DEBORAH CROMBIE: On Friday night, I finally finished watching the Queen's funeral. It was a busy week, but I had recorded the entire ten hour program on PBS, so I sneaked in bits as I could. The final service in St. George's Chapel was very moving, but I have to admit I was distracted by the hats!
I am a hat girl! I adore hats, and it really irks me that Americans aren't into millinery. I love visiting hat shops when I'm in the UK, and would be seriously tempted to carry hats home on the plane if I had any occasion to wear them.
So it was that I noticed the many fabulous hats worn by the women both at Westminster Abbey and St. George's Chapel. (Here's a nice piece from the Guardian.) But I kept wondering if there had been a huge run on hat shops. Did everyone have a suitable black hat on standby? Did milliners and dress shops and department stores keep back an appropriate selection? Who got first dibs?
And it seems that this was indeed an issue, with even the Queen's granddaughter Princess Beatrice forced to leave shops empty-handed. Dignitaries flying in for the services and assuming they could pick up a hat last minute in London must have had a panic!
REDs and readers, did you have a favorite? And what style would you choose to wear if you had the occasion?
P.S. I haven't forgotten that our Jenn has a new Hat Shop Mystery coming in January! I'd love to know what Scarlett and Viv thought of the finery on display!
P.S.S. Karen in Ohio, you are the winner of Michael Stanley's A DEADLY COVENANT! Email me your address!
I did enjoy seeing all the hats, even on such a somber occasion. If I had to pick a hat for myself, it would definitely be a small one . . . .
ReplyDeleteThere were many styles to choose from on display! One of my favorites was Princess Eugenie's boater. Gorgeous! https://www.hellomagazine.com/fashion/royal-style/20220919151243/princess-eugenie-black-coat-dress-bold-hat-gold-jewellery-queen-state-funeral/
DeleteI have always admired women's hats from afar. I too have an enormous head, and nothing has ever fit me except men's baseball caps, which I wear all summer as I work outdoors, giving me an unfortunate farmer tan with dead white forehead and brown checks and neck. Since I am also a lanky 5'10" with broad shoulders, big hands, and size 11.5 feet, I've always felt like a galumph beside dainty women who can wear things like fascinators!
ReplyDelete(I'm ten inches shorter than you, LOL - still with the big head and wide feet and fingers. No one has ever called me dainty. Besides, fascinators are overrated.)
DeleteMy son-in-law has a small head, and he looks ridiculous in almost any hat except a certain kind of billed cap.
DeleteI am on the small side, 5'2", small head, small hands, so could certainly get by with a fascinator. I don't really care for them, though. I'd much rather wear a hat.
DeleteI LOVE HATS! I had dozens before we downsized to our condo. I probably have a dozen left and wear them to teas, Derby parties, and weddings. On a work trip we were in Louisville and one evening were going to Churchill Downs. There was a hat shop a block from the hotel and I spent a happy hour there trying on everything before selecting a wide-brimmed white hat with purple trimmings. My colleagues were delighted when I boarded the bus that evening. I have a picture of myself in my hat in the hat museum at Churchill Downs.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to the Derby, but I'd go just to have an excuse for the hat. The milliner here makes bespoke hats for her clients who attend.
DeleteI, too, love hats and have two: one for the sun and rain in the city, and one for everything at the cottage. They are both Tilley brand hats -- sensible, fedora-esque, and I love wearing them, though I feel a tad self-conscious in my city hat. At the cottage, on the other hand, I feel almost undressed if I am outdoors without my hat -- and I certainly never make a trip to the dump without; that wouldn't be proper!
ReplyDeleteI am also a big fan of Tilley hats. Most FB photos show me wearing either my blue or pink one.
DeleteTilley hats combine practicality with style, so I love them. I'll pay attention to which one you're wearing in your FB photos, Grace!
DeleteI had to look up the Tilley hats! They are wonderful and I think I absolutely need one!
DeleteI did prefer the broad-brimmed hats worn by Kate and Meghan. And Princess Charlotte looked adorable in hers. Fascinators and tiny hats are better for formal teas and Ascot.
ReplyDeleteI wore a broad-brimmed black straw hat at a summer funeral in Ontario once. I was the only woman wearing a hat.
I bet you were stunning, Grace.
DeleteWell, I stood out in a way that I did not intend.
DeleteCharlotte did look adorable. It was a Madeline kind of hat!
