Red is traditionally considered as the Christmas colour par excellence, but green is another shade linked with the festive season as it evokes evergreen plants used at Christmastime, symbolising also good luck and health through the holidays and into the new year. So, to get into the Christmas mood in an alternative way, let's look at a vintage hat by New York milliner Robert Dudley. Well-known in the '40s and the '50s, Dudley operated the Chez Robert salon at Saks Fifth Avenue and his own shop, Robert Dudley Originals, on the East Side of Manhattan.
Born in Rochester, Dudley moved to New York as a young man to pursue a career in the theatre, but then decided to become a milliner when he used an old felt hat to create a new one for a friend.
Dudley's clientele included many theatre and society figures and he designed hats for several films, including "Rebecca" (1940), the romantic psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Dudley then became an interior designer and was active in the field until his death in 1992.
The hat in this post seems to be constructed by assembling six emerald green and pine green felt swirls in the same sizes and dimensions. The clever construction ended up framing the face of the wearer in a lovely way, while the conical shape of the hat vaguely called to mind that of a Christmas tree.
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