A Hat Makeover

Whilst dusting off my hatboxes months ago, I discovered quite a number of hats that were past due for the dustbin. This was one
of them.

It was the trimming that offended me most; making the hat look like something a dowager duchess would wear. The silhouette bothered me also, with its high crown and narrow brim – so early Nineties. In spite of this, it vaguely reminded me of the hat Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, with a length of cream silk encircling its crown. That couldn’t be bad.

…the hat looked like something a dowager duchess would wear.

I decided to rip off the faux hydrangea and raffia that so displeased me and see what I could contrive.

Several staples and shreds of raffia later, I held the denuded headgear in my hand. A marked improvement already. I whipped a lace-embroidered cream scarf into action and surveyed the result. A reasonable facsimile, I decided.

Compare my before and after to Audrey’s:

(Left) Audrey with Rex Harrison in ‘My Fair Lady’; (right) with George Peppard in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’.Still, made-over or not, I knew I would not wear it. The hat was destined for charity; a bit like Eliza Doolittle. Perhaps someone else would fall in love with it.