Hats off to summer style

Our vintage clothing fans will be pleased.  We just got in dozens of vintage hats and hat boxes!  Ann scored this newest bunch at a recent estate sale.  The previous owner had impeccable taste and took great care of her hats, so Ann bought up the entire collection!  Here are a few favorites available now on the third floor of The Old Lucketts Store.


This is a vintage Dana Marte straw hat.  The designer started out in West Germany and then gained fame in New York and Paris.  This hat is available for $39 now, but in its day, would have been the equivalent of a minimum of $140 - a significant investment back then and also today.  



This hat is a work of art designed by Lilly Dache, a French milliner and fashion designer born in 1898.  Lilly designed for Hollywood films and had many clients who were movie-stars, including Marlene Dietrich, Caroline Lombard, and Loretta Young.  The hat boxes these hats came in are works of art too.  The vintage boxes bear the names of vintage department stores that have long since been bought up or consolidated.

When buying hats, Ann looks for well known designers, quality materials, and buys only examples that have been well kept.  Price points are set by those factors (designer, materials, condition) as well as subject matter, style, and date.  This hat with a cherry on top is by the designer Mr. John.

How do you date a hat?  If you understand silhouettes that were popular over time, it gets more straightforward.  Old movies are great resources to see what styles were popular in different decades.  Does this hat's silhouette remind you of Audrey Hepburn?  Now you can date it with pretty good accuracy. 

Need a new hat to get ready for summer?  Look at the beautiful vintage straw, tulle, and floral pieces available at the shop.  


***UPDATE:  Here is the link to Wild Thyme on Facebook.  Be sure to like this page for new info. on what Ann is bringing in to her space at The Old Lucketts Store.***