Once The Rage, Hats Make

Little Headway In Today’s Fashions

By Nancy K. Crevier

At the peak of the hatting industry in the early-to-mid-1800s, Newtown was home to seven hat factories, four of which were located in what is now the Historic Hattertown District. These hatters turned out 30,400 hats in 1845 alone, according to town historian Dan Cruson in his book, A Mosaic of Newtown History. Other hat makers were scattered throughout the town as well, and a hatbox factory complimented the Newtown industry in the mid-1800s.

Newtown’s neighboring city, Danbury, was nicknamed “Hat City” at this time, due to its numerous hat factories. A prolific producer of headwear, Danbury once produced 25 percent of the nation’s hats.

Everyone wore hats. From bonnets to Stetsons, heads were covered from January to December. Elaborate Victorian hats for women flaunted ostrich feathers and velvet flowers. Broad-brimmed hats made-to-order were de rigueur for social events, and an outfit was not finished until the proper cap topped it off.

Pillbox hats, veil hats, or glittery caps fit snugly to the head matched the style of the day and a well-dressed woman would not set foot in public without one. No longer a utilitarian piece of the costume, men who marched off to office jobs in the 1940s and 50s donned felt fedoras as part of the new, city look. Hats were not just practical protection from the weather. They were a sought-after accessory, right through the 1940s.

Wearing a head covering in winter can reduce the amount of body heat lost by 50 percent, according to information from the Centers for Disease Control. In summer, hats protect the scalp from harmful sunrays and shield the eyes from too bright light that can irritate the eye. So where are the hats now? Even as winter’s chill settles in, other than children at play or sports enthusiasts, heads are largely uncovered in 2007.

“I would love to sell more hats. We see a lot of cute hats and would like to order them, but it’s not worth it,” said Joan Zaccaro, co-owner, along with Karen Bauer, of Style on South Main Street in Newtown. “They don’t move. With people concerned about the sun, I thought floppy, broad-brimmed hats would sell, but they don’t,” she said.

Ms Zaccaro suspects it is the casual lifestyle of this area that does not lend itself to elegant headwear.

“In urban areas, where people dress up more and in the South, then you see more hats and head scarves,” she observed. Winter caps and ski bands sell at the small shop, she said, and a line of designer baseball caps was somewhat popular.

“Dressy hats are a tough call, though,” said Ms Zaccaro. “I think you have to have a strong sense of fashion.”

And a strong sense of fashion, indeed, is what Janet Falkenthal, owner of The Fashion Exchange just down the road from Style, has nurtured. Ms Falkenthal’s love affair with hats began when she was just 16 years old.

“I was born and raised in England, and when we moved to Toronto when I was a teenager, my aunt there was into wearing hats. She would take me to the milliner and let me pick out a hat. I have always loved hats,” she said.

Her customers barely recognize her without a hat, said Ms Falkenthal, and it is no wonder. Her personal collection of hats numbers more than 120, and most of them are quite unmistakable. Her hats are not made up of logo-touting baseball caps and artificial straw sunhats, but a fine collection of vintage and handmade hats that compliment her outfits. Many of the hats that are stored in the dozens of hatboxes at her home were gifts, but she does buy new hats, as well.

“It is difficult to find a decorative hat,” said Ms Falkenthal. “There are few milliners left who still make hats. Suzanne Daché is one New York/Paris milliner who does custom work.” Other favorite milliners include Californians Langston Bourguin and Lois Green. “They make beautiful hats. Most hats in a department store are machine made. The felt is hard and not the quality you find in a handmade hat or even in the older hats.”

When Ms Falkenthal orders hats for herself, she also orders for her store, which she believes is one of very few in the area that carries dress hats.

“I actually sell an amazing number of hats. But the funny thing is, I never see anybody wearing them,” she said. “Today’s way of life and clothing don’t accommodate wearing hats, so people don’t wear them on a daily basis.” What hats people do buy from her, are usually for special occasions, such as weddings, religious ceremonies, or gala events.

Hats adorn the shelves and peek out from every corner in The Fashion Exchange. They are tempting bits of fabric, bows and flowers that women try on, but the timid customer leaves the pretty hat behind when the purchase is complete, said Ms Falkenthal.

Knowing how to wear a hat properly might encourage more women to discard the notion that they are “not hat people,” said Ms Falkenthal.

“Most women put a hat on the back of their head and you do end up looking rather Polly Annish like that. Tilt the hat a little, bring it a little forward. That can make a difference,” suggested the hat aficionado. People perceive a woman in a hat differently, said Ms Falkenthal. “I get great service when I wear a hat. Men love women in hats. I love the way it ends an outfit. It’s the last accessory you put on and it finishes the outfit.”

Hats For Men

For modern day men, a hat functions primarily as a source of warmth, to keep a bald pate free of sunburn, or in the case of local bluegrass folk musician Roger Sprung, as a trademark. Mr Sprung has sported a John Dillinger-like homburg fedora since the mid-50s.

“My father liked a homburg,” explained Mr Sprung, “and it’s a good-looking hat. A lot of people who play my kind of music wear those hats.”

Students who ride Joe Borst’s bus number 34 to school have probably seen a few of his baseball caps, but the Newtown resident’s hat collection is actually a bit more extensive.

“I have 20 baseball caps, one straw skimmer that I wear every year in the Labor Day Parade, and a small-brimmed wool cap from England. My head was feeling a little chilly when we were over there, so I picked up the wool cap,” said Mr Borst, who also owns a broad-brim Panama hat for hot summer days and a camping hat made of denim with a longer brim on one side to protect him from the sun.

Several of his caps serve as testaments to who he is and where he has been. Logos from The Newtown High School Band, The Pasadena Rose Bowl, New York Mets, General Electric, the space telescope, The 8th Air Force WWII Veterans, The 8th Air Force Museum, the US Air Force Retired Veterans, and the World Ware II Memorial in Washington, D.C., are all proudly displayed on baseball caps that make up his collection.

His dressiest hat is a Luden bought in Europe years ago, said Mr Borst. “Instead of buying more caps, I just bought souvenir pins to put on it from all over Europe.”

Hat Head

There are reasons that people avoid hats, and one of them is “hat head.” This phenomenon, when perfectly coiffed hair ends up perfectly flat and full of static, is a problem for women, Ms Falkenthal admits. Her advice? “Keep the hat on. That’s perfectly acceptable for women.”

But for men, as through the years, there are rules of etiquette to follow when a hat is part of the wardrobe. Teri LaRocque teaches etiquette classes to young people through Newtown Parks and Recreation, and hat etiquette is something she has noticed has fallen by the roadside.

“I see young people wearing baseball caps in restaurants. Not fancy places, but places like [T.G.I.] Friday’s and such. I know it is just a fashion, but I think overall our manners are a little lax,” said Ms LaRocque.

As a teacher, Ms LaRocque requires her students, boys and girls, to remove any head gear when they are indoors. It is a rule she feels should extend to the population in general.

“Boys should remove their hats at a table, at prayer, indoors, at formal events, and in restaurants,” advised Ms LaRocque. Hats should never remain on the head during the playing of the national anthem or the Pledge of Allegiance, either, said this manners expert. While hat etiquette rules are generally aimed at the male population, Ms LaRocque sees no reason that they should not apply to women, as well.

“The one exception might be when a hat is part of an outfit, like at a wedding or formal affair,” said Ms LaRocque.

So if hats are on, it looks like it is “hats off” to pay respect.

Hats may never regain the position they once held in fashion, but for those who wish to make a statement, think beyond the ubiquitous baseball cap. Dress hats are still out there to top off a good look.