So dashing!

Browsing casually one day through Lady Bloodstone’s emporium, a favourite hatshop on eBay, I came upon this dashing little tilt hat that was so cute I instantly added it to my watch list.

Tomato red: such a happy colour! It looked just like something from a children’s picture book, with its curved calligraphic loops and soutache embroidery. I was unable to resist its allure for many days, and before long I committed to buy.

However, prior to my discovery of this late 30s wonder, the word ‘soutache’ had not been part of my vocabulary. Some research was called for.

I learned from that font of wisdom, Wikipedia, that a soutache is a ‘narrow flat decorative braid, a type of galloon*, used in the trimming of drapery or clothing’. It is often deployed in military and athletic uniforms to, respectively, indicate rank or outline numbers or players’ names. Crafters today are also using it to create jewellery. Originally soutache was woven from metallic bullion thread, silk, or silk/wool blends, although it is also now made from synthetic fibres.

…the original store tags were attached, and read ‘Montgomery Ward, $1.98’…

Lady Bloodstone noted the hat was in very good vintage condition, although the form and trims might require a little reshaping after storage; it also seemed that a veil might once have been attached. There was no label, but the original store tags were attached, and read ‘Montgomery Ward, $1.98’ and ‘100% wool, ADJ’. One dollar ninety-eight! I paid considerably more for the piece, some 70 years later.

When the hat arrived, I saw that the decorative loops did indeed require a little TLC. I procured some matching red thread and sewed them on securely. It didn’t need the addition of a veil, I decided, but just the right saucy tilt on the head to carry it off. And some bright red lipstick. 

* Galloon: a narrow strip of ornamental fabric, typically a silk braid or strip of lace, used to trim clothing or finish upholstery. From the French galon, early 17th century.