Rare 1920s Motoring or Golf Hat For Men With Original Price Tag

This style in hats for men were often worn  while driving sporty automobiles. They were also teamed with knickers and worn while golfing. Although smaller silhouettes in this style were often seen on the street, the larger and more billowy,  draped crown was considered most stylish in gentlemen’s sporting fashions at this time.

This is an exceedingly rare find…so very few men's hats such as this exist, especially in unworn condition, with the original price tag. The hat has been authenticated and confirmed to be dated to 1925.

The hat is made of finely woven wool in a color often described as "fawn" in 1920s advertisements.

It was authenticated with the help of a professional researcher at the Lawrenceville Historical Society in Pittsburgh, PA. Although little is known of the company, it was confirmed that the company was in business at this address for only about one year about 1925 according to what records were found to date.

In so many years, and after so many hats, this one is truly a rare find. The original price tag is still found on the very supple leather facing.  Without a doubt, this hat is a genuine treasure.

Luxurious Italian Fur Felted Fedora From Hudson's of Detroit Millinery Salon

Luxurious classic style…this authentic Italian vintage hat dates to the very early 1960s based on style and label. 

It is a wonderful piece of fashion history….

This image shows Hudson's of Detroit well before 1961.
The store had phenomenal displays. See images that date through to the final demolition
of the department store by using the YouTube link provided here. 

This Italian fedora for women has the exclusive Hudson’s millinery salon label. The label also indicates that the hat was imported from Italy. At this time, Hudson’s of Detroit was considered one of the most elegant department stores in the world. The building was known as the tallest department store in the world in 1961…just about the time when this hat was first offered for sale.

If you would like to see the interior of this department store from around the time when this hat was offered for sale, please refer to this link: https://youtu.be/bOrzoXvIcd0 With lovely cello music in the background, the documentary of the store is well done.

The elegance of the Italian fur felt is unsurpassed...the quality expected from Italian milliners. The hat is soft as cashmere and velvety rich in appearance. The felt is quite thick and substantial.  This was a very expensive hat when it was originally sold.

The wide brim may be tipped to any angle. It beautifully arches around the face and was designed to enhance the eyes.

The stylish molded crown is deep enough to allow the wearer to twist up her hair inside it if she so desires. The crown has been molded over a wooden form creating a stylish line to the midnight black silhouette. This alone makes the hat all the more luxurious and chic as the Italians are known for this type of sculpted millinery design.

The sizing is for a 22 or 56 cm. The hat fits perfectly at this size and feels firmly in place when pulled over the head. The original milliner has added a small length of millinery elastic to the interior silk grosgrain facing. This gives the hat that little extra snugness so that it will not fly off in a strong wind.

This hat is will make both collectors and curators smile. It is an outstanding, historical example of a fedora styled hat from this era.

Vintage 1930s Hat

This hat will make discerning collectors and curators smile. 

The chic style, magnificent design, and construction are typical of this style from the early 1930s. Artfully sculptured, draped and textured, the hat is a magnificent example of early 30s millinery excellence. 

The color is rich, milk chocolate brown with contrasting brown tones in its overall trim and design. The color is incredibly rich and fine. This is a classic hat that remains as wonderful today as it was almost 85 years ago.

The hat is in outstanding condition and created with glistening, tightly woven horsehair that remains supple and luxurious. It was created in the millinery salon of a high fashion Providence Rhode Island department store called Callender, McAuslan & Troupe Co. The department was called the Boston Store which would have been a luxury area inside the grand store where the most elite clientele shopped; a marketing strategy that became popular around this time and which developed and continued throughout the early 60s, 

However, records indicate that Callender, McAuslan & Troupe Co. was most active during the teens, 1920s and throughout the mid-1930s. The hat’s style, design, label typography and graphics indicate that this hat dates to about 1932. The interior is pristine and also features the silk grosgrain facing that first became prevalent at this time. 

The hat is styled to be worn at a slight tilt, and it is incredibly comfortable for wear. It is in near mint condition, considering age. It features a band of brown silk velvet and a carefully wired brim. The hat is trimmed with silk netting for textural interest and a faux pearl glass beaded bauble that is designed for movement and a kind of fringe effect. It is sized to fit 22 inches or 56 cm. 

