The Hat Box

Now you might wonder why the hat box.  This box has been with me for many important parts of my life.

THE hat box

You can see by the rusty catches that it is getting on in age now. It was once a part of a set of suitcases that my mother insisted that I needed when I left home to go to University. Yes, I was the eldest, so I was the first to leave home and I guess that was a terrifying thought for Mum & Dad. Here was their eldest leaving home and they didn't know what might befall her in the wide world of the big city, but they needed her to be prepared for any social occasion that might present itself.
This started off with hats for church as any self-respecting woman in the 1960's had to wear a hat to church. They got discarded fairly quickly as fashions changed.
In the 1980's siblings were getting married and I was working with a lady whose mother made hats. For my sister's wedding I was bridesmaid so no hat. A brother was next to marry and when the lady saw the dress that I was making to wear she offered to lend me one of hers as it was the perfect colour for my dress.


So the hat box was getting lonely, no new hats yet. Well, things were about to change as the other brother was getting married. This time she did need to make a hat for me. and a lovely red hat matched the red in my dress perfectly.
                                               
Being in Sydney a couple of days before the wedding I went into Grace Bros at Chatswood and was greeted at the makeup counter by a fellow in a lovely salmon pink jacket who asked if I wanted a free makeup done. Of course, I did, and I told him I was going to a wedding on the Saturday. He wanted to know what colours I was wearing, and I explained navy with white and blue red (not an orange red). He did a great job and the free make up ending up costing me $85 as I then needed to buy the makeup to look the best for my brother's wedding. Off I went to the wedding feeling pretty good and one of my aunts and I were the only ones wearing hats. They were just coming back into fashion. Then a cousin came up and said, " oh it's you, I wondered who the good sort was?" So, the hat box wasn't lonely anymore. it had gained a lovely red hat.
Next I was getting married and as I was not a 20 year old anymore I didn't want a very expensive wedding. I asked my sister could I wear her wedding dress but make it a ballerina length. She very kindly agreed.
Then went to my milliner with the piece off the bottom of the dress and she made my wedding hat. This put another one in the hat box.

My cousin's son was getting married in Perth in Kings Park in the summer. It can be very hot in summer in Perth and yes it was. This time the hat had to survive being in a suitcase on the flight over. No, the hat box didn't travel as I was only allowed one piece of luggage. I was not in contact with the hat making lady anymore. This time the dress was  a clear red and I had scored a bargain at the thrift shop. When I visited a hat shop in the city the owner very carefully chose some for me to try on. They were very expensive, so I explained about having a second hand dress so he quickly guided me to ones on  a rack outside the shop. Yes, there was a white one and he could fit a red pleated removable band on it and it would survive being squashed. It still cost twice as much as the dress but more in line with my budget. The red hat now had a friend, so it was not lonely in the hat box.

Perth version

Spring Fair version

                                                                                             

East coast wedding one

Next, one of my nieces was getting married and as the wedding was on the east coast of Australia the red dress got worn again but it gained a new hat as the other one had by this time been spray painted green and had flowers added to wear to our retirement village Spring Fair. Again this hat was white and as the  red band from the Perth one matched the dress it was carefully attached to the new hat.

One July at the Jumpers and Jazz Festival in Warwick  I went to a fascinator making function. So I have kept the only hat I have ever made.

To get away from the dressy head gear let's look at some other great memory jogging caps. I was working on a Project in Burundi in the 1980's and the members of the project team at that time were given a cap each. This is a short manufacturing run so there are few in the world. I doubt that it will bring money of the Antiques Roadshow type, but it has brought back many memories of that time.

On a trip to South America how could I resist this ear warming beanie?

Now the piece de resistance- an elephant cap that one of my brothers gave me for Christmas one year. This is a bit difficult to store with my collection of elephants, but the hat box looks after it well.

Now what about the hats my mother had? Unfortunately, I don't have photos of many of her hats but her favourite one before she died was the one she wore to our wedding.  The three others have now joined the hat box. This hat box has very happy occupants now.

Mum at our wedding.

One worn to a wedding

Turban style hat

Lovely warm fluffy beret style

What started out as a hat box to set me up for my life at University has turned into a box full of stories from my life since then. The original hats have long gone but what followed has been a lovely journey for me and the hat box. It is not lonely anymore as it stores all these amazing hats and memories.