The Travelling Hat visits Penticton

Outfit details

1930s/1940s style tilt hat: Handmade by milliner Tanith Rowan
Brown plastic barrette: Goody
Black rhinestone stud earrings: Claire's or Payless
C. 1950s white blouse with black trim: Rue 23 Vintage
Royal blue blazer: Suzy Shier
C. 1950s royal blue rhinestone brooch: Gift from a dear friend
1940s/50s ruched light blue gloves: Unknown, had for years
1940s black felt and gold tone metal handbag: Possibly a gift (had for years)
1950s long black pencil skirt: Probably eBay or Etsy
Black seamed nude stockings: eBay
1940s style black faux suede pumps: Walmart
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

My dear friend Tanith Rowan is, hands down, one of the most talented milliners practising this timeless art alive on the planet today (long time readers may recall that she made my bespoke vintage style hat dreams come true last year with this dazzling grey and pink chapeau) and her creations never fails to bring me to my knees.

I'm a devoted fan and follower of Tanith's work, so when she announced on her blog in November 2014 that she was going to launch a traveling hat project (dubbed, very sweetly, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Hat) that would see a single creation of hers traverse the globe and land on the noggins of stylish vintage ladies far and wide, I couldn't add my name to signup list fast enough.

Like myself, Tanith is a big fan of vintage tilt hats and so designed a breathtaking example of such to send out in the world for many a fellow vintage wearer to spend a bit of time with before passing Adelaide, as she was christened, on to the next Traveling Hat participant.

Prior to "her" arrival in the Okanagan Valley, Adelaide last spent time with another good friend of mine, Seanna from the blog Seanna Approved. And before that, she had shown up in various corners of Australia, Europe, and America, but I believe I'm the first Canadian to have her spend on this side of the 49th.

Like all of Tanith's work, Adelaide is a vision of stunning beauty and expert workmanship. She had been worn by several other ladies before I received her, yet she reached me in excellent condition - testament to the quality of Tanith's creations (as well as the care that each person has used in handling this hat).

I very much enjoyed seeing how the other Sisterhood of the Traveling Hat participants had styled this awesome vintage style tilt hat, forming ideas for my own outfit with each new look that Tanith shared on her blog (check them out here). However, when Adelaide actually landed on my doorstep and I held her in my hands, all of those previous concepts flew out of the window.

She was even more breathtaking in person and I was struck by how powerfully she channeled a late 1930s/early 1940s look that would have been right at home on the head of any leading Hollywood starlet of the era.

I don't own a lot of 30s garb at all, but I wasn't going to let that stop the vision for an ensemble that was cementing itself in my mind from coming to life. By blending vintage and vintage appropriate modern pieces together, I was able to come up with a daytime (or casual evening wear) look that I feel taps into the spirit of the late 30s/early 40s quite nicely.

This enchanting topper deserves to be the star of any outfit and I aimed to make that happen here, opting for largely understated pieces and fairly minimal (for me) jewelry, save for the gorgeous 1950s blue rhinestone brooch that I added to my blazer (I don't usually wear brooches that are same colour as the solid hued garment they’re pinned to, but of the about fifteen different brooches I tried with this look, both Tony and I felt that this one worked the best and so I broke my usual rule and just went for it!).

There was something so deeply wonderful about getting to spend time with Adelaide. Not only did I stop and reflect often on the fact that she had been in the hands of many of my vintage friends around the world, none of whom I've yet met in person, but also that we were creating a future vintage accessory in this traveling hat. Unlike so many (current) old school hats though, this chapeau's story is know and documented.

Wherever Adelaide eventually lands for her forever home, her tale is documented and shared, history in the making captured care of modern technology.

It was an honour and joy of the highest magnitude to spend time with this traveling hat. While here, she got to see Kelowna and Penticton, including both our home and my parent's house. I bonded with this gorgeous hat and saying goodbye to it was a bittersweet experience.

I wanted to keep her with me for years to come, yet at the same time was elated to send her off to be enjoyed by the next chic vintage sporting lady who will put her own unique styling spin on Adelaide's story.

Thank you, dear Tanith, for creating this project and for uniting so many of us scattered across the globe with one enchantingly gorgeous hat that I'm sure, much like myself, no one who spends time with her will ever forget.

My holy grail vintage hat as designed by gifted milliner Tanith Rowan

Outfit details

Custom made 1940s style pink and grey felt bird wing tilt hat: Tanith Rowan Designs
Pink glass stone earrings: Claire's (recently - in case you'd like to get a pair for yourself)
1930s black and clear glass bead necklace: Maejean Vintage
Black 1940s style jersey dress: Clothing store in Scarborough, Ontario that closed down years ago
Grey faux patent leather skinny belt: (Possibly) Joe Fresh
Grey 1940s/50s winter coat with embellishments: Sybil Style
1950s pink mesh gloves: Unknown, had for years (possibly eBay)
1950s/60s black clutch purse with chain strap: Gift from a dear vintage loving friend ♥
Black seamed nude stockings: eBay
Black faux suede 1940s style shoes: Walmart
Lip colour: MAC Diva


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

It's a safe bet to say that just about every single one of us who wears vintage has certain holy grail items in mind. Those pieces that seem to go above and beyond mere wants or even wishlist entries and into a near mythical realm where even just thinking about their acquisition is enough to make you tremble with joy. For many, many years one such item for me had been a sophisticated late 1930s or 1940s bird winged adorned tilt hat - and all the better if it included my favourite colour ever, pink.

