Feb 7, 2012

Cocktail Hats: The Perfect Little Toppers

A feather, a veil, a few sequins or beads--it doesn't take much to make a vintage cocktail hat. These little confections--generally brimless hats with extravagant embellishments, intended for evening wear--are the perfect complements to a vintage dress or suit. It's no wonder they're sometimes called whimsies.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Blonde mink hat from JoJo'sRetroandVintage



First up is a circle hat, or circlet--this one is made of mink, but they're often some kind of fabric or velvet; always with a veil for a peek-a-boo top.

Birdcage veil hat from unionmadebride
This birdcage veil hat (sometimes called a whimsy) is nothing more than a veil, with a bow on top. Some of them have feathers or chenille dots; some of them nothing more than the allure of the veil.

Feather cocktail hat from TheVintageHatShop
This is feather cocktail hat has a wonderful asymmetrical design, with feathers sweeping across the front and down one side.

Beaded skull cap from Alexsandras
This last beauty is a wool skull cap with bugle beads in a luscious pink. I love the free form shape of the front of the hat.

5 comments:

poetryofobjects said...

How nice to see these little whimsies of fashion. They are all lovely and their sweet colors seem perfect for springtime. The last hat is amazing with all that beading work. Thank you for sharing these great finds.

charlesvintage said...

wonderful post! i recently picked up two gorgeous cocktail hats that i'm trying to figure out how to shoot... these are gorgeous!

Jian | Postcard Printing Services Online said...

Fascinators are a big hit this season. Thanks to Kate Middleton's classy and majestic outfits paired with the perfect cocktail hat. I'm dying for the whimsy with a blue ribbon on top. So cute!

Anonymous said...

I love how you call them "confections," Susan! The photos from these shops are just stunning.

Three Chicks Vintage said...

What lovely little 'confections'! I appreciate this post because I have a few lovely old hats that need knew homes but I just haven't listed them yet.