DeleteI prefer the broad-brimmed hats, too, Grace, and thought Megan and Kate both looked stunning. And Charlotte's hat was adorable! I'll bet there will now be a rage for boaters for little girls--maybe I can bring one home for Wren!
DeleteI wonder about that, too. Like the rule about always wearing a name badge on the right side, because that's the hand you extend when offering to shake. (This is one almost everyone gets wrong, though, because it's easier for righthanders to put badge on the left.) I wonder if there's a similar reasoning behind conforming hat tilt.
ReplyDeleteThere was a woman at Bouchercon, with very short hair, who wore interesting, structural fascinator-type hats every day. I was mystified as to how she kept them on, though!
ReplyDeleteI love hats, and enjoy having occasions on which to wear them. The Cincinnati Parks had for many years a fundraising event, the proceeds of which helped develop the park along our beautiful riverfront. Called the Hats Off luncheon, everyone was encouraged to wear hats, including the men. It was always fun to see hundreds of hats in one place! The home of the Kentucky Derby is less than two hours from here, and there are always lots of Derby Day parties, sometimes also with hats. But my favorite is a good cowboy hat!
A few weeks ago I made a find for our upcoming trip to Africa: A foldable cotton knit fedora. It will be summer when we're there, so we will all need hats that close to the equator. I'm ready!
Hmmm, was it Alice Loweecey at Minneapolis? See often wore cute hats at conferences like this one.
Deletehttps://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91bpxu2GKFL._SY600_.jpg
No, I know Alice and her fascinators, and I don't think she was there. This woman was older, and her hair was purple on one side. One of her headpieces was a stack of books.
DeleteI cotton knit fedora! What a great idea. I have broad-brimmed foldable straw hat that I bought a couple of years ago from one of the vendors at Round Top. It is my go-to summer hat whenever I have to be out in the sun.
DeleteSorry about all the typos above!
DeleteI love hats. Hats are still worn in certain communities in the US. Any Sunday you can see a parade of hats entering churches around the city.
ReplyDeleteI have several hats that I wear to services, especially on the High Holy Days ( Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur). I tend to choose smaller brimmed hats, the large brimmed ones can be jostled in a crowd or block others' view. I always wear a hat if I know ahead of time that I will have an honor, such as opening the ark where the Torahs are kept or saying the blessings in front of the congregation before the Torah readings.
For our honeymoon on horseback, we each bought Stetsons. Mine is baby blue with a tall crown. We brought them with us to dude ranches years later where the wranglers laughed their body parts off at the old fashioned baby blue hat I wore. I think secretly that they were all jealous!
More hat stories here, but I need to run. Shana Tova to all who celebrate the Jewish New Year.
Shana Tova, Judy. (I don't celebrate, but my fabulous daughter-in-law and her mom do.)
DeleteShana tova, Judy!
DeleteShana tova, Judy!
DeletePerhaps in the more high society churches in Dallas the women wear hats, but I don't see them around our town much. We have a family funeral next Saturday and I don't have anything suitable. I'd love to wear a hat but wouldn't even know where to look for one. We do have a milliner here, but her hats are too expensive to buy for an occasion. At least for me!
DeleteThank you, everyone! Bread is going in the oven and I'm just about to make the potato kugel. :-)
DeleteDebs, Nordstrom has a great hat and scarf department. It's where I find fabulous shawls, too!
DeleteThank you, Judy! I love our Nordstrom at Northpark but have never thought to look for hats!
DeleteGee Karen, maybe it's to give a clear line of sight to the short people in the back of the room. LOL
ReplyDeleteI'm in the less is more camp for hats. I did wonder if the Royal family members had stylish new black clothes ready to wear or whether they had frantic, last minute sourcing issues. And did the men need new military uniforms?
ReplyDeleteA designer friend was discussing this, and both Meghan and Kate wore black versions of dresses they'd both worn before. The dressmakers/designers no doubt had patterns for them all ready to go.
DeleteYes, that is apparently the case, but I'd like to have been a fly on the wall in those workrooms.
DeleteSurely the men had their uniforms (they wore them for the Jubilee) and their morning suits ready. So much easier for the blokes!
DeleteI love hats but have never found one to fit since I have the opposite of Edith's problem - my head is small. Years ago, when such things were acceptable, I was given a fabulous black fox hat. It slid down over my eyes. We took it back to the shop where an adjustment was made but it never really felt just right.
ReplyDeleteI was the first person I know about to wear a Vera hat. It just so happened one day I looked at a particular rain hat I sometimes wore, and realized it was a Vera hat!
