15 photos of real world vintage ladies wearing beautiful hats

Spring is well underway around these parts and I couldn't be happier about that fact. Even though, objectively, this winter was a fairly mild one (especially from early February onward), it felt like it went on for decades and I was quite excited to wave buh-bye to to the coldest chapter of the year.

The temps hadn't even hit double digits yet before my sundresses were rotated to the front of my closet and I was giving all of my summer hats and bags a once over to make sure that they didn't need any repairs before kicking off their time to shine once more.

As most of you know, I'm one of those folks who can never get enough of vintage hats. They're the one of my favourite items of clothing to wear and collect alike. Though I don't find too many around these parts any more, whether close to home, when I travel, or (occasionally, given the steep shipping costs on such) online, I'm always on the prowl for my next exciting old school topper and rarely go more than a few months without adding at least one new hat to my closet.

Hats are fantastic accessories. They can be expressive, bold, subtle, small, huge, lightweight, hefty, decorative, understated, one-of-a-kind, perpetual favourites (berets, for example), charming, chic, beautiful, exciting and at least a million other exciting things.

I've had a passion for them my whole life and have worn vintage examples frequently since my teen years (indeed, they were some of the first mid-century items I ever thrifted, back when finding them at thrift stores wasn't rarer than stumbling upon a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow).

These days my collection now numbers over 50 hats and shows no signs of slowing down (though I do keep reminding myself that I should prune through them at some point and sell or giveaway a tiny number that I don't wear very often; most however do see a lot of wardrobe action, so they're definitely staying put!).

Women (and men) the world over used to delight in the act of buying a new hat and doing so was frequently referenced in popular culture up until (at least) the 1960s. I will forever feel like we lost something great and gorgeous alike when most folks stopped wearing hats on a frequent basis, and love that many of us in the vintage/rockabilly/pinup world still keep this time honoured art alive.

With spring out in full force and my lighter, more seasonally appropriate hats (very much including all of my straw ones) making an appearance again, I thought it would be a lot of fun to kick off this week by sharing some wonderful photos that I've come across online lately of real world women from the mid-twentieth century wearing stunning vintage chapeaus.

While not all of these fifteen examples are strictly spring/summer related, they are each spectacular and can provide so much styling (and shopping/wishlist!) inspiring when it comes to how to successfully sport old school toppers in the scope of today's vintage looks that I felt it was a-okay to include them here, too.

Scroll on to soak up the vintage hat awesomeness, after which, I'm sure that like me, you'll be wishing for a time machine and a charge account at a mid-century milliner's shop even more than ever before! :)

15 photos of real world 

vintage ladies 

wearing beautiful hats

1. Lofty turban ruching over a hat form with long tendrils of millinery greenery jutting out of the back? Yes, pretty, pretty please! Here lace collar is really charming, too!




2. Though somewhat casual on the chapeau front of the day, each of these hats adds so much to their lovely wearer's ensembles, which would, at the time, have seemed at least a bit out of place without them. Plus extra styling points for the nearly identical belts.




3. Whimsical hats turn my knees to jelly and this double bow "antenna" style is doing just that big time! (While also reminding me of a similar vintage bow hat that I have and wear often.) Her companion's classic turban is pretty terrific, too - and can we take a moment to lose our heads over all of those fab bags!!!




4. A trio of gorgeous springtime perfect hats adorn the heads of these lovely ladies as they enjoy a Woman's Club Tea event while decked out in equally attractive printed daydresses.




5. Generously sized curving feathers that encircle the (front) brim of a hat are one of my favourite styles (see this example from my wardrobe, for example) and when they're partnered with a classic skirt suit like this you'd be hard pressed to find a more elegant 1940s daytime look (plus, how much do you love that she kept her gloves on even while touching up her lipstick - such a classy move!).




6. Let's all take a moment to appreciate the sharp styling of this well accessorized 1940s outfit and hat alike. This look would be great with almost any vintage hat of the era, but with this mile high topper it becomes a thing of Vogue magazine worthy brilliance.




7. Captured at a day out to Knott's Berry Farm, this charming 1940s group photo highlights a slew of beautiful hat, hairstyles and dresses alike.




8. Tipples, chic outfits (love the polka dots!), and good sized hats make for an extra fun night for these two stylish Australian gals.




9. Two beautiful ladies (seriously, they look like they could have just left a Hollywood movie set!) rock lush flower adorned hats on what appears like it could have easily been a sunny spring day, given that they've opted to remove their coats as they beam for the camera.




10. I feel like I need every awesome element of her plaid + brown hued ensemble in my life (and closet) right now, most definitely including that fantastic feather and netting bedecked felt hat.




11. Fab floral print dress? Check! Matching scarf/snood worn over one's head? Check! A killer handbag and pair of shoes? Check! Top it all off with a jaunty little nautical-esaue tilt hat? Check. It's outfits like this that make me love vintage fashion to the immeasurable degree that do.




12. A beautiful young woman posses with a girl that, I can only assume given how similar they look, is her sister, on the little girl's Communion Day, while rocking an awesome ruffled hat. I'd love to find something with a similar wreath of ruffles for my own hat collection.




13. I think that we can collectively agree that her ensemble - that mile-high hat very much included - is off-the-charts incredible! (It was worn for a fashion show in 1946.)




14. Stitched brimmed hats are the bee's knees - as are both of their fantastic dresses. I really like the look of a wide brimmed hat and a fitted, classic 40s frock like the example shown here.




15. This beautiful 1930s photo should be placed alongside definition of the word "elegance" in dictionaries the world over.

{To learn more about a specific image used in this post, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.}

♥ ♥ ♥

Over the years I've found, based on comments and emails that I've received on such topics, that the two areas of vintage fashion that the largest number of people seem to be leery of experimenting with are gloves and hats.

I get that big time on both counts. These accessories, especially outside of a utilitarian setting (baseball hat, snow mitts, etc), are not ones that most people sport anymore and they instantly stick out to all who see you as very distinct signs that you've consciously opted to dress differently than the mainstream twenty-first century norm (which, BTW, I commend you for!).

However, ultimately, hats are just like any other garment or accessory. The ability to wear them lies in your own confidence and how they make you feel when they're on your head. In all the years I've been capping off my looks (see what I did there?) with vintage hats, I honestly cannot remember ever once having received a negative comment about my choice of headgear and even if I had (or one day do), it won't phase me at all.

I feel sorry for those who don't know the joy first hand of wearing (let alone shopping for) a fabulous hat and how doing so seems to instill more confidence in you the moment you slip a killer chapeau on.

I hope that you'll follow both my lead, as well as that of all of these super chic yesteryear fashionistas, this spring and summer by giving your toppers plenty of outfit exposure, whether you're new to the world of vintage hats or have been delighting in them for ages now.

Here's to a joyful sunny season topped off, quite literally, with one fabulous vintage hat after another!