Hat No. 4 (of 4) How to describe it?

William Woolley

William Woolley

Registered Guest
Please forgive my delay in posting the last hat of my 92-year-old friend, Annette. This was one of four left to her by her aunt and I'm making a good-faith effort to sell them for her. As with the three previous hats I posted here, I need help in describing it in a way that's informative, accurate and appealing. Lacking labels of any kind, I suspect it was hand-created by an aspiring milliner and sold at the high-end Muir's of East Orange, N.J. Honestly, at first glance I had no idea how the net went with the hat until I found something loosely similar online. Initially, I thought it was designed to hang over the wearer's face to keep bugs away. With that embarrassing admission out of the way, any more accurate information (style, material, history) would be greatly appreciated!

Hat 4 E.jpeg
Hat 4_B.jpeg
Hat 4_C.jpeg
Hat 4_D.jpeg
 
Maggie is right, it is not actually part of the hat. Your hat is a woman's stylized straw fedora, named after a man fedora. See if the front or back of the brim can "snap" down a bit to give it more style. Cannot tell for sure what kind of straw it is, looks like Panama or a Panama style weave.
 
Rue_de_la_Paix said:
Maggie is right, it is not actually part of the hat. Your hat is a woman's stylized straw fedora, named after a man fedora. See if the front or back of the brim can "snap" down a bit to give it more style. Cannot tell for sure what kind of straw it is, looks like Panama or a Panama style weave.
Click to expand...
I found this pic by Googling "women's vintage hat with net." The net came in the same hatbox so I assumed it attached like in my picture. Maybe it's supposed to be pulled down over one's face a bit? Or maybe, like @denisebrain said, it's a separate item altogether. In any event, I suspect it's not going to make Annette wealthy in a sale. I'm doing my best for her, so thanks for the information!

images.jpeg
 
dollsntrolls said:
You can buy and add netting to any hat, but there would be no reason to ring a ribbon around it. They were just boxed together.
Click to expand...
Well, now I've become curious about nets for hats!I just found a c. photo of my sister as a bridesmaid in 1962. Her had featured a cloud of net! I wonder if they had a practical purpose or if they were purely decorative. They certainly add a rather heavenly aura, I think. Thanks for your comment! VFG has been so helpful for me!

Mary W copy.jpg
 
She is cute! The net had no practical purpose and was, as you say, purely decorative. At one time netting and veiling did serve a purpose other than decorative, but no longer. I might say the last time net had a purpose was in the 1960s, for older women to help hide their age and wrinkles around the forehead and eyes. And of course for brides, to give the illusion of purity and to be able to lift it after the vows for the kiss. Before that it was more for adding a fashionable or seductive element, or the appearance of delicacy to the face. . In older days they also helped keep out street dust and dirt which was more prevalent than it is today.
 
Rue_de_la_Paix said:
She is cute! The net had no practical purpose and was, as you say, purely decorative. At one time netting and veiling did serve a purpose other than decorative, but no longer. I might say the last time net had a purpose was in the 1960s, for older women to help hide their age and wrinkles around the forehead and eyes. And of course for brides, to give the illusion of purity and to be able to lift it after the vows for the kiss. Before that it was more for adding a fashionable or seductive element, or the appearance of delicacy to the face. . In older days they also helped keep out street dust and dirt which was more prevalent than it is today.
Click to expand...
Fascinating! If someone had told me, years ago, that I'd one day be so engaged by learning about vintage fashion... Thanks again, @Rue_de_la_Paix, for your comments. I'd never thought about nets beyond their use in catching butterflies, frogs and fish! I'm a fan of history, though, and now I have more of an appreciation about how fashion and history are wedded. I consider that a net gain! [wink]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top