This is an exceptionally fine hat and one which will hopefully find a discerning collector who will care and treasure it for years to come. The hat will undoubtedly increase in value over time especially if handled with tender loving care, and kept with attention to keeping it in this amazing condition.

Vintage Couture: Rare Archie Eason Cartwheel Hat

This early Archie Eason cartwheel hat has every design feature found during the beginning of the New Look style that became immediately prevalent through Dior's work and worn by fashionable, wealthy women beginning about 1953. 

This particular Eason couture hat is destined for a museum or discerning collection. It will be an eye-catching showstopper for exhibition with that massive, glistening brim measuring about 18 inches or nearly 46 cm across. This design is most assuredly a one-of-a-kind hat created by this master milliner. 

The hat bears Eason's nearly secret couture mark. He has sewn single tiny sequin with matching glass bead atop the brim. This barely noticeable sequin and bead are the glittery indicators for the wearer so that the hat may be quickly placed upon the head. Of course, only Eason's couture hats have this tiny signature. 

The hat is entirely hand made and hand sewn. It features a skull cap with that early 1950s widow's peak design, which also helps to date this hat more specifically on a fashion timeline. The under supports are made entirely from woven horsehair. Overall, the hat is constructed from an unusual fiber that appears to be silk gauze. However, a fiber burn test reveals that this is a unique type of cellophane material. The material alone will be of interest to collectors and fashion historians. 

The hat is a very light peach color with gray undertones. The handmade silk flowers are an antique ivory color. The hat is not faded but appears vintage in the overall look as the colors are not bright. Again, close inspection reveals that the hat has not faded in any way, and the slight gray tones are likely the result of the patina that only time can create with certain textiles and fibers. 

This hat is quite special. It is in excellent condition overall and rated at a very high excellent condition, considering age. It is pristine both inside and out without any stains, holes, makeup marks and other problems typically found with millinery examples from this era. An unusual feature is that the interior of the skull cap is faced with silk grosgrain. This was obviously done to protect the hat against the usual problems from wear. The beautiful embroidered Archie Eason silk satin couture label is intact. It is wearable, but hopefully only for special occasions since the hat is considered historically important. It measures to fit a generous size 23 inches or 58.5 cm. The hat may be worn by smaller sizes depending upon the style of the hair. A small hat pin, as found, is included. 

Rare Sally Victor Hat

Sally Victor's hats are predominate in the collections at The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. Her work in the millinery industry is perhaps some of the most illustrious of all the designers over the years and ranks with the great names in millinery design such as Dior, Bes-Ben, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Lily Daché. 

This hat was designed for mourning and was likely sold around 1950 based on information researched at The Costume Institute by comparing Victor's labeling, which were often changed to different graphics over the years when she was in business. 

The overall silhouette and style of this hat also indicate its placement in the vintage fashion timeline shortly after pillbox styles first became popular with the New Look. 

This Sally Victor hat is quite rare since it is in such remarkable condition and because it was made for mourning wear. Of course, the hat would have only been worn for mourning and typically only for a mourning situation where etiquette called for heavy veiling, such as when the deceased loved one was immediately tied to the wearer: a parent, spouse, child or sibling. 

The hat itself is made from black velvet with a large band trimming the back. It is a simple, open pillbox style but Victor has added her signature by making one side, to the front, dip with a slightly more dramatic arch. The hat, therefore, has an asymmetrical silhouette that is quite subtle to the front and then it is fully cloaked with a luxurious veil. The veil is trimmed with black silk passementerie along the bottom that beautifully weights the silk netting so that it flows and drapes in grand fashion. 

The hat appears as if perhaps worn only once. There are no makeup stains or tears in the veiling. Upon extremely close inspection, we have found a few brides in the netting that are broken, but this was found only by placing the veil under magnification. It is sized to fit 22 inches or 56 cm and the veil drapes to the shoulders, or slightly over. 

This hat is destined for a discerning, historic costume or millinery collection and will be greatly appreciated by curators. It is an exceptional, rare treasure. Although not encouraged, the hat could be worn but maintaining its condition is key to its long-term value. It is a historically important hat due to the nature of its design and its designer, Sally Victor. This is a very special hat, indeed.