25 thoughts on “SNARK WEEK: Hats Aren’t Just for Losers

  1. Hats were commonly worn by all men after WWII through the early 60s. Even contemporary movies and TV showed this. WOmen hat wearing did drop off leading into WWII though they were still obligatory for formal occasions.

  2. I’ve seen the awful Anne of Cleves headpieces from the Tudors before but in reviewing them again, I’m reminded of nothing but the crown/headdresses worn by Angela Bassett in both Black Panther films – only in those films they at least make sense because 1) contemporary setting and 2) Ruth Carter based them on a very specific style of traditional African headdress but aligned them with Wakanda’s more technologically advanced style by 3D printing them instead of the traditional weaving method that they would normally be constructed from.

  3. I love hats. I have Etsy alerts set for 1940s tilt hats to drool over, even if I can’t actually buy them. I did have a question (not a snark, honestly). Specifically the picture of Bette Davis in Juarez. It looks like she’s wearing what’s supposed to be a Eugenie style hat. Is it just the wrong time period (I know they made a later comeback in the 20th century)? I’m not trying to be pedantic. I honestly don’t know. Thanks.

    1. Yeah, it’s just a very 1930s hat. There were toque styles & a Glengarry cap in the 1860s, but they were shaped differently & worn differently. I have some period examples in my Patreon research post on hats :)

  4. Honestly, I know a lot of people love The Knight’s Tale, but the costumes make it really hard for me to feel immersed in the time period. They are just too out there for me.

      1. I have several reasons for loving A Knight’s Tale; Heath Ledger, Rufus Sewell, James Purfoy, Paul Bettany, Alan Tudyk, even Mark Addy. Pure eye candy.

    1. A Knight’s Tale is a sports movie that takes place at Medieval Times. I love it, but it helps not to think of it as “historical” in any meaningful way.

    2. I simply accept that we are not in the actual fourteenth century but some weird alternate universe, the same way I manage to enjoy The Mummy.
      BTW that straw hate Jocelyn is wearing resembles a picture I once saw of a truncated Henin with an eye veil in a costume book.

  5. Maybe no hat is better than some of the hideous hat substitutes the costume departments made up. Or a scarf? [It’s what I use when I can’t find a decent yarmulka at services.]

  6. What an epic beast of a post. Thank you for taking the time to write this. This is a very entertaining read!

    In fairness to the hardworking costumers on the 1974 Three Musketeers, Milady’s odd cap is based on the Spanish “montero” style, which, according to commenter mmcquown, is “a Spanish mountaineer’s cap often worn by soldiers during the period. At the time, we had many written references, but no pictures. Today, you can get one from any number of English Civil Wars suppliers.” Here’s a link for more about the style.

    http://the1642tailor.com/2014/03/30/montero-caps/

      1. A lot of 17th century womens’ hats were modeled on mens’ hats. That might have been Yvonne Blake’s rationale for the design. Also, Lester’s Musketeers movies did lean into the weird and wacky aspects of the era, so that might have been another reason she chose something so odd.

        I’m not saying I like the hat design or anything– whenever I watched the scene, which is supposed to be very tense and dramatic, I would always be distracted by the silly hat. But at least the style has some historical basis– it wasn’t completely invented out of whole cloth.

  7. Regarding the hats and acting comment, I took some acting lessons as a kid. One of my teachers specifically told me not to wear hats anymore to class, as they interfered with acting. Same with dresses and skirts. No I don’t know what she was smoking.

  8. Um, were some of those just buckram bases with a few things glued on? And people get paid to make these things? Geez!

  9. That lace cap from Sanditon … At first I thought it might be upside down on her head. But then the crown would be too small, more the size of a baby’s head. Was some baby bonnet pulled from the depths of a costume stash and some super wide lace tacked on at the last minute?

  10. I’m sorry to say that hot glue guns didn’t come in until the last 1980s, so it’s historically inaccurate to say that they were used in a 1972 production :D

  11. In fact, hats in a movie set are a nightmare for lights (lot of shadows on actors’ faces) and the director and productors want that watchers recognize actors they paid for….

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