Summer’s Endings

It’s going to be autumn – officially – in Melbourne in a few days’ time. Of course, that doesn’t mean an end to the heat, but it’s a shame it hasn’t been a great summer as far as enjoying the seasonal weather goes. I have hardly had to wear big hats like this, and I’ve carried an umbrella more often than a parasol.

A few years ago, I bought this fabulously wide-brimmed hat in an op shop (thrift store) for a few bucks. It was untrimmed, so I decided to decorate it with some vintage ribbon and a bunch of cherries. The velvet ribbon was also an op shop find: included in a huge stash of ribbons in a multitude of colours and styles. I have been able to use them to refurbish more than one chapeau. I love mint green and red together, and the way the weight of the ribbon dipped the hat elegantly on one side.

However, I’ve had to say goodbye to it as the hat developed several holes and tears along the top of the crown and in the brim. The straw had become far too brittle to attempt to repair.

And then, alas, a favourite pair of raspberry suede 40s style platform heels also became too worn out on the soles and tips of the toes. After being repaired once or twice, I regretfully farewelled them as well. I bought them new, from the Australian label Wittner, and I remember the first time I wore them to see an exhibition on vintage fashion at the Bendigo Art Gallery – because of the sheer agony they inflicted! They were so high, and gave me blisters where they cut in around around my toes. But eventually I wore them in, and wore them many, many times, so I can’t regret their loss too much – especially since I no longer wear such high heels these days anyway (a matter of style).

This favourite dress though is currently requiring vintage rescue, as through stupid carelessness I tore off one of the buttons, ripping the fabric around the buttonhole as well – one of those moments in life when you want to shout “Undo, undo!”

I feel like this is a fitting homage to these accessories though, and the end of summer too. So farewell hat and shoes – farewell!

Hello! I just (didn’t) step out of a time machine.

Greetings again dear readers, those of you who have emigrated with me. Apologies for the long silence as I have been very busy working on populating the professional sections of my website. (Please feel free to have a look at the portfolio.) But for those of you who are here only for the fashion, ta-da! Here is a little ‘fashionistamatic’ taken of me three weeks ago.

Since I last was consistently posting here, my personal style has evolved once more, and it is the 1930s era that I have become enamoured with. I won’t wax lyrical about it just yet, as it deserves lots of paragraphs: I’ve been thinking of writing a little series on why I think the 30s are the most stylish era EVER – perhaps a grandiose claim which will require copious justification to allay some skeptics.

I do own quite a lot of original 1930s garments and accessories, which I have bought both online from vintage boutiques or eBay, and a great many – remarkably – from op shops (thrift stores) right here in Melbourne. I have a theory that most of the volunteer staff, while au fait with 40s or 50s fashion, really do not know how to identify original 30s items because they confuse them with the 1970s. (The Thirties did have a big influence in that era too, via films such as Bonnie & Clyde.)

I’ve always said that I would hate to look like I have stepped out of a period film, or out of a time machine, and one way I have tried to maintain some semblance of modernity is by mixing eras. Hair and makeup styles help too. However, if I could have an entire wardrobe of original 30s garments, I would not hesitate to wear it head to toe, all day, every day. (1930s shoes are the most comfortable I’ve ever worn – they don’t make them like they used to!) Unfortunately, availability and cost hinder me somewhat.

Here I am wearing a 1930s straw hat trimmed with black velvet and celluloid berries, which I bought on eBay. The berries make the cutest clicking sound in my ear as I walk – like billiard balls. The blouse is modern, and the silk scarf is actually from an earlier period – the seller thought either Edwardian or even Victorian. Neckline embellishments such as collars, scarves and bows were huge in the 30s though, literally and figuratively. I’m also wearing a pair of vintage earrings (not sure of era) that match the celluloid berries really well. Those and the blouse were op shop purchases.

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PS You’ll see now I’ve added a blog header, and an archive drop-down menu so you can find things a bit more easily (the section header temporarily enlarges when the menu is opened, which seems to be unavoidable). I have also transferred most if not all of the old Look Book galleries, accessible in the main navigation. Unfortunately something very weird happened to the Ten Commandments on style stories in the migration from my old site, so that is temporarily inaccessible as I will have to lay that out in its entirety afresh when I have time. Please also note that there will be some weird formatting on any posts older than this one; I will try to fix these if and when I have time, but there is ten years’ worth of blogging below here!

