1920's Hats vs Fascinators

[MissMittens]

Hi Everyone!

Wondering what people's thoughts are on hats of the '20's vs hair fascinators/headband wear?

Kelsie

 

[Mojito]

Hallo there, roadierfl. 1920s headwear is a bit of a passion and sub-collecting area for me - from day cloches to some theatrical evening bandeaux and headdresses. Not sure I understand what you're asking here, though? Is fascinators in general, or specifically 1920s evening headdress/bandeaux? And are you asking which works better with 1920s vintage or for a general 1920s inspired look?

 

[MissMittens]

Hello Mojito (I could do with one of those right now actually, :lol: ) I was trying to gauge opinion on what people think works better with a 1920's impression. There are equally as many fascinators and bandeaux as there are hat varieties from the period. Sydney, I see……do you know the Phryne Fisher series? The Ms Fisher mysteries are what got me wondering, since she seems to almost exclusively wear hats

 

[CaramelSmoothie]

Nothing says 1920s as much as a cloche, in my opinion.

 

[sheeplady]

I wonder if fascinators are a modern interpretation of the 1920s?

Or are hats just more likely to survive?

The only reason why I wonder that is because while I have seen many original hats from the 1920s, I've never seen a fascinator from the same time period for sale. But yet I've seen a lot of fascinators in modern films depicting the 1920s.

Do you know Mojito? Is my impression totally wrong?

 

[CaramelSmoothie]

Sheeplady,

I've seen fascinators for sale here and there, I'm thinking that since the hats were more common for everyday wear then that is what is readily available to us 90 years later.

 

[sheeplady]

Sheeplady,

I've seen fascinators for sale here and there, I'm thinking that since the hats were more common for everyday wear then that is what is readily available to us 90 years later.

I bet hats have survived better too. Fascinators seem more like evening wear?

 

[CaramelSmoothie]

I bet hats have survived better too. Fascinators seem more like evening wear?

Exactly!

 

[Mojito]

Sheeplady is right You did not realy wear a bandeau (the "headband") during the day unless it was for sport - think Suzanne Lenglen playing tennis. There were aso variations worn in the boudoir - usually made of lace and bits of silk and sometimes adorned with ribbons (like boudoir caps, they hid the hair). Hats - cloches and berets or tams - were day wear.

The bandeau with feathers, sequins etc (what I think you're thinking of as a fascinator?) was really a holdover from the teens, but it persisted into the mid-1920s (they're a little bit on the anachronistic side when Phryne wears them, as she's very late in the decade). They were evening wear.

There were hats (evening cloches) worn in the evening - these tended to be close-fitting, brimless and made of materials like sequins on a net base, silk, gold bullion thread etc and are more dressy, shiny or glittery. As the decade drew to a close they became more shallow and migrated more to the back of the head, to become the Juliet Caps worn into the 30s.

I'll dig up a few pics to show the difference

 

[Mojito]

Suzanne Lenglen in full flight, wearing a sporting bandeau.

 

[Mojito]

Day cloche - this one is a Panama weave by Florence Walton, late 1920s.

 

[Mojito]

Bicorn, early 1920s

 

[Mojito]

Capeline cloche, horsehair trimmed with velvet flowers.

 

[Mojito]

Evening cloche - netting with dense black bugle beads.

 

[Mojito]

Evening cloche, gold bullion embroidery with sequins and faux gemstones

 

[Mojito]

Early 1920s evening headdress - rhinestones on netting with beaded tassles.

 

[Mojito]

Diamante bandeau, evening wear.

 

[Mojito]

Gold sequinned evening cloche.

 

[Mojito]

Late decade evening cloche that is begining to evolve into a Juliet Cap.

I hope that gives an overview? The line can sometimes be a bit blurry on what is a very dressy afternoon hat (some had quite elaborate trims) and an evening cloche, but in general if it's very shiny and has some sparkle, odds are it's evening.

 

[MissMittens]

Thank you for the posts. It makes more sense now seeing the different styles together. Some were every day wear, some more formal wear, others evening, night and party. I especially like the Capeline cloche, and the diamante bandeau