I have a small head, too, Judi, and can very seldom wear off-the-rack hats. Very frustrating!
DeleteI absolutely loved watching the hats —bu I must carefully say that with a few more exceptions, I thought they looked kinda ridiculous. I love a graceful wide-brimmed hat, or a classic straw with an upturned brim in the front—lovely. But those tortured contrived things that are pinned on at awkward angles seem almost disrespectfully attention-drawing. (Maybe I don’t grok hat culture. :-))
ReplyDeleteThe hats I have I truly love : a very country leather cloche, some Lara-esque winter hats, the straw beach vacation ones. (I look reasonable in about one in 100, since like some others my head is huge. I have to leave the strap open in ball caps, just saying!)
And I just found this on google ( so it must be right) : People also ask
ReplyDelete><<Why are ladies hats tilted to the right?
Traditionally a lady wore her hat or headpiece to the right. The origin of this tradition is alleged to date back to the polite custom of a gentleman accompanying a lady by walking to her left. This allowed her face to remain visible for him and allow conversation unimpeded.
That makes sense, Hank. Also, if you are right-handed, it feels natural to tip the brim down on that side. Awkward for the lefties, though.
DeleteTRUE! xx. ANd there's a way to remember that, the story goes on: "A lady is always "right.""
DeleteI love hats. Growing up they were essential attire for Sunday Mass and we wore them on dressy occasions like weddings. My favorite was a 1960s bowler hat that resembled one Jean Shrimpton wore in a fashion magazine. I loved Catherine's hat. The veil set it off perfectly. Because I have a tiny head, I'd opt for a similar style.
ReplyDeleteI'm dancing in my seat (at the airport) because Blogger is letting me sign in as me! My thoughts:
ReplyDelete£600 for a hat! *Julia faints* I thought I was being extravagant when I shelled out close to sixty for a good, flattering sun hat. Speaking of which, for several days at the conference, I wore a wide brimmed hat in the Florida sun. It just seemed like common sense to me - most Mainers out in the sun wear ball caps or summer hats - but several people commented on the novelty of it! But... it did make me easy to spot, so now I have that in common with the Queen.
Loved your hat in the photo you posted. And the Floridians who don't wear hats end up looking like prunes.
DeleteI never go outside without a wide brimmed sunhat or a bucket hat - ball caps do not offer enough coverage.
DeleteA hat story.
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time-- maybe in the eighties?-- I fell in love with a bright red wool felt
pillbox with a similarly bright red veil and a couple of tiny bright red feathers. I desperately wanted that hat but could not justify the purchase. Then a friend's daughter called me to ask if I would like an aliyah (the honor of being called up to read-- or in my case have a proxy read-- from the Torah) during her bat mitzvah service. Back then, I knew of no women rabbis; it was considered very radical for a woman to have an aliyah. I am not very religious, but I am a feminist through and through, so I accepted with delight. Mia gave me the details, and then warned me, "You have to have a hat!"
What joy-- an honor AND an excuse for buying the red hat! I also bought a black suit with a red blouse, tilted the hat over one eye, and was one delighted pseudo aunt!
But then, alas, I had no need to wear the hat again-- until I got invited to the dedication of a garden at my college a month or so later. I flew to NYC with the hat in (what else?) a hatbox!
As was my wont in those days, I had my hair trimmed at George Michael of Madison Avenue as soon as I got into town, then cut through the ground floor of Saks a block away to check out the new perfumes. I then stopped in front of a mirror on one of the make up counters, set the hat on my newly trimmed hair and pinned it in place, and decided the hat deserved to ride uptown in a cab.
As I stepped to the curb and raised my hand to summon one, no fewer than three taxis screached to a halt in front of me. The hat and I rode up to Barnard in style-- and tipped as generously as the hat deserved.
Oh wow, what a great story, Ellen!! We all need a hat like that, and an occasion to wear it!
DeleteEllen, I can just picture that hat! Three taxis! !
DeleteTHREE TAXIS!
DeleteI used to love hats, not so much now. Not sure when I decided I looked horrible in them, but I do. I have a couple of stylish hats leftover from those days when thought I looked okay. I have an hat pin that was my grandmother's, or I did before I moved. Wonder where it's hiding. Any hat I wear now needs to have a wide brim to protect my face, neck and ears from the sun. There was comment I read that royal ladies' hats had veils. I did see light netting coming down part way over faces. Probably goes back to the days of long black veils, like weeping veil from Victorian times. I did look it up because I was thinking of widow's weeds, which refers to the clothing.
