When Hats Defined an Era

Here’s an interesting tid-bit. Ladies of the nineteenth century wouldn’t have considered themselves properly dressed to go in public without a hat. 

That sounds ridiculous in this age of casual dress, but on a bad hair day I wish hats were back in fashion. Alas, wearing a hat today anywhere except at the beach or garden will get you labeled strange. Fashion hats disappeared in the 1960s in that hole that ate up nearly everything in genteel culture.

The Victorian era has always been my favorite to read and write about, and one of the reasons is the fashion. Like nearly everything about that time, fashion was over-the-top, starting with the hat. The basic hat was simple—narrow, flexible brim; short, flat top—meant to be worn atop an elaborate hair-do, since it was two sizes too small to fit the head. The proper Victorian lady dressed it up with fabric, feathers, flowers, birds, nests, netting, ribbon, lace, just about anything she could find.  And the more the better.

I love crafts of all kinds, but making a Victorian hat has never been on my bucket list.

Last month I blogged about how I was sewing an 1880s costume for a photoshoot. Well, I decided it needed a steampunk hat, which is surprisingly well known in pop culture, and lots of patterns were available. Here's the layout. Three pieces--brim, curved cylinder side, and crown.

Steampunk is so named for the sci-fi genre emphasizing the steam-powered machinery and industry of the era.

My genre is western romance, not steampunk, but the hat fits the Victorian era. Imagine a man’s top hat with half of the top chopped off and made small enough to fit a six-year-old. My pattern was simple. Just cut two of each piece and glue together, using wire for shaping. Mine is made of canvas, though something called Buckram is recommended.

I decided to keep my decoration simple. This is the finished hat.

Though I like Victorian fashion, I’m a casual dresser. I see no need for a hat except to protect my head from the sun. While the dress of a by-gone era is an interesting topic, the idea of actually wearing those elaborate dresses isn’t something I’d like to do.

But I can’t help thinking that maybe we’re getting too casual. People are going to the grocery store in their pajamas these days.

It isn’t only fashion that’s gotten too casual. Behavior once considered scandalous is now accepted. Hopefully, we’ll never forget that propriety in dress and everything else is not determined by the mores of the day, but by the eternal word of God.

Do you like hats?

Comment to win an e-book copy of Mountain of Love and Danger by Gail Pallotta.

1963 - A Pivotal Year

I recently began research into the year 1963 for a Christmas novella. If you’re a student of history or like to read historical novels, you’ve probably noticed that some events stand out from others. And some world events may have changed your own life.

I was still in grammar school in 1963, but even then I recognized it to be a pivotal year. The year got off to a cultural shift. Even before their American tour, the Beatles’ popularity was skyrocketing all over the world. Maybe you can’t understand unless you lived through it, but Beatle mania changed teen culture in a way never seen before. The rather tame years of rock and roll gave way to pop music with artist after artist trying to outdo themselves.

 Another more subtle change affected youth. Instead of looking to parents and church, teens began to follow celebrities and peers. Since I lived in the country, this might not have affected me as much as urban youth, but I was aware the world was shifting. Yes, there were rebellious teens in the past, but this was different. This cultural change affects society today more than the average Christian realizes. It’s not only a matter of anything goes, it’s in your face.

 Another thing I remember about 1963. A newspaper article told of a child who was tortured to death while her family watched. Serial murders screamed from headlines. Suddenly, evil became real. The era when we never locked our doors until dark was over.

 Churches fell in membership. People seemed to have lost their reverence for God. Politically, the country sat on a powder keg of racial unrest, the cold war threatened to flare up. People stopped sitting on the fence, and many fell on the left, openly supporting communism and liberalism.

That was the state of the country when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on this day fifty years ago. Only fifty years, but it seems like ancient history. As young as I was at the time, I noticed the age of innocence had died. Camelot was gone forever.

 

All of these memories brings to mind Jesus' words: Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. Luke 21:28

 Can you recall a world event that changed you personally?

In honor of the season, I’m giving away a Christmas CD (various artists, classic carols) to one commenter today. Just leave your email address if you wish to be in the drawing.