Though I joyfully wear vintage hats all year round, there is something about the unmistakable return of winter's first chill that tends to come part and parcel with November, which always puts me in the mood to shop for (even if that means just window shopping) yesteryear chapeaus.
Far more than just a wonderful fashion statement and accent (if not full-fledged focal point) to our daily vintage outfits, hats really come into their element as the mercury drops and once more they provide not just chic style, but physical warmth for heads and/or ears (depending on what style of hat you're sporting).
For those who live in colder climates, you may find yourself especially drawn to vintage hats made from materials such as felt, fur (real or faux), feathers, wool (including Persian lamb's wool, which is usually seen as being more of a fur), and thick, tightly woven straws (that lets to no air flow throw), as these are typically thicker and/or better at providing your lovely noggin with plenty of much needed warmth as Old Man Winter comes calling once more.
Just as certain materials find their way more into fall and winter hats, so too does the colour palette often shift. Out are the light straws, pastels, flower bedecked Easter bonnet styles, jaunty boater hats (traditionally, for chaps at least, they rarely stayed in rotation past Labour Day), and cute little half hats that look more like headbands than protection against the chilly elements. In come dark hues such as navy blue, black, camel, brown, forest green, burgundy, garnet, aborigine, grey, and wintry creams in substantial, head enshrining styles.
Though I do find myself reaching more for hats in such hues and materials as the seasons shift yet again, ultimately there aren't too many of my toppers that I won't at least try to weave into a winter ensemble (case in point my endlessly beloved dusty rose 1940s tilt hat - a hat some might see as being more in keeping with spring and summer - worn with black velvet and tights last February on a very snowy day). This same principle rings true across my wardrobe as a whole (that is to say, I rarely relegate pieces to just one half of the year), so it's no surprise that I keep sporting some of my more summery hats while silver bells and strings of festive lights pop out again.
Because I've got hats on the brain (even literally, if you think about it! :)) this nippy November morn, I wanted to share a selection of fantastic late 1930s and very early 1940s Marie Claire magazine covers with all of you, which come by way of a great Flickr user named Pilllpat.
Though not all of these hats scream autumn or winter, each is a beautiful, timelessly classic work of military art that would not be too tricky at all to partner with a cold weather ensemble, such a two-piece suit, heavy weight black cocktail dress, or pencil skirt and a thick knit twinset.
{All image via Pilllpat on Flickr.}
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Ohhhh, my wallet is in serious danger because it's all I can do not to go on the prowl for similar versions of some of these amazing vintage hat gems right this very moment! Good thing (for my wallet, though perhaps not quite as much for my hat collection) that Christmas is around the corner, and I'm already keeping an extra close watch on my spending, so that I can splash out on my loved ones. Still, winter isn't exactly famous for being short here in Canada, and there's always the new year to go hat hunting in!
As the last handful of leaves turns amber or crimson and comes tumbling to the cold, slate hued pavement below, what sorts of hats are you daydreaming about for this fall and winter? Do you have a beloved vintage topper (or ten!) that you reach for each year time and time again as the snow banks grow ever higher (this classic black felt number with two simple coloured bands is one of mine in that department) or are you are currently shopping for some suitable cold weather headgear?
Whatever the case may be (including if you're not much of a chapeau wearer at all, but instead just a devoted admirer), I hope that you enjoyed this selection of great vintage hats, any one of which would still be more than worthy of a magazine cover unto itself still these days!