ReplyDeleteDebs: Love love love hats! Even though I was born in the States, I always loved to wear hats. I remember that my cousin wore hats all the time in the 1970s when I was a young child. I remember getting Cloche hats and other hats. OH, I was at Book Passage writing conference 8 years ago when I bought this really big red and white hat from their shop. The hat looked like what Emory ? In Ashley Weaver;s cozy mysteries would wear.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have a wonderful memory of going to a book signing event for Rhys' new Lady Georgie novel at the Orinda Books. I wore a straw hat that I bought while I was living at Oxford. And I won a jar of lemon curd from Rhys. I love lemon curd.
And I was dating a young man when I wore my green cloche hat. He was hilarious. He said that I always wear hats. I said yes, to protect my fair skin from the sun. He said that was a good idea because I would stay young looking longer.
Why on earth is there such an obsession with "looking young" in the States? I never got the impression that "looking young" was important in Britain nor in Europe the way it seems to in the States.
Back to hats, Jenn's Hat Shop mysteries is my favorite of all of her series!!! I love hats and England.
And I have seen photos of the actress Jane Seymour wearing a panama hat.
Diana
I love Jenn's Hat Shop books, too, Diana! Can't wait for the new one!!
DeleteThank you, Diana! Very kind of you to say.
DeleteI always wondered where Jackie Kennedy got the black crepe veil so quickly after JFK's death. I mean, where would you find one? I assume it afforded her some feeling of privacy.
ReplyDeleteI love hats, although not so much fascinators. I thought Kate and Charlotte's hats were the best. Alas, I've never found a hat that looks good on me, although I have a straw one for working in the yard and a wide-brimmed one for walks and trips where I'll be in the sun. The latter is crushable, as evident by the fact that Jimmy Crackhead our ginger cat loves sitting on it.
ReplyDeleteJimmy Crackhead!!! Flora, that is the best name for a cat ever!!
DeleteI have read before that whenever any of the Royals travel they have to have a suitable mourning outfit packed just in case. So presumably the ladies have a black hat on standby. Apparently there was a major run on black hats.
ReplyDeleteI love the look of hats but they look weird on me and I don’t really have anyplace to wear one. My Nany looked great in hats and would try some on when we happened upon them in a store. Mom always tells me about her grandmother ( Nany’s mother) flying down for her winter visit wearing her navy blue dress coat with a matching pillbox hat. They would watch for that hat to appear.
Here's a fun thing, an intereview with the Queen's milliner.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.londonperfect.com/blog/2017/02/english-hats-an-interview-with-hm-the-queens-milliner/
I was invited to a niece's wedding years ago and we were encouraged to go Victorian. So I did. I bought a plain straw hat and slowly put it together with forest green satin, black netting, feathers, and big flowers. No dead animals! It has since appeared occasionally at Halloween. I have managed to accumulate three wool cloche hats to wear in winter. Very 20's looking!
ReplyDeleteI still remember Mom's hat collection when I was young. Ladies wore hats and gloves to church. Hers were mostly pillboxes and bandeau type hats. She had a pin head like my son.
Oops. This is Pat D
DeleteKate and Charlotte’s hats were my favorites. Jill Biden’s little ribbon thing was a definite fail. For myself, I would likely choose a small pill box style because I am petite. I am fascinated by fascinators and would likely buy one if I ever visit the UK. My baseball caps that fit best are youth size. Wallaroo Hat Company has petite sun hats for you other ladies with small heads.
ReplyDeleteI do remember my mom and grandmas wearing hats to church when I was small.
Thanks for the tip! I'll look up Wallaroo.
DeleteRemember Doris Day's aqua rolled brom hat? It was an iconic look for her.
ReplyDeleteMy son-in-law's mother was the fashion editor of the Dayton Daily News for a number of years, and after she passed away ten years ago I helped with clearing out the house and the estate sale. We found a hatbox with that very same hat (a copy), along with an article Jan had written about the style. She also had a mink Juliet cap that was another chic style in the 1970s. Fun memories for me.
Rolled brim hat. Sorry. Fat fingers.
ReplyDeleteI mostly wear hats outdoors, as protection from sun and/or cold. I've paid the donation on school "hat days" but claimed the privilege of wearing the donation sticker but no hat. I do enjoy seeing them, and at an art museum workshop (Degas exhibit, including vintage hats from Paris) we made felt hats, which was very hard work. My favorite was the pink protest hat a talented artist made. ;-)
ReplyDeleteDebs, you definitely must have a Tilley hat. It’s the only kind I can wear, and that’s only when walking dogs in the rain! I adore the fascinators tho. So very whimsical. Wish I knew someone getting married so I’d have an excuse to buy one.
