To Hat or not to Hat?

That is the question that has been causing a certain amount of debate in wedding circles as the date of our wedding in June hoves ever nearer. To wear or not to wear? And, if to wear, how to find a hat that suits? In an effort to be helpful, but probably to complicate the buying process still further, I’ve dug out my copy of Dressing Smartly, by Mildred Graves Ryan, a sage tome of sartorial wisdom published in 1956, when a lady wasn’t considered properly dressed without a hat and gloves. Ms. Ryan appears very keen on hats herself: the photo of her on the book’s jacket show her sporting a trim number, and she devotes a whole chapter to Becoming Hats:

Not only does a hat put the finishing touch to a smart outfit, but it also serves as a lovely frame for the face, adding a flattering touch to the facial features. However, it is sometimes difficult to find the hat that seems exactly right for the outfit and becoming to you. But don’t buy one unless it is. With the great variety in style, size and shape there has to be one that is perfect. Keep trying. If the choice gets confusing, stop. Wait until you can analyze the situation objectively. Sometimes it is the way that you place the hat on your head that is unattractive. Shift the position until it is comfortable and flattering to wear.

Here are Ms. Ryan’s cardinal rules for hat selection, based upon principles of proportion:
“The problem of selecting a hat is also complicated by the fact that it must be considered in relation to the figure as well as the face. A hat is often most becoming to the face but gives a very distorted illusion to the figure. You know what happends when a large hat is worn by a tiny person.

It is also well to consider the profile when selecting a hat. It is important that the side view should be pleasing.

To add length to the face and figure, wear hats with brims that turn upward. Feathers or decoration with an upswept air will keep the eye moving in a vertical direction. Hats worn with a slight diagonal tilt will have a slenderizing and flattering effect.

To shorten the face and figure, wear hats with drooping brims. Sometimes hats in bright contrasting colours or with horizontally placed decoration will stop the eye, decreasing the apparent height of the figure.

Hats worn straight on the head are often difficult to wear. They produce a straight line across the forehead which shortens and broadens the face.

Care must be taken in choosing a close-fitting hat. If the crown is smaller that the widest part of the face the features will seem more prominent. If the crown is too large, a top-heavy, grotesque look is achieved. It is very important that good proportion exists between the hat, the face and the figure.

It is also important that the rules of repetition and contrast be remembered. An off-the-face hat above a tired sagging face will of course emphasize the drooping lines. A feather jutting out above a prominent nose will accentuate the feature. A pill box hat worn by a round face will increase the apparent rotundity of the face.”

What a lot to think about- no wonder the humble hat has fallen out of favour…

A date with Bogart

Spot the film icon McCalls are referencing in this dress pattern from 1956?

Ok, Ok, so that was an easy one. Now, having got that, which film inspired it?

Well, skimming the imdb entry for Audrey Hepburn shows that she starred in the film Sabrina in 1954 (at that time she had yet to make Breakfast at Tiffanys). Sabrina has some great costumes in it and is one of my favourite Hepburn films- great plot, great acting, great costumes. According to the Wikipedia entry on Sabrina:

Although Edith Head won an Oscar for Best Costumes, most of Hepburn’s outfits were in fact created by Hubert de Givenchy and chosen by the star herself. Edith Head refused to be shown alongside Givenchy in the credits, so she was given credit for the costumes, although the Academy’s votes were obviously for Hepburn’s attire. [citation needed] Edith Head did not refuse the Oscar, however. The film began a life-long association between Givenchy and Hepburn (it has been reported that when Hepburn called on Givenchy for the first time in Paris, he assumed that it was Katharine Hepburn in his salon!) [citation needed]

As this particular McCalls pattern is designed by Givenchy, I would say Sabrina is looking pretty conclusive as its inspiration, and my money would be on the dress below:

Here’s a kind of back view:

(photos: mptv.net)

This is the dress that Sabrina wears on a date with Humphrey Bogart as he tries to win her away from his reckless younger brother to avoid disgracing the family (she is his chauffeur’s daughter after all).

Pack Evening Dresses

The exhortation in the post title comes from the Vogue Patterns catalogue for August-September 1951.

Doesn’t it make you wonder what kind of Autumn holiday would offer the opportunity for wearing a coral coloured duchesse satin number with a “fabulously wide swirling infanta skirt”?

Certainly none of the Autumn holidays I’ve ever been on. Last year I managed to get away with not having a bouffant ball gown with a skirt “gathered into a cloud of filmy organza or tulle” on a cycling trip through the Bavarian Alps.

Clearly I don’t take a very Vogue kind of Autumn holiday. Oh well.