Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Vintage Church Hats



When I was a young girl....we wore hats every Sunday to church.
By the time I was a teenager...hat wearing to church was out of style.
But my grandmothers always wore a hat on Sunday.



Many times these pretty church hats were little works of art.
Now, so many of us collect old hats for the fabulous flowers...
... to use in all sorts of creative art projects...



Whenever I am out thrifting or at the flea market I am drawn to these fashion accessories of the past...
I am not sure if it is the pretty feminine flowers or fruits that are affixed to them or if it is the feeling of nostalgia that I get when I see them...



These two beauties were at the flea market last weekend.
I don't really need any more hats...I have plenty.
But these two lovelies had me pause and ask the price.
Big mistake.
Really cheap.

The seller told me a story about them being in the attic of a house that had been in the same family for generations. (OK, if you say so....)
The seller bought the contents of the family home....and now he was selling these hats here at the flea market.

I couldn't walk away...they were both in remarkable shape...
...they were so pretty...look at that blue...
...look at all those tiny flowers and that rich purple velvet!

I simply couldn't leave them sitting there in that dusty old hatbox.



...which, by the way was included in the really cheap price.

Sigh. I'm hopeless.

Happy 64th Wedding Anniversary to Mr. Flea's wonderful parents!

Have a restful night and gee, I can't believe it's almost Thursday!
:)

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Laura,
Those hats are beautiful and the hat box is fabulous!! What a great find, and for a great price. I have only one vintage hat that is covered with beautiful shades of light and hot pink flowers. I love it and have never found another one that struck me the way this one did when I found it.
Lovely post!
Have a great day.
Sincerely,
Melinda

Gail said...

FABULOUS! And what an enchanting hatbox that came with them, I surely would have scooped them up as well!!!

Anita Diaz said...

Oh I LOVE hats!! I wore lots of them when Princess Diana got married, then not so much since then. I have some vintage hats of my grandmother's and two of her hatboxes that I treasure. Love this post!!

Laura Quaglia (Fun With This and That) said...

I to love hats. I have the same hat box.Your post is so nice.laura Q

Beach House Living said...

Sunday church was like a fashion show for hats without having to travel far from home. Those appear to be in wonderful condition and well the box is the cherry on the cake.

Rose Garden Romantic said...

Lovely hats! My mom always wore them when she was younger, too. Boy does she wish she had kept them all! She always tells me about the fabulous outfits she used to wear including gloves and hats. I wish she had photos of her in those fun outfits.
Michelle

Annesphamily said...

I love these hats, brings back so many nice memories for me! I love the hat boxes! Classic! Anne

Lisa said...

Really great hats and box! How very fun Hats are! I sometimes wish we still dressed like that!
Hugs, Lisa

The Decorating Diaries said...

I love hats, too. And those are so sweet. I just posted about a hat I had to bring home with me.

Janet

Rust: Vintage Inspired Design said...

I, too, love old hats and have a bunch that my grandma used to wear. That hat box is awesome!
xojanis

Bettyann said...

Love the hats and hat box..I have my Mom's hat box from NY from the 40's..just adore it...the hats are so cute..

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

Laura~ charming hats~ I just love millinery flowers! And the hat box is wonderful! I would have bought them, too!

Andy's Attic said...

First, the silver 52 Flea trophy is super! The church hats...well, I wore them every Sunday into highschool age. The blue one is so pretty and the hat box is dreamy, too.
Annette

@nne said...

Really like them ... and the hatbox as well. Sincerely, @nne

Becca said...

Love, love, love the bluish, purple colors and even the styles with flowers makes me kind of wish church hats were back!

Unknown said...

The hats and box are gorgeous !
Definitely would bought them myself !
have a nice day !
greetings

Unknown said...

zijn donderdag al ;).... tijd vliegt tijdens het winkelen * grijns *!
Dont je soms willen dat het was weer in STIJL ....... dames leek dames ;)....
Ik denk dat we zullen meer van uw mooie hoeden te zien?? ;)

Greetinds
Lynda

It's me said...

I really like them !! ....they are fab !!!!

Congratulations with the 64th Wedding Anniversary to Mr. Flea's parents !!!!!

Happy happy day...........hugs from me.....

Coco said...

C' est vraiment une jolie trouvaille ces deux chapeaux, j'aurais adoré porter de si joli choses...
Amicalement Coco

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

Dear Laura,
It's such a shame that old habits and traditions die out, isn't it ? I remember when we were little, going to church and wearing white gloves and having lily-of-the-valley pinned to our coat, or whatever flower was in season.
I'm glad that you bought the hats. They couldn't have gone to a better home and, if the original owner is looking down on you, I'm sure that she would be pleased as well ! I think that the hatbox was a wonderful bonus too.
You are the best at thrifting, Laura. I think that you deserve a degree in it !!!! XXXX

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

Beautiful hats in a beautiful box with a story...priceless!!

cheryl kuhn said...

Oooh, I think the hat box was the great find!! It is beautiful as are the hats, lucky you to find a treasure like that!

Lululiz said...

Wonderful find, the hats are gorgeous, I love the one with the tiny white flowers.

Gracie's Cottage said...

Love the box and the beautiful bits of springtime inside!

Zita - Mlle Magpie said...

The hats and the hatbox are just wonderful, Laura. When the price is so low, it's like you don't have a choice but to go home with them - it's just meant to be!

Olga said...

PRECIOSAS Compras Laura! felicidades y un Tus padres ..
un abrazo, Olga

Debby said...

I love your hats, so special. I just picked up the exact same hat box at a sale on Sunday, it is exactly the same, going to blog about it later.
Debby

Anonymous said...

The hats are beautiful, laura. And I love the case they came in. The whole set gives me "warm fuzzies". I can see why you couldn't pass them up.

Rosemary said...

So cute! I remember wearing church hats and white gloves every Sunday. I know exactly what you are talking about. Remember when you could start wearing pants to church, that was big.
Have a wonderful day my friend,
Rosemary

Beatnheart said...

the hats are sweet...the hatbox, now that is a prize..

Julia @ Vintage with Laces said...

Hi Laura, These are beautiful hats and the box is so pretty as well. No wonder that you couldn't resist!
Hugs,
Julia

Jill said...

The hat box is even better than the hats! I love it!

Alicia said...

ME PARECE TODO PRECIOSO...NO SE QUE ME GUSTA MAS.
UN SALUDO.

Red said...

I feel the same way about hankies...but love the hats!