Tuesday, July 6

Hats off to the Fair!


How groovy is this flyer - and I'll be selling there this Saturday, woo hoo! I had to wait ten months to get a space at this fair, so I'm quite excited.

Needless to say I'm in full "fair preparation mode" this week. Not that all the prep could be completed within only one week -hardly- but certain things need to be done as close to the date as possible. Like hats.



So, dear readers, you are hereby treated to a show of just a few of the hats I've been working on during the last few days.

All my hats get trimmed, steamed at least 3 times, deodorised, reblocked and reshaped, then priced and packed away carefully. Thats as long as they don't need any major work.

I wonder what northern hemisphere ladies think of this one; this 50s style is quite rare here and very popular.





Fabulous deep green Italian felt, love that thick 'pile'.


60s or 70s I'd think, no older because of the deep crown.
















Stunning 40s tilt toppper with insanely long grosgrain ribbon at the back.



It has silk velvet on the underside of the brim and on the crown.








I was super-excited to get this hat as this style is insanely rare here. Why, you may ask?

For one thing, the heat in my area is very hard on certain vintage stuff, but also, Australia is a sparsely populated country with a short history, and there's stuff that just never existed here in the first place. Atomic lamps for example. But that's ok, thats why they invented ebay, right?










Another 50s whimsy, this time with a big velvet bow.















This is not a great shot, because this one won't sit on my mannequin. It has a comb sewn into the crown to attach to the head.


This is the one hat in this lot that needed major work.


See the picture below? WOULD YOU BELIEVE I TRIMMED BOTH SIDES OF EVERY SINGLE BLOODY 'LEAF'?? Well I hope so, because I did, and it took me BLOODY HOURS.








I have the patience for this kind of thing, so I always do this much work to this sort of hat. I like them to look really 'crisp'. My mother thinks I'm insane. He he.



Which hats do you like best and why?

4 comments:

1950s Atomic Ranch House said...

Oooo I like them all, well, 'cept I'd be laughed at over the "pimp" hat =) the green one. Saw a store in a Mall a few years back selling the "pimp style" for men. But I think it only seems to fit those who are into rap music and such.

Otherwise, the rest are amazing!

Vix said...

Oh so many things to love here, Kitty! I adore your mannequin's head and the green felt hat takes the biscuit. I have a very similiar one in red. My head's massive and i have huge trouble finding hats to fit.
Can't believe you trimmed those leaves, bet you were swearing like a trouper once you were through, great result though.
Interesting about what's rare over there. Helga and I were chatting about how vintage suitcases are easy to come by down-under whereas they are expensive here. Reckon it's all the £10 poms in the 1960's making off with them all...buggers!
Vix
xxx

Helga said...

Ooo,I love the green felt hat and the bow one the best!!!Pretty!
Yeah,NZ is even worse off than Aus for some stuff!

Tinkz said...

I just love the black hat, it's so sexy!! and the green one is so the Austin Powers era. As I live in NZ we have a Vintage Clothes & Collectables Fair in Auckland, this September, went last year and the hats that were there were just stunning, well looked after and styles you'll never see anywhere else. You must tell Sue and you two come over, I know you both would love it. I would love to go to the Vintage Fair you're going to, you'll have to put up some pics so we can squiz at them. Catch you! Jane XX