A Celestial Hue

A modern dress with vintage 1950s hat and brooches from various erasThe colour azure is described as the colour of the sky on a clear day, but the origin of its name is in fact the blue mineral lapis lazuli. ‘Lapis’ is the Latin word for ‘stone’, and ‘lazuli’ is traced back through Medieval Latin, to the Arabic and ultimately to the Persian ‘lazaward’, which is the name of this stone in Persian, and also is the name of a place where the stone was mined.

Tumbled nuggets of lapis lazuliThe Côte d'AzurThe azure damselflyDespite this generic meaning, the name of the stone became associated with the colour, assisted by its adoption in heraldry, where azure represented a blue colour in its system of tinctures. Many European languages subsequently adopted this root word, such as azur in French – whence comes the name of the Côte d’Azur – and the Italian azzurro, which also gives its name to the national football team.

The colour is also seen in the plumage of many birds, kingfishers, hummingbirds, jays, and also in damsel- and dragonflies.

It is also – quite literally! – a divine colour to wear.

A vintage 1960s dress and hat

Photos: November, September 2018

Winter Favourites

Last month I raced to photograph all my winter outfits before I did the biannual seasonal clothes storage swap-over, and spent about four days over two sessions to get through everything. This meant I had a compressed overview of which items were my popular over autumn/winter.

While it was interesting in hindsight, I was also a bit annoyed with myself for ‘overwearing’ some things considering how many other items in the same categories went unworn, or worn little, especially my hats. I have so many hats I don’t have time to wear them all even if I did wear a different one every day!

But, for what it’s worth, here are the favoured ones.

3 x

Three times wearing this vintage 40s purple hat (above) doesn’t sound like too many for all of autumn/winter, but this was all within a few weeks, and I simply own too many hats for this not to seem like I am squandering opportunities to make use of my marvellous collection.

5 x

This blue ribbed wool cardigan by Australian label is a vintage 1970s piece, and has been a favourite for many years since I found it in a thrift store in Berwick when I went op shopping with my sister, who lives out there. I just love the colour, which is what stood out: one of the gems amongst rack upon rack jammed with dross.

5 x

One of my favourite vintage brooches is this soaring seabird (above); I think it is probably celluloid. Admittedly, I have more than once worn it simply because I have left it on this cardigan – but that just speeds up the process of getting dressed in the morning!

7 x

These black leather Mary-Jane heels with the little bow on the strap are so comfortable and easy to walk in, it’s no wonder I reached for them so many times. On the days I wear higher heels, I walk to work in a flat pair of shoes, which is an extra thing to carry. If I don’t have to, that’s a bonus.

7 x

Simply an outright favourite, I reached for this double enamel cherry brooch many times this winter. Considering how many brooches I own, this is remarkable, but these cherries look good enough to eat. Plus, I must confess, while rhinestones catch my eye in the thrift store, I end up wearing them very little. I have always preferred opaque stones over sparkle – pearls, lapis lazuli, turquoise – and the same goes for costume jewellery. Enamel, Bakelite and wood win hands down over the multitude of rhinestone brooches I own.

And … drumroll … the winners!

8 x

The cherry earrings (photo before the above) just pipped the cherry brooch at the post, beating it by only one wear. I usually wear them together, but once I wore the earrings with a glass fruit necklace. I always love a cherry motif, but these earrings are also so bright and cheerful, and seem to go with so many things. 

8 x

The black pants by Ming (above and below) were worn eight times. I was rather disgusted by that total, as I do own other winter trousers, some of which only were worn once. But these are elasticised at the back, and the sheer wideness and soft wool flannel and suiting combination make them very comfortable and relaxed to wear. I have had them so many years, and had to do more than one repair, but they have proved their worth countless times, they deserve a prize!

Most of these favoured items were found in thrift stores (except for the two brooches and the hat which were bought from vintage boutiques). In fact, except for the red hat, every other item I am wearing in these pictures was also found in a thrift store, so I consider that a pretty good testament to a trained eye, able to spot a good purchase in the jumble of op shops!

Photos: August, September 2019

What is — and what is not — a fedora

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO WHAT HAT IS THAT

If you have been reading this blog for a little while, you will know that I love hats. While I am not a trained milliner, I do own a lot of hats (over 300) and books about hats, which I sometimes even read (as opposed to drooling over the pictures). I scour the internet for strange and wonderful hats, and for a long time I have been looking for the perfect 1930s or 1940s fedora. I already own one (pictured above), which I love for its film noir aspect, but I would love one more that has a more exaggerated shape, specifically in a colour I love (not black or brown, which are more ubiquitous).

