As the weather provides us with some lovely sunshine, it may be time to think about choosing a few vintage inspired sun hats to add to your wardrobe.
Sun hats serve many purposes beyond the need to be aesthetically pleasing. During the summer months, the desire to wear a hat may turn into an actual need. Depending on geographical location, the sun may blaze down its powerful rays upon us. Vintage inspired sun hats are a great form of protection from the sun, shielding both skin and eyes from the omnipotent light. They are also a great fashion statement.
Beautiful sun hats from the 1940s.
During the 1940s and 1950s, both men and women wore hats prolifically. Hats served not only as a fashion accessory, but also as a mark of social standing and status. Whilst in today’s times we may only wear hats due to the climate or weather, up until around the 1960s, hats were essential. This changed due to the new trends centered on youth, freshness, and modernity. Teenagers were the main inspiration and focus for fashion from around the late 1960s. The teenagers of the 1960s desired to look completely different and separate from their elders.
Classic 1950s styles, featuring a large colored sun hat.
Wide Brim Sun Hats
1939 White Sun Hat in “The Woman”
In the 1940s and 1950s, many styles of hats were popular. The wide brimmed sun hat is a classic design, and not only protects the wearer from the sun, but also looks fabulous at the same time! From the late 1920s, women would wear enormous straw hats on the French Riviera, parading the very latest fashions.
Wide brimmed sun hats are an excellent shield from the sun.
But of course, women wore wide brimmed hats not only on the beach. In the town, women wore large hats to coordinate with their outfits, complete with gloves and costume jewelry. The hats featured decoration in some way to enhance the design. Vintage hats were embellished with ribbons, fabric bows, paper flowers, silk flowers – all used to great effect.
This white sun hat from Unique Vintage is perfect for creating a 1950s style.
Today, many styles of wide brimmed hats are available, due to their everlasting appeal and practicality. Choose a natural straw colored hat or one with stripes to coordinate with many outfits and last many summers!
Vintage Straw Sun Hats
1951 Sun Hats
Of course, the main material one may think of when it comes to summer hats is straw. Malleable, breathable, and lightweight, straw is an excellent choice for summer hats.
Hats of many designs and shapes have been produced from straw, some of which echoed the fashionable designs of the period. The straw boater hat was very popular in the late 19th and early 20th century with both men and women alike. The boater remained popular for years to come, with women wearing a slight variation with a lower crown and wider brim during the 1940s.
Classic straw sun hats are an ever versatile choice for summertime. The straw boater hat is the longest lasting vintage style.
On hats that were intended for formalwear, more decorations were utilized. In addition to ribbons, bows, and flowers, veiling was also added to create a dramatic style.
A vintage 1940s red sun hat with veil
Vintage Style Visors
1926 French Open Tennis Player Wearing a Sun Visor
When one thinks of visors, usually the decade of the 1980s springs to mind. However, as incredulous as it may seem, during sporting activities, both men and women wore visors from as early as the 1920s. The 1939 George Cukor movie The Women includes a fashion show segment (while the movie is black and white, handily the fashion show is actually in full color). The show opens with two women playing tennis, one of whom is wearing a stylish visor (followed by other sporty summer hats).
Choose a straw visor for a vintage inspired style.
While a visor will not protect the head or back of the neck from the sun’s rays, it will help to keep the suns glare out of the wearer’s eyes. A visor may not be the immediately obvious choice for vintage inspired dressing, but they were indeed worn during the early decades of the 20th century.
To harmonize with a vintage inspired style, choose visors made from straw or cotton in natural colors.
Novelty Designs and Bold Hues
The end of the 1930s saw a surge in the popularity of novelty designs and motifs. Schiaparelli produced her ‘Circus Collection’ in 1938, featuring outlandish designs and colors – designs well ahead of their time. Novelty designs and patterns continued in popularity through to the 1950s.
Stand out from the crowd in these bright, bold sun hats!
1950s straw sun hats
The perfect pairing to novelty designs were bold colors and patterns. Stripes were an enduring design, with various colors teamed together to form bold, bright styles. When the hat was worn, the stripes of the hat would be visible both on the outside of the hat, and the inside brim of the hat, framing the face attractively.
Team a bright, bold sun hat with this novelty print skirt from the original vintage section of Unique Vintage. Add flowers to the hairline, a cute blouse , bag, sandals and you are good to go!
A boldly hued hat can really add a touch of glamour to an outfit, especially if teamed with matching accessories.
Black Vintage Inspired Sun Hats
As the typical sun hat is usually of a natural beige straw color, sun hats in darker shades and hues seem to appear all the more dramatic. A wide brimmed black sun hat looks fantastic with a white or cream 1940s or 1950s style dress, especially when teamed with matching accessories such as a handbag and pair of gloves.
A 1940s look featuring a dark sun hat with matching accessories.
1948 Dior inspired back and white outfit featured in Aldens catalog
In 1947, Dior unveiled his ‘Corolle’ collection, with the now iconic ‘Bar’ suit featured among his designs. The suit featured a cream fitted jacket, nipping in at the waist and rounding at the hips, to sit over a full black calf-length skirt. The ensemble was paired with a dramatic black wide brimmed hat, and in additional promotional pictures, a straw summer hat. The sharp contrast of the black against the cream was simple but breathtaking.
Make a style statement by teaming a dark sun hat with a cream colored outfit.
1937 wide brim sun hats
This was the new silhouette of fashion, and for the next decade, women would aspire to emulate the Dior look.
There are so many styles of hats out there to choose from, many of which would be the perfect choice to team with a vintage inspired style.
Create a 1950s inspired look with a dark sun hat and fitted wiggle dress. Add gloves, jewelry, heels and bags.
However you choose to wear a hat this summer, or whichever style you choose, there is sure to be the right style out there for you.
Shop Vintage Inspired Hats for summer and fall here.
Debbie Sessions has been teaching fashion history and helping people dress for vintage themed events since 2009. She has turned a hobby into VintageDancer.com with hundreds of well researched articles and hand picked links to vintage inspired clothing online. She aims to make dressing accurately (or not) an affordable option for all. Oh, and she dances too.
