In yesterday's post we looked at an event revolving around wigs and headdresses, so for today let's continue the thread by going back in time and exploring vintage millinery.
The 12th February 1951 issue of Life magazine featured a cover with a model, Lillian Marcuson, in a veiled headpiece by Lilly Daché. Dubbed "Flower in Flight", the hat was made of starched white veiling and it was trimmed with a black velvet ribbon and an upright rose.
Inside the magazine there was a feature about "Hatless Hats", a new trend launched by milliners in the early '50s that is still going. "The hat is thrown away," the magazine announced, "the veil becomes the hat." Veils were indeed stiffened and moulded on blocks like felt, so that they would hold their shape without wilting.
The idea originated with Lilly Daché who worked on head-hugging veil visors, but it was adopted by other milliners who started developing hats inspired by the theme of transparency. They were designed to sit on the crown of the head or to cover the face and neck like the versions designed by John Frederics and Mr. John featured in this post (second image in this post, model on the left; third image in this post).
The most sensual versions consisted in a strip that screened the eyes ("Eyes of Youth", designed by Mr. John, second image in this post, model on the right), the most original was instead inspired by a fencer's mask and was designed by Lilly Daché (fourth image in this post).
This head piece covered the top of the head, bared the brow and sticked out in front of the face to offer leeway for smoking. While these ideas are inspiring and we have often seen the veil strip reappearing on contemporary runway shows, remember to take inspiration from these ideas only for your fashion creations, and always wear a sensible face mask to protect yourself from COVID-19.
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