ReplyDeleteBTW, the Tilley hat folds nicely for packing
I bought a fascinator once, in Oxford with Kate Charles and Marcia Talley. I wonder what I did with it... I will seriously look at the Tilley hats!
DeleteI do like hats, but I don't have occasion to wear them except for summer to protect me from the sun, and I don't get out much in the summer these days. What's funny is that my father was the hat person in the family, and I mean serious hat person. He bought most of his hats in Cincinnati and after their particular season had them cleaned and blocked at a place in Cincinnati. This would have been the 1960s and 70s that I remembered him doing this. He also had suits made in Newport, Ky, outside of Cincinnati. He was the fashion plate in the family, but he was also out in the public lots as a real estate broker with his own business. I still have one of the round, tall hat boxes where his hats would be stored from one season to the next.
ReplyDeleteI love watching the British and their hats. I think Princess Charlotte won the best hat at the Queen's funeral, followed by Princess Kate. I really loved the veil on Kate's hat. The Princess Royal Anne wore her military hat well, looking so dignified. Queen Consort Camilla seems to favor heavier, more decorated hats, and her hat at the Queen's funeral was lovely, if a bit heavy for my tastes. Duchess of Sussex Meghan had a nice hat, but I though it a bit too floppy for strict formal. And, while I love the Countess of Wessex Sophie, but I didn't love her hat for the Queen's funeral. It pointed down in front, making her facial features appear too sharp and severe. She seems to favor these down-pointing hats, and I wish she'd retire that look, as she is far too lovely for it.
And, I always looked forward to seeing Queen Elizabeth's outfits, with the color coordinated hat. I thought she wore her hats so well.
Kathy, I was just thinking about how nice it was when men wore hats, I can remember my dad wearing quite smart hats, too, when I was little. I had a bit of scene in the new book where Doug thinks about that, but that may have been one of the bits that was cut... I wonder if the Queen Consort will use the Queen's milliner, Rachel Trevor-Morgan (I posted the link above) or if she will pick her own designer.
DeleteDebs, that was interesting about the Queen's milliner. I also wonder if Camilla will use her.
DeleteI forgot to mention my favorite uniform is that of the Yeoman Warders, or Beefeaters, from the Tower of London. They had the black hats with the red, white, and blue ribbons going around them and stood guard at the corners of the coffin at Westminster Hall. (I can’t seem to post a photo or a link.) One of them was Christopher Skaife, the Ravenmaster. Have you read his book?
ReplyDeleteI haven't, although I've heard of it. Putting on my list! I did love the Warders guarding the coffin in Westminster Hall.
DeleteJust ordered 2 Tilley hats, some styles are on sale! Love the big-headed sizes!
ReplyDeleteLisa in Long Beach
While not particularly a Royal watcher, I did look at many of the images of the Queen's funeral. I was absolutely charmed not only by Princess Charlotte's hat, but also by her diamond horseshoe pin, a nod to her great-grandmother's love of horses. It seems to me that the Prince and Princess of Wales are doing a fantastic job with their children. Charlotte's outfit was entirely age-appropriate, and the inclusion of the two older Wales children in the ceremonies was done with sensitivity and restraint. The hat worn by Camilla struck me as too ... something. The simple bow on Catherine's hat seemed just right, but the frills on Camilla's seemed too much. And Debs, I absolutely think your granddaughter *needs* a Madeline hat! And we'll need to see photos!
ReplyDeleteRhys:
ReplyDeleteI love to see women in hats but I’m glad I don’t have to wear one. Also I can’t understand why women choose to wear silly hats when there are gorgeous elegant ones. When I started the Royal Spyness series I found a stunning hat in a charity shop. Pale turquoise Thai silk. I took it on book tour. Only problem it was too big for my case and I had to carry it on, praying no one would squash it
Ah, this was a lovely post about hats! The last time I wore a "real" hat was for Easter Sunday when I was five. Since then I've only worn an Australian-style bush hat to keep the sun off when I was traveling for seven weeks in New Zealand with my husband. But all this talk about beautiful headgear has inspired me to look for something attractive. But I need an event to wear a hat to, don't I? (Preferably NOT a funeral.)
ReplyDeleteNow I need to look for the Skaife book. One of my favorite things about the Tower was the giant raven that snuck up behind me!
ReplyDelete