A Blackbird Cocktail Hat for Tippi Hedren

Yesterday I received a comment from blogger Loveable Homebody at Beyond Passing Time who said that she was having a hard time finding vintage hat blogs.  I hadn't had much luck finding hat blogs myself until I happened to stumble across the wonderful blog Many Hatty Returns a few months back.  And once you discover one, it makes the research so much easier.

This morning, eager to help out this damsel in distress, I decided to do a little hat blog hunting while sipping on my morning latte.

The very first hat blog I bumped into was so much fun that I never went any further.  The Millinery Guild of Southern California states that its purpose is to "foster interest in Hats, Millinery and Hat Wearing through Lectures, Instructional Workshops and a variety of classes in all aspects of traditional and contemporary millinery."  

Well, who better to promote interest in hats than the lovely Ms. Tippi Hedren of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" fame!

Tippi is modeling an incredible feathered blackbird cocktail hat created by Gladys Tamez Millinery!  When I first glanced at the hat all I saw was the feathers - and then I did a double take when I saw the blackbirds nesting there!  If you check out the Millinery Guild blog you'll see that in the 1960's poster directly behind Ms. Hedren is another very large bird from her Hitchcock film.

What a fun way to start off my morning!  Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday...

Only 13 Muscles Are Used To Smile!

I shared this "Frown - Smile" mini-poster with you a month or so ago, but today seemed like a good day to post it again. 

Every time I walk past this 1960's "Vari-Vue" motion image card in my bedroom, I can't help but smile.

I'll need to keep my eyes open for more of these vintage Vari-Vues. They're definitely day brighteners.

Vintage Hats: All-Out Deliciousness

The Love-Knot

Tying her bonnet under her chin,

She tied her raven ringlets in;

But not alone in the silken snare

Did she catch her lovely floating hair,

For, tying her bonnet under her chin,

She tied a young man’s heart within.

-- from "The Love-Knot" (first verse) by Nora Perry (1832-1896)

German fashion plate - "Moden Z. 1829 - Lohse sc(?) - No. 50"

 

Throughout history hats have held an important place in the world of fashion.  Whether the year was 1829 with the pretty - and enormous! - German bonnets (above)...or 1960 with a fresh floral spring hat on the cover of Vogue (below).

 

Vogue, Feb. 15, 1960.  On the cover: "First glimpse of the hat situation - through a little-evening cage of green leaves, white stephanotis, and a rose-coloured rose at brow-level. All-out deliciousness is one of the self-evident truths of the hat situation this spring."

 

Here's what Vogue had to say about hats in its 2/15/60 feature article: The Truth About the Hat Situation:

     The truth about hats is: like diamonds, they're not among the necessities of life, but are among the tonic pleasures, and they add a tremendous charge of dazzle.  In another generation, we heard "you're not dressed if you don't wear a hat," but the obvious truth is that many smart women are now beautifully, though hatlessly, dressed, wearing marvellous hair as a substitute. 

     What we are getting at is this: hats are golden chances for a chic woman to acquire extra chic. This year, designers are coming up with a special surge of hat excitement - spectacular bulky shapes, or tiny toy hats, in featherweight substances of straw, organdie, silk, with results ravishing enough to tempt even the most diehard of the no-hat cult.

     About no-hattism: we have often found this to be simply the fact that, as the lovelorn columns say, the right one hasn't come along (this, a corollary of the principle that you can't marry a millionaire unless you first meet one).  Our advice to the hatlorn is to keep trying; each fresh batch of hats holds fresh chances to look wonderful..."

If you've gone hatless most of your life, but are feeling a little bolder these days and would like to add a "charge of dazzle" to your fashion life - here are some more hats to inspire you...

Taffeta striped beret - a fresh edition of the paperbag beret in brilliant Roman striped silk - purple, orange, beige.  Vogue magazine, 2/15/60.

Fez fare...in felt, with a new head-on approach to flowers - a spray of tulips stemming from box pleats at the front.  Vogue magazine, 2/15/60.

Gilbey's Vodka ad - Life magazine, April 20, 1962

Spring...and a New Hat for Audrey Hepburn.  Life magazine, 4/20/62.

Montgomery Ward Catalog - Spring 1939

   A few more hats from the 1939 Ward's catalog.  I love hats from this era!  I wish they were easier to find...

Pictured below are a few hats that I have added to my collection (and then sold) over the years...

Above is a vintage 1950's turban hat with glam movie star appeal...

....and below is a stunning peacock blue hat with rows of pretty pleats and a tuft of netting and sequins on top!

Pictured below are the newest additions to my (very small) hat collection...

The soft yellow straw hat above is wrapped in a pretty ribbon, and has a Dayton's label inside.  Dayton's department store was a favorite Mpls./St. Paul fashion destination for years.  I'm always happy to find vintage clothing with one of their labels because it brings back good memories of shopping excursions there when I was younger.

 

I love the glamorous vintage look of scarves worn over the head.  Here's a fabulous Oscar de la Renta find with wonderful stripes and bold geometric shapes....

