“Buy straw hats in winter. ”

(idiomatic) of stocks
attributed to financier Russell Sage (1816-1906)

 

Straw Hats in the winter? Well that depends on where they’re worn and, most important, in what colors. As we’ve become convinced of the ill effects of sun exposure, women look for sun protection year round. Sun block is a necessity, plus, there exists a need for attractive wide brimmed hats in autumn/ winter hues. Last year, Polly dedicated a segment of her collection to what we call “transitional straws”, that is, hats made of parisisal straw designed in colors and materials which complement cool weather fashion. The transitional straws have been popular with horse racing fans. Here are a few of the front runners.

Elmhurst blazes with the vibrant colors of an Autumn Day.

Epigram adds rich mocha tones to basic black. An excellent accessory for a camel hair coat or with earth toned tweeds.

Indulgence, in crisp black and white with an unexpected twist in peacock blue is divine with a hounds tooth check or to relieve black or gray ensembles.

Any of the transitional straw designs will add spark to your fall and winter wardrobe, all the while, affording extra sun protection.

by Jan Masters Yon

 

It’s currently 86 degrees. One can hardly interpret this as a nip in the air, however fall is just around the corner.

Did you know that September is Fall Hat Month?

How to celebrate?

1. Bring out your fall hats.  Do any need repairs?
2. You can always a purchase a new hat to suit your mood and complement items in your fall wardrobe.
3. Color wise, you can never go wrong with navy, winter white, grey, black, taupe and brown colors.  Winter white is stunning on most people.  Visit this link to read our blog about winter white hats.
4. I’d also like to call your attention to vintage pieces.  Visit your favorite vintage store to see fall vintage hat.s ds me of a number of similar styles accessorizing Ralph Lauren’s fall collection.

I enjoy summer’s laid back attitude and am sorry to see it end.  The prospect of finding the perfect hat for cooler weather may one of the season’s most rewarding compensations. I wish you all a happy Hat Month and happy hunting.

by Polly Singer

 

It was a pleasure to have 4 hats featured in the September/October issue of Victoria Magazine. I was contacted back in June to provide 4 hats for the fall layout. Little did I know that they would be featured so prominently in Victoria! It has been such a thrill for me since Victoria is one of my all time favorite magazines.

I have always been a huge fan of Victoria Magazine. Back in the late 80’s, I was an original subscriber. The magazine inspired me and led to my becoming a hat designer. The photographs and hats were lovely, timeless and beautiful.  I was living in New York at the time and working in a demanding field.  Coming home to Victoria Magazine was soothing to my soul.

The September/October issue of Victoria has some other wonderful articles of interest, one being the store “Tail of the Yak” in Berkeley, California. I urge you to pick up this issue as it is a visual treat. It makes one yearn for fall and all its abundant treats.

 

For more information on Victoria Magazine, please visit Victoria Magazine.

By: Polly Singer

Working with a limited cache of materials on a tight deadline, a deadline which came on the heels of months of tight deadlines does not make for ideal working conditions. This was the situation when Polly was asked by a magazine stylist to create a hat for a photoshoot.

In June, soon after the Kentucky Derby rush Polly received a commission from Tea Time, a magazine devoted to “the many delights of taking tea”. She was asked to fashion a Victorian style hat to be used as a prop in a photo illustration for an article entitled Hats off to Mrs. Beeton, a piece about Beeton’s Book of Household Management, an 1861 publication on the proper running of a household.

“As I was swamped with orders, I had limited time to design this hat.  I literally had to use items that I had  on hand, which forced me to be very creative. I’ve always enjoyed special design projects.”

After researching hat fashions of the era, Polly chose a chocolate brown parisisal straw for the body of the wide brimmed hat. Then she began to dig. With stores depleted by filling Derby orders and no time to order more supplies, the hat would have to be assembled with materials on hand.

A quick scavenger hunt through the small studio first yielded a swath of cut panne velvet in the perfect shade rich brown. Then, she looked to feathers. Ostrich, pheasant or peacock? Ostrich feathers were a definite, as followers Mrs. Beeton’s advice would have used ostrich feathers as knick-knack dusters.

If one phrase describes the Victorian approach to design that would be “too much is never enough” therefore the best answer seemed to be, “all of the above: ostrich, pheasant and peacock feathers.”

As for flowers, a couple of nosegays in aubergine velvet were unearthed. But the hat still lacked a focal point and needed an element of bright color to offset the rich browns and plums. Since none of the silk flowers which are the mainstay of her more elaborate designs were available in an autumn palette, Polly took a large scrap of pumpkin hued silk and used milliner’s magic to fashion it into a cabbage rose that could have been the pride of any Victorian English garden.

One of the real treasures from the Singer “I may need this someday” archive was a cluster of glass beaded grapes which when added to the hat provided a subdued bit of bling and served to bridge the dark tones of the hat and the brighter orange rose.

Tea time magazine was delighted with the result and featured a full page photograph of the hat on page 24 of the September/October issue. This issue is currently on the stands, we invite you to admire the result of our scavenger hunt and enjoy the usual entertaining and informative fare Tea Time has to offer.

 

by Polly Singer