What I am finding however, is that vintage sellers seem to apply the word ‘fedora’ to any vaguely mannish hat, and I’m not sure if that’s because some of them aren’t really clear on the proper definition of a fedora, or because it is an extremely popular search term – I’ve seen it applied as a keyword for a frothy pink, flower-bedecked garden party hat! Today, however, I am going to clear up any misconceptions about what is – and what is not – a fedora, with a few key, easy-to-remember points to identify these same, same but different hats.

The Fedora

The fedora takes its name from an 1891 stage play, about a cross-dressing Princess Fedora who wears a centre-creased, soft wide-brimmed hat. Traditionally the crease is pinched at the front, forming a point or teardrop shape, but the crease can include diamond shaped crowns, and the positioning of dents can vary. Many other hats have centre dents, but the fedora combines this with a low crown – 4.5” or 11cm – and a wider brim of at least 2.5” or 6.4cm but they can be much wider, particularly in exaggerated fashion versions. The brims can be left raw, or stitched, or finished with ribbon-trim. This is the hat worn by Humphrey Bogart in the film Casablanca.

Key Points

1. Low crown
2. Centre crease pinched at front
3. Wide brim

Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca; image found on Pinterest

The Slouch

The next hat most commonly confused with a fedora, as far as I can discern, is the slouch hat. This is a style of hat traditionally worn by Australian soldiers (and those of many other nations), and is distinguished mainly with one side of the brim being turned up towards the crown, and one dipped down. The military hat has a fairly low crown, and the turned-up side is usually pinned to allow a rifle to be slung over the shoulder. Fashion versions vary in crown heights, but both feature a centre crease. Where the military hat is pinned up, the fashion hat may simply be decorated with trim on one side.

Key Points

1. One side turned up, one side dipped down
2. Crown height and brim width variable
3. In place of the military pin, fashionable trim

Australian soldier wearing a slouch in 1916; image found on Pinterest

The Trilby

Another ubiquitous hat which can also be confused for a fedora is the trilby. Surprisingly, this is another hat whose inception lies in a stage play around the same time! George du Maurier’s 1894 novel Trilby was translated to the stage in London, and a hat of this shape was worn. Though the hat was worn by a woman, it became popular for men shortly after. It’s often made of tweed, like mine, or in straw for summer, though more properly its short brim is snapped up at the back. It has a much taller crown than a fedora, with sloped sides, and a popular hat with musicians, it is often worn on the back of the head. Sean Connery is well-known for wearing a trilby.

Key Points

1. Short brim, usually snapped up at back
2. Taller crown with sloping sides
3. Designed to be worn further back on the head

Sean Connery wearing a trilby; image found on Pinterest

The Homburg

The homburg is quite a masculine hat that has not really been translated into women’s versions, but this turquoise felt hat I own does not really fall into any other style, so I am using it to illustrate this style, perhaps most famously worn by Winston Churchill. Its most distinctive feature is the pencil-curled brim (which mine does not have at all). The hat is usually made of hard felt, with straight sides and a pronounced and quite wide centre crease. It is still a very popular hat shape for men today – and gangsters of all eras! Michael Corleone of The Godfather, and Nucky Thompson of Boardwalk Empire both present fine examples of the homburg’s sinister aspect.

Key Points

1. Short, curled brim
2. Taller crown with straight sides
3. Wide, shallow centre crease

Winston Churchill was famous for his homburg; image found on Pinterest

The Tyrolean

The Tyrolean hat style is one of my favourite jaunty styles! It originates from the Tyrol in the Alps, in what is now variously Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. Its most distinctive feature is the crown that rises to form a point. The brim traditionally was roughly the width of a hand, and the hat was usually decorated with hatband made of coloured cord and a spray of flowers, feathers or brush. However, brims and crown heights varied in different parts of the Tyrol. Also known as a Bavarian or Alpine hat, it was originally made from green felt. Fortunately, fashion versions are not so limited in scope. Mine is navy, trimmed in a wide grosgrain band, netting, and a light blue ostrich feather. Edward VIII stayed in Austria after his abdication and often wore the hat, popularising its style.

Key Points

1. Crown tapers to a point
2. Crown height and brim width varies
3. Decorated with flowers or feathers

Edward VIII made the Tyrolean hat famous after his abdication

In Conclusion

Of course, it must be remembered that these key points are only guidelines for identifying a general style – they are not hard and fast rules. Fashion hats often take inspiration from traditional styles and designers will add their own twist, pushing and pulling them in exaggerated directions, creating hybrids with brilliant details and wonderful new ideas. A hat should be the exclamation point of an outfit, the finishing touch to delight the eye – much more than a conservative tradition. But it’s always good to know the rules before you break them.

Photos: September 2019