Five gems for hat queens from the author of Crowns
Winter Fashion
Written by cjhammon in Books | Music | Art | Culture, Features, Life in Yesterday's Clothes, Style
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There are at least three things that are nearly extinct from modern life: china, hostess skirts and hats. When I was a kid, any dinner guest was cause for bringing out the good china and silver. And no self-respecting bride would organize a gift registry that did not include china. Not so anymore.
People dine out rather than entertaining at home—which also explains the disappearance of the hostess skirt. If you hosted or attended a casual weekend party during the 70s, a long hostess skirt was your go-to wardrobe staple, worn with a turtleneck or blouse.
And on any Sunday morning in the 1960s, women and girls donned hats and gloves for church and possibly for other things. (I can’t say because my social agenda was limited to occasions that allowed 5- to 10-year-old kids. Back in the Children-Should-Be-Seen-And-Not-Heard Era, that was a much smaller list of possibilities than it is today.)
Unfortunately, hats became a casualty of a less formal approach to worship—with one notable exception. Black women still turn out for worship in magnificent hats, upholding a tradition that shows how integral their headwear has always been to their faith.
A book for hat lovers
That’s the subject of a stunning book by Michael Cunningham, Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats. Cunningham was guest lecturer at yesterday’s Hats Off event at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. He first conceived of Crowns after attending a conference in New York, where he heard a captivating message. “As artists, we were encouraged to always have a personal project,” he says.
As a successful commercial photographer who makes his living doing corporate work, Cunningham was stymied by the lack of creative freedom allowed by his paying work. In Crowns, it is on full display in gorgeous black and white photography, accompanied by personal profiles of the women who wear them. First published by Doubleday 13 years ago, the book’s sales were originally projected at 15,000 copies. A month after hitting the market, Cunningham’s book doubled that forecast. Today, 150,000 copies have been sold.
Crowns is a book of elegance and wisdom, loaded with hat lore and anecdotes from Cunningham’s regal-looking subjects. Not to diminish these women, but have you ever noticed that almost everyone is more interesting in a hat?
Gems from the book
• “Don’t let people knock the hat. Don’t let people touch the hat. Don’t let people hug too close.”––Peggy Knox
• “I’m 47, a wife, mother, law school teacher and a former assistant attorney general, but my mother still dresses me.” ––Beth Hopkins
• In the 1950s, hats were a sign of status among working women. When you got your first job, you bought a hat. This was particularly important when cultural bigotry and discrimination relegated many (if not most) black women to the lowliest positions. No matter what they did during the week, dressing up on Sundays was a source of dignity and strength.
• Black women developed their own community of milliners because segregation prevented them from entering department stores where hats were sold.
• The faith connection is from I Corinthians 11:5, where the apostle Paul encourages women to cover their heads during worship. Symbolically, it caps off a person’s presence and allows God’s presence everywhere else. In black churches, this tradition predates the Civil War. Even slave women found ways to cover and decorate their heads.
Cunningham is the author of two other books: Queens: Portraits of Black Women and their Fabulous Hair and Jewels: 50 Phenomenal Black Women Over 50
. He’s also a devilishly handsome dude who inscribed my book, “Congratulations, Hat Queen.” I’ll explain that in my next post, where I’ll share photos from Hats Off—and my personal agony for my little 15 minutes of fame. I guess a person who finds even a small amount of notoriety excruciating is bound to be only so successful in life!
If you like the drama of a hat, stay tuned! How often do you wear hats and where did you find your favorite?
8 comments
May 3, 2013 at 7:57 pm
I am too young to “miss” hats and gloves, but I really feel like our informal culture of dress is really missing out on something. There’s something kind of special about taking things up a notch or two. Hats with brims need to come back to everyday fashion. 🙂
May 3, 2013 at 9:55 pm
Here, here, Katie! Sounds like we’re both of the same ilk! Thanks for the comment. I hope you’ll stop by again!
May 4, 2013 at 10:38 am
I really enjoy sitting at my dining room table when we have people over for dinner. I may or may not bring out the good stuff depending on a number of factors. My china does see a fair number of uses. It is handed down from my wonderful Grandmother and is stamped “made in occupied Japan” on the back of it. Definitely a rare gem. I have searched high and low for a few missing pieces to round out the set. I can get them without the stamp on the back, the set is Rose China made by Noritake. Sadly in my search for a new home it appears I may not be able to display my wonderful china and crystal in a china cabinet as most of the house we have looked at just don’t have the room or even a formal dining room. A sad state of the informal culture we live in today. Thank you for a lovely write up, Crystal. I have never been much of a hat wearer, but I love the formality of entertaining for dinner.
May 4, 2013 at 9:33 pm
I am a hat person and try to wear them whenever I can although I bike a lot and bike helmets and hats don’t really mