little suede, newsboy hats.  But, of course, for the average person, it wasn’t a real fashion statement.  It was days of short skirts, tight pants and all those styles that didn’t quite work on everyone’s body in the same way.

There were still some very suitable occasions in which one could wear a lovely & proper hat:  Weddings, Funerals, Church, perhaps an occasional High Tea or the Kentucky Derby.   Okay,
so I never even got close to attending the Kentucky Derby but I have heard about it and certainly love those big, gorgeous hats ….

Unlike our First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, or the Royal family’s Queen Elizabeth and Lady Diana, who always looked so proper and pulled together in their beautiful, custom suits and pill box hats, we were now the new a-typical generation of hurried, harried, hassled, overbooked, overworked women who had never even had a moment to give thought to wearing a hat and gloves….Donna Reed, Lucy Ricardo, Mrs. Cleaver….who were these women….and why are they all wearing pearls while they mop and vacuum?

Granted, this was the new generation of have it all, do it all…..But if you could make it out the door on time each morning, and you remembered to change out of your sweat pants and slippers, and remembered to pack everyone’s lunch, find your car keys (on the first search) and you got all of the kids in the car at the same time, transported to their appropriate locations- well, you may just feel like you could accomplish anything.  You were well on your way to superwoman-dom.

I recall one morning in particular … it was especially hectic; my husband was out of town, (as he was most weekdays) but not to worry, I could keep it all running like a fine tuned engine.  I thought.  “I can do this, I can do this”, I can do it all… I am woman hear me roar.

And… like everyone else, I was handling most of it most of the time, except for the inevitable glitch now and then….

So, there I was at work, raced in the door greeting my boss on the way to my desk all the while exuding all the professionalism and composure I could muster – sitting down at my desk just in time to greet the first patient…..By now, if I do say so, I’m feeling pretty doggone confident and especially proud of my own capable self.

I smile and say, “Well, Good morning (let’s say, Mr. Smith) and how are you today”?  “Hi” he says, with a little grin… and then he remarks…”Nice look”!   Well, “thank you”, I reply, while once again, giving myself a little pat-on-the-back for the juggling act I had just pulled off that morning.  About that time, my boss walks up behind me and whispers, “It wasn’t a compliment, you have on two different earrings!”

As I begin to fumble and figure out what she’s talking about, I grab one ear and then the other and realize my earrings aren’t even the same size.  Face now turning red.

Knowing there’s no way out of this one, I roll my eyes in embarrassment, and quickly glance down at the floor, which, by-the-way, at the time seemed the most appropriate place for me to be facing….only to get hit once again…… Oh, NO!   Now, I notice my shoes don’t match, either…. they were both white alright – only different styles – Oh, this is really embarrassing….. Take a deep breath…..I’m Okay.  So I messed up a little but, at least, the heels were the same height and I can drive home at lunchtime and re-adjust myself and life will be on track once again.  Alright,  I know that in the big scheme of things,  this wasn’t a really  big deal, but it was one of those little ‘nudges’ and ‘warnings’ in life – Note: from me to myself…..slow down, pace yourself and take it down a notch.  I made it though those days and came out okay. I can smile about it now, but at the time it wasn’t all that fun.

We were all so busy with life, kids, husbands, family, church, PTA, Brownies, Boy Scouts, volunteering for various causes, etc.  There wasn’t time to daydream.  So life goes on.  You raise the kids, get them all grown up, they will have college degrees, wonderful careers; they are all in perfect health, happily married and totally full of joy and prosperity.  Yes, I’ll know how to handle everything and anything exactly as it happens, right on the spot…  Yep.  I’m in control.  Not to worry.

Of course, I’ll probably be retired at 40 because by then, it will all be perfect.  You know, I’ll have a pension, multiple properties, be able to afford to hire all the help  I need, you know, like help with the gardening, the windows, the house-work, and oh…Yes.  There will be this huge retirement 401K thingy…No worries….

I will have plenty of time to get all dressed up and go out with my friends for lunch…. You know, daydream kinda stuff!   Yikes, who am I kidding, I wasn’t daydreaming; I was certifiable – delusional even.

Remember me telling you (about a dozen times by now), that I am a self proclaimed hopeless romantic.  I am also totally prone to daydreaming about the good ole days…Now, admittedly, I don’t know exactly what or when the good old days were, but for me and my imagination, they were good and older than I was and they were calmer, more peaceful.  Hey, I’ve seen Norman Rockwell paintings!  Days that included – here it comes again….fabulous hats!   I still feel cheated out of this era with its happy days, vintage outfits and great big ole hats…

One afternoon I was having a cup of tea (no kidding), and reading a Romantic Homes magazine (I know – what a shocker) There it was….An article about the Red Hat Society.  The what? Hats! What?   I had to find out more about this.

A few weeks later…… Hallelujah ~ I heard birds singing…. the sky was bluer… The void has
been filled.
Not only had I found the RHS, I had also started a chapter – The Vancouver Belles.
Now, I could finally wear a hat and not look like I had three heads.  People were actually getting used to seeing them.  I even made one for myself.  And then, the strangest thing happened— ladies and even some men and young people, were coming up and complimenting us on our hats!  Some would say, “You know, I just love to see women wearing hats again”.  Well, you can imagine what that did.  Well, I’ll tell you what it did. It made my house a lot smaller – that’s what it did.   Now I had to find a place to store all these hats so there goes the guest bedroom … Then I wanted to make my own hats.  Big ones, small ones, every color, size and shape….casual, elegant there was no end to the possibilities.  So naturally, here comes Lady Dress Up.

Well, the rest of this story is to be continued.  I really never know where life will take me, but I know for sure, there will be a hat somewhere in the picture.

Until next time….Stay happy, dress up and enjoy each day.

Warm Regards,

Gretchen – Lady Dress Up

	Featured Victorian Lady	www.recollections.biz 1-800-452-5925
Editor’s Note:  Gretchen is just like us!  She enjoys all things beautiful, romantic, and reminiscent of simpler times – times when women wore elegant hats, lacy gloves, feminine jewelry, and carried colorful beaded handbags.  Gretchen’s business, Lady Dress Up, caters to the girl inside of each woman who loves to dress up in flowing gowns, join groups of friends for dinner parties, dances, teas, and just likes to have plain fun. Gretchen inspires each of us to follow our hearts, do what we love, surround ourselves with what makes us happy, and enjoy life each day.   We at Recollections are privileged to know Gretchen as a customer and a true-to-heart Victorian friend. Cathy Gretchen Gross When Gretchen was a very small girl, her mother instilled in her an appreciation for all things vintage, Victorian, and pertaining to family heirlooms. As she grew up, it was natural for Gretchen to love all things with a past – ones that had a story to tell. She began decorating her own home with antique items and was excited to begin collecting memories for her own family. As a self-confessed true hopeless romantic, Gretchen says that she always felt she was born in the wrong time and place. It was never more evident, though, when she toured a variety of magnificent plantations while on vacation in New Orleans with her husband, Larry. She was then certain that she should have been born into that era. She was captivated with the beautiful antiques, china, silver plateaus, and especially the Southern belle dresses! Over the years, she has been the owner of several stores featuring antiques, collectibles, gifts, and now, Lady Dress Up. Lady Dress Up is not only her business, but it is her passion. Gretchen is also a member of the Red Hat Society and started a chapter in Vancouver, WA in 2001 called the Vancouver Belles – a true sisterhood of friends who like to dress with the style, grace, and elegance of days-gone-by. They love to go to Sunday brunch, high tea, and luncheons where they continue to build and nurture their friendships and sisterhood! Gretchen enjoys making and wearing all kinds of hats and any opportunity to wear Victorian and other period clothing. She says that is why Recollections is so perfect for her and those who love to play Lady Dress Up. She still daydreams of gentler times of beauty, grace, elegance, and tranquility. When adorned in Victorian gowns, hats, gloves, and the proper jewelry, she feels transported to that time she longs for. Gretchen confesses that she is a hopeless romantic and that it was inevitable that she would become Lady Dress Up. She is living her dream and offers that dream to fellow companions who desire the same. We are, really, never too grown up to dress up! Thank you for reminding us of that, Gretchen!	Gretchen Gross Gretchen’s Flower Garden A Favorite Gown Gretchen’s 31′ Ford Phateon Replicar Ten Years of Fun Hatters	Lady Dress Up Boutique Featuring: Romantic Victorian Gifts Pink Hats Red Hats Purple Hats Casual and Dress Hats Jewelry Purses and Handbags Kirks Folly Clothing Crowns and Tiaras Accessories Girls Dressing Up
Recollections, Inc. 7956 County Road 451 Hawks, Michigan 49473 © 2001-2009 Recollections, Inc.	If you know someone that has taken their love of Victoriana and made it into an interesting business or hobby, and you think they should be featured in our Victorian Lady pages, please email or call us and let us know! sales@recollections.biz www.recollections.biz 1-800-452-5925

From the desk of: Gretchen

As I sit at my writing desk, I find myself once again, daydreaming of a much gentler time ~ an era of beauty, grace, elegance & tranquility.

I am transported back to the days that have been so perfectly pictured in my minds eye since I was a small child. The visions are as clear as if I were watching a film.

I am sipping tea from my favorite porcelain teacup and my thoughts turn to a beautiful Victorian cottage, where I am in the garden that is blooming with all my favorite flowers.

The yard is circled with a white fence that is bejeweled with beautiful foxglove, delphinium, and hollyhocks…..all of which are standing proudly at attention…….as if they know the beauty they instill.

Of course, my roses are at their peak and their fragrance permeates the yard and brings delight to all who are near. What it must have been like.

How much fun it would be to dress in a beautiful gown with swirls of satin & lace that flowed with each step as I venture out to tea with my favorite friends.… Of course, there would be hats, gloves, and beaded handbags to match…along with exquisite, albeit proper, jewels for the flirtatious finishing touch.

Oh, yes. With out question…~ I am a hopeless Romantic…..So you see it was inevitable that I become Lady G. I am living my dream.I hope you enjoy our extensive selection of hats, accessories; gloves, boas, parasols, shawls, lace collars, velvet capes, velvet gowns, bejeweled jackets, handbags and more

~all to awaken the dreams in you.