According to masterclass.com, “milliner” was originally a word used to describe a resident of Milan, Italy. Milliners are “hatmakers who specialize in bespoke headpieces…” The millinery profession gained prominence in the 1800’s and is still practiced today.
Straw hats are irresistible to me! Now that we live in the Texas Hill Country, hats are more than covetable, they are a necessity. Working in the garden calls for hats with wide brims and no embellishments…they may be straw! Visiting the nursery or strolling through the main streets in nearby small towns you may wear another type of hat. One of my favorites is this ramie straw hat with a band made of vintage ribbon accented with an antique hatpin. The hatpin stick was originally about 10” long and had to be cut down to wear without injury.
This photograph by Bettina du Toit of a hat designed by Noel Stewart was in the November, 2019 issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK. The photographs and clothes featured in the story remind me of Dutch master paintings.
Here are some other hats created by Noel Stewart (noelstewart.com)
Designer Simone Rocha sometimes includes head pieces created to go with her clothing designs.
Artist Gustave Courbet painted a portrait of Madame Proudhon wearing a flowered head piece in 1865. (Bonfante-Warren, A.: The Musee D’Orsay)
Simone Rocha drapes wide brimmed hats with veils; some are meant to be tucked into a neckband.
The hat veils remind me of this pastel by Lucien Levy-Dhurmer, Woman With a Gold Medallion or Mystery. The dark pastels on canvas and the strong, spare image feel modern though the work dates from 1896. (Bonfante-Warren, A.: The Musee D’Orsay)
Designer Ralph Lauren, inspired by a traditional silk top hat, has added a loose net veil underneath the brim.
This painting, The Stock Exchange, by Edgar Degas demonstrates the dress of people in the banking business in the late 1800’s. The dark angularity of the top hats is a focal point in the painting. (Bonfante-Warren, A.: The Musee D’Orsay)
There is an art to finding the right hat. Some say you should purchase the hat and then look for the outfit to go with it. Edgar Degas’ painting, The Millinery Shop, shows a woman deciding upon a hat. (Wolohojian, S. and Dunn, A.: Manet-Degas)
Straw boaters have been popular since the 1800’s and remain so. This portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes was painted by John Singer Sargent in 1897. (Gibson, C.: John Singer Sargent)
Straw hats are worn by many as evidenced in this painting titled Paul Helleu Sketching With His Wife, a watercolor by John Singer Sargent. (Kilmurray, E. and Ormond, E., Eds.: John Singer Sargent)
Before he became a sculptor, Aristide Maillol was a painter. Alexandra Bonfante-Warren likens Woman With a Parasol to a fashion plate. We have a framed post card of the image purchased in the museum gift shop. The image is somewhat faded now, but still brings me joy. (Bonfante-Warren, A.: The Musee D’Orsay)
In an article about the style of Princess Anne over the years there was a photograph of her in a yellow felt hat embellished with a wide ribbon and bow.
Seeing the photo gave me an idea to use some of my wide Italian grosgrain ribbon in a muddy brown color to restyle one of my old hats. This hat has been with me for many years. It had a bit of white paint splashed on it from a time when our house flooded and we had to have the floors replaced. It was summer and, in need of something to do outside while the crew worked on the floors, I decided to repaint the eaves of the house. This hat provided great protection from the hot sun. It did the same for me the first few years we lived in the Texas Hill Country where I am out on the land much of the day. Most people here wear wider brims when outside, so this hat wasn’t being used as much.
Here is the hat with the paint removed and ribbon sewed on. This was a fun project. Where you may find hats of this sort with the ribbon band hot glued to the straw, this ribbon is sewn to the hat. The ribbon was so wide it needed to include an angle to the back to keep it flush with the crown. The small tucks in back create the angle needed.
This is a ramie straw hat of mine. It was purchased in Galveston, Texas from a little shop on the Strand. Advertised as a “travel” hat, you could fold it up and pull it out of your bag and it retained its shape. The ramie straw hat traveled with me for years. This is a photo of the hat and my journal at a café in Florence, Italy.
After fifteen years of use, the hat needed reshaping and the ribbon was frayed. It was fairly simple to steam iron the hat back to its original shape. With a bit of the wide Italian ribbon, this time in black, clipped and tied around the crown, we are ready for more adventures together!
It often helps me to sketch and write about an idea before beginning!