I looked far and wide, but none that fit the bill and my price range ever crossed my path. Enter my good friend, fellow vintage blogger, new mom, and mind-blowingly talented milliner Tanith Rowan. Earlier this year she asked if I would like to collaborate with her and together we could create my dream vintage style hat, which I would then share with all of you here (of course, she did all of the actual creating, I just discussed my fantasy hat specs with her and let her weave her incredible millinery magic).

Using vintage images and photos of vintage hats that were similar to what I had in mind, along with some lovely back and forth (detailed) discussions to really ensure we both had the same style and design of hat in mind, Tanith set to work to create a 1940s looking bird wing adorned tilt hat that, as you can see in these photos, is gorgeous to the point of leaving me at a loss for words.

Instead of using real feathers or whole bird wings, we both wanted to go for the super ethical route and leave all the little winged critters with their appendages, so instead Tanith crafted the "wings" out of felt, which along with velvet is (save for the netting and sturdy elastic strap to hold it in place) what the rest of this beguilingly beautiful pink and grey topper is made from as well.

There is an incredible sense of honour and joy that comes with having a bespoke garment of accessory made for you. In the course of my blog's life, I've had the great pleasure of experiencing it a small handful of times and can tell you that nothing on the fashion front compares to when a gift seamstress, crafter, jeweler, or in this case, milliner, is able to not only realize your vision for a particular piece, but to create something that is even more sublime and special than you could have ever hoped for. This is precisely what Tanith did in creating this awesome 1940s vintage style felt tilt hat for me and I can’t begin to express my thanks and appreciate to her for doing so enough.

It, like all of her work - which you can see anytime in her online shop, Tanith Rowan Designs, as well as on Facebook and Instagram, where she shares many of her fabulous millinery creations - knocks your socks off instantly. Not only is this hat visually stunning and incredibly vintage looking, but it is also exceptionally well made. In fact, that quality of the materials and the degree of skill involved with its creations eclipses that of many actual mid-century hats that I own.

Tanith's love for what she create shines though in each and every hat, fascinator, and headpiece that she designs. Pulling on old school inspiration and her own vivid imagination alike, Tanith's pieces are nothing short of genuine works of wearable art. I feel incredibly fortunate to now call this magnificently lovely vintage style feathered hat my own. It takes pride-of-place in my hat collection and will remain a treasured part of my wardrobe for as long as I live and indeed, should I ever have children or a niece to pass this along to, I know that it will become a family heirloom because it really is that amazing and beautiful.

Now, a hat this special called for a backdrop against which to shoot it that would fit its old school style perfectly. This meant our usual photography location haunts around town such as the lakes, woods, parks and our yard were all out. We both agreed that a vintage building or house was in order, yet as there are incredibly few of these still left in Penticton (that are accessible to the public, in the case of houses, I mean), we didn't have a lot of options.

Thankfully however, one that was ripe for the picking, if you will, not mention just a few blocks over from our own abode, is an elegant early twentieth century home called The Leir House, after the surname of the family for whom it was originally built. This stately stone house hasn't been used as a private dwelling in a long time, instead it is a cultural hub for the community, hosting arts, culture and creativity themed events and classes for the public to partake of. As such, unless a private function like a wedding is taking place there, you're free to pose with it anytime you'd like.

Knowing how scarce vintage buildings are in Penticton, Tony and I had been saving the Leir House's Chronically Vintage debut for a truly exception outfit and thanks to Tanith's gorgeous vintage style chapeau, we felt that this was just the one to do that with.

In some photos, I'm posing with a stone gazebo that's located near the small parking lot at the front of the house, in others I'm in the back yard/garden, and in one I'm sitting on a flight of stairs that run alongside the side of the house. As it is a large home on a bit of property, the Leir house affords one many lovely locations in which to take photos and on a very chilly afternoon recently in November, Tony and I did just that.

I partnered my bespoke vintage style hat with a beautiful c. 1940s grey winter coat (which is making its blog debut here today as well) that I got about three years ago now (its glamorous pink lining and grey outer hue made it a natural pairing for this hat in the same colour families), a simple black jersey dress (that while modern, does look quite 1940s-ish), and an assortment of accessories that colour coordinated well with the hat, coat and dress. The temperature seemed to plummet by the minute, so I was very thankful to have such a sturdy, warm coat (which as it's wool, when I wasn't in front of the camera with, I tucked a black velvet scarf around my neck with, so as to protect my sensitive skin, which is allergic to wool, with - but I wanted to show off the collar of the coat here, so I didn't sport my scarf on camera that day) and a warm felt hat as well to help keep near winter's chill at bay.

As 2014 nears its end, I feel especially blessed to have been able to find one of my vintage holy grails, not in this case from a second hand seller, yard sale or thrift shop, but instead created with love and unending skill by a friend and gifted milliner on the other side of the world (Tanith lives in Australia). This fact, I promise you, makes my new hat all the more special, important and beautiful to me, for I not only played a roll in its creation, but personally know that talented hands that crafted it for me.

Should you be yearning for a custom made hat of your own now (and I know you are!), you can contact Tanith anytime to chat about how she can make your vintage (or otherwise) hat dreams come true.