Help Dating Cloche; 1920s or early 30s?

maubrey

maubrey

Registered Guest
I recently acquired this beautiful cloche made of what seems to be a green metallic straw or thread-like material. I'm not quite sure how to describe the material so I've included several close-ups. It's completely lined in matching green silk, but it's deteriorating near the crown. There is also some green velvet trim around the outside of the hat and a light pink flower adorning the front, or back (I'm not quite sure which way it should be worn). I do not know if the flower is original to the hat, so I also included a close up in case anyone knows how to date it. There is no label. Also, I'm calling it a cloche, but it's almost as if the hat has ear flaps (?) that come down farther over the ears. Hopefully the pictures will help. It's a beautiful style and is in overall great condition. Also, sorry for the color changes between pictures, as I was taking pictures from my phone. The most true color is in picture 3 and 4. As always, any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

IMG_2159.jpg IMG_2160.jpg IMG_2155.jpg IMG_2156.jpg IMG_2157.jpg IMG_2158.jpg
 
Hi,

It is very pretty and I love the color. Jonathan is right, I would date it to 1929, possibly Spring of 1930 but no later. There were so many unique materials used to make hats back then, yours looks to be a type of novelty "braid", which came in hanks or wound over cards, and was sewn to shape by hand, over a hat block. I cannot tell from the photos what fibers the "braid" is made of, could be silk or rayon cording mixed with metallic cording. I have similar braids to yours, in other colors, still on the original cards.

Yes, it is a definitely a cloche, specifically a helmet cloche.

I cannot help with dating the trims from just a photo, sorry. I would need to handle them or see more photos. I can say the green ribbon looks as if added later, it just doesn't look quite right for the time. Of course, I could be wrong as I don't have the hat in hand. Often a hat would be re-trimmed to match an outfit or to freshen it up, if the trims are of the right time period it should not effect the value or desirability of the hat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top