Fantastic Floral Hats from 1954

Evidently French milliners had decided 1954 was the year of fanciful floral confections, judging by these marvelous hats from that year.  Some are stunning, some are silly, all are striking.  Which one is your favorite?

Gilbert Orcel

Gilbert Orcel

Svend

Reboux

Paulette

Paulette

Legroux Souers

Designer Hats from Paris - 1960

Pierre Balmain

I posted these gorgeous hat photos on my Facebook page yesterday.  Everyone loved them so much, I thought you might like to see them here. All from Paris, all from the spring of 1960.

Rose Valois

Paulette

Gilbert Orcel

Jean Patou

Claude St. Cyr

A Century of Easter Bonnets

"In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it, you'll be the grandest lady in the Easter Parade!"

1913

1923

1933

1943

1953

1963

1973

1983

1993

2003

2013

Adolfo Hats, 1963-66

On Monday, we looked at some of the hats from Adolfo's early career while working for Emme.   

1963

Adolfo left Emme to open his own millinery salon at 22 East 57th Street, New York in 1962. His hats continued to be very popular and were featured often on the editorial pages of high fashion magazines. 

1964

His hats were also often found in fashion advertisements for other companies, always with attribution in the small print.  This ad was for dresses by Nantucket Naturals with hats by Adolfo.

1965

He also paired with several clothing manufacturers to make hats that coordinated with their garments.  Here, the suit is by Modelia and Adolfo made the matching hat.

In 1963, Adolfo made an agreement with the Award Hat Company to launch two new labels that bore his name.  He would design the hats, but Award would manufacture them.  The Adolfo Realities line was a bridge line and the Adolfo II line was a less expensive one.  These lines were sold in department stores and smaller boutiques across the country, and were more affordable for the average American woman.  His own Adolfo label hats were sold in his 57th St. boutique and at the upper tier of department stores across the country, such as Saks Fifth Avenue, I. Magnin, etc.

This is the label from Adolfo's custom hat line.  It is often found with an additional label attached from the first tier department store where it was sold.  This label signifies the most expensive of Adolfo's hats.

Adolfo Realities label from his bridge line.  These hats were manufactured by the Award Hat Company, but designed by Adolfo.  This line was less expensive than the custom label hats, but still of high quality.

The lowest tier label, the Adolfo II line was designed by Adolfo but manufactured by the Award Hat Company.  This was the least expensive of Adolfo's hat lines and the hats were made of lower quality materials with the trimmings often glued on instead of stitched.  That is not to say that these are not great hats!  They are still far superior to hats made in later decades!

1965

As the decade moved on and fewer women were wearing hats, Adolfo began designing more dramatic styles in order to counteract the trend.  He held that hats should be worn as a fashion accessory rather than as a necessity.

1966

Adolfo was quoted in 1993 as saying that even though he got his start in millinery, he never enjoyed making hats.  I'm not so sure I believe him, because his hats were beautiful.  By 1966 though, hats were becoming less and less popular and few women wore them anymore.  Adolfo made the incisive and timely move to designing clothing, probably more as a business decision than anything else.  We'll look at some of his clothing tomorrow.

Adolfo Hats for Emme

Designer Adolfo Sardina, 1958

Adolfo Sardina was born in Havana, Cuba in 1933.  Destined to join the family law firm, it was his wealthy and fashionable aunt, Maria Lopez, who persuaded Adolfo's parents that her nephew was not meant for the law.  She took him to Paris and convinced Balenciaga to hire Adolfo as an apprentice.  It was there that he learned the importance of cut and design that would serve him throughout his career.

In 1953, Adolfo left Paris to work in New York.  There, he joined the millinery firm of Emme where he designed hats until starting his own company in 1963.  He won the first of his 3 Coty Awards in 1955 for his millinery work at Emme.  Today, a look at some of the hats Adolfo designed during his years at Emme.

1955

1957

1959

1960

Sophia Loren wearing an Adolfo for Emme hat, 1961.

Take Your Holiday Dressing Up a Notch, Part 2

When I post photos of gorgeous vintage evening gowns and party dresses here on my blog or on my Facebook or Pinterest pages, one of the most common reactions I get is, "Why don't we dress up like this any more?" It is a shame that our society has become so casual that a pair of jeans and a t-shirt will suffice for most social occasions. Instead of bemoaning that fact, however, why not become part of a change back toward more formal dressing? An easy way to start is to amp up what you wear to all the holiday parties and get togethers you'll be attending in the next month. This week, I'll be looking at ways to accomplish that.

A great way to add drama to your holiday party wardrobe is to wear a hat.  I know, I know.  It takes guts to wear a hat these days.  But I can assure you that when wearing a hat you'll exude confidence and allure.  Every man in the room will think you are interesting and want to talk to you.  Every woman in the room will envy your sense of style and wish that she had done the same.  And you'll hear the phrase, "I love your hat!" over and over and over again.  Try it!

Hats are Hot for Fall

Thanks to Nancy over a Beladora for pointing out that two of the vintage hats I listed last week look very similar to styles shown on the runway at Louis Vuitton for Fall 2012.  The difference?  Besides the price and the fact that mine won't overpower your head, Vuitton is not actually selling those hats on their website right now.  I don't know if they're in stores, but I kind of doubt it.

Louis Vuitton, Fall 2012 runway

1950s hat at Couture Allure for $45

Louis Vuitton, Fall 2012 runway

1950s vintage hat at Couture Allure for $45

If neither of these hats appeals to you, we've got 25 vintage hats for sale right now at the website.  Come find your favorite!