But here's my favorite of all.  Found just yesterday!

Truly a work of art.  Don't you agree?

Sarsaparilla Saturday: cartoon fun with "Gerald McBoing Boing" !

Yay, it's the weekend!  Sleep till 10:00 if you can - then grab yourself a bowl of Post Toasties and join me for some classic cartoon fun with Gerald McBoing Boing (1950).



And now a word from Post and your favorite breakfast cereal...


Today's sponsors are tmiwijones (Gerald McBoing-Boing) and Meatpies62 (Post Toasties).

Stay tuned next week for another Sarsaparilla Saturday and more weekend fun!

Twenties Tuesday: Josephine Baker, Bye Bye Blackbird and Louise Brooks

Welcome to my first "Twenties Tuesday." I plan to reserve Tuesdays for sharing intriguing finds from the 1920's.

I think you'll enjoy this wonderful video, found on moonkaf's channel on YouTube. (Thanks moonkaf!)

Josephine Baker (1906-1975) sings the 1920's hit Bye Bye Blackbird.
The video features film clips of the amazing silent film star Louise Brooks (1906-1985).

If you haven't yet met the beautiful Louise in your vintage film travels, I think you're going to fall in love with her...

Vintage Weddings: "Something Old..."

"Something Old, Something New,
Something Borrowed, Something Blue
And a Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe."

                     - Old English rhyme - Anonymous 

I don't think I'll ever outgrow my love for weddings.  It doesn't matter that my own marriage didn't last quite as long as I had hoped.  Whenever I go to a wedding, my eyes always glisten with tears of of joy for the bride and groom.  I still believe that love can last a lifetime - and my own parents, happily married for 54 years, are living proof.

Romantic fool that I am, it's no surprise that when I go to antique stores, auctions and estate sales - anything to do with a wedding catches my eye.

Here are some of the vintage wedding items I've collected over the years.  I hope you'll enjoy...

Engaged!  Showing off the ring at the office.  1958 Saturday Evening Post cover.

"Priscilla" Wedding Ring ad - from 1929 Photoplay Magazine

Beautiful Diamond Rings - 1930's Jason Weiler & Sons catalog

What a sweet little ceramic basket for holding rings - ca. 1920's?

An early 1920's Wedding Record Book

The book opens up to this quaint verse - "Hail! Wedded Love..."

One of the oldest wedding traditions....tossing the garter.  These days it's often a blue garter - to cover the "something blue" tradition.  The garters pictured above are from "The Ribbon Art Book", 1923 - back when garters weren't just worn for show, but to hold up stockings!

A variety of tiny wedding flowers from the 1950's and 60's - for bouquets, wedding cake toppers, hats and veils.  They were purchased from the estate of a 91-yr-old woman who catered weddings for 35 years.

Here's a closeup of the flowers with a rhinestone center.  Aren't they fabulous!

Life Magazine - June 9, 1952.  Isn't this dress gorgeous?

Crinoline Petticoats and a "Belle o" the Ball" hoop (above).  Bridesmaid nine times, flower girl three times (below).  Both photos are from Life magazine - 1952

Early 1960's bridesmaid dress.  The coat, with a bow clasp, is in a heavy gold satin. And the lovely dress underneath is in a beautiful gold and cream floral brocade.

Here's another early 1960's bridesmaid dress in a pretty lemon yellow.  I was thrilled to find a matching pair, both size 8.

I love the daisies - and the pretty bow in back.

And best of all....there's a train with a huge bow that attaches to the back, for that walk down the aisle!

And to top it off - a pretty yellow veil.  I love this color!

Here's a pretty Fostoria American cake stand with a rum well in the center.

Vintage plastic bridesmaids in green, yellow and blue, on heart stands - to decorate a wedding cake.  How fun! 

Here's a 1950 "military" wedding cake topper with a 48-stars flag.  I love the simple floral frame surrounding the bisque bride and groom.

Pictured above - famous bride Frances Folsom Cleveland (wife of President Grover Cleveland). The gown was fashioned of ivory silk, a bustled skirt, fifteen foot train & trimmed with orange blossoms - the most popular bridal flower of the nineteenth century. 

Pictured below are three more famous brides: Jackie Kennedy (married 1953); Wallis Simpson - King Edward VIII abidcated his throne to marry her in 1937; and Grace Kelly, who became Princess Grace of Monaco when she married Prince Rainier in 1956.

1920's satin "flapper" wedding dress

Such a simple wedding dress - with the only embellishments, the beautiful lace (above) attached to the slip underneath, and the gorgeous beaded belt (below) across the front.

 

A collection of early 50's bridal shower, wedding and anniversary cards.

This last one is my favorite.  Squeeze the top of the card, and the couple pops out from underneath!

 

And finally - a vintage 50's, 60's bride doll with a zippered storage compartment hidden under her skirt, for holding all your wedding treasures!

p.s. If you're interested in learning a bit more about the history behind "Something Old, Something New..." take a peek at this Foot Talk blog, written by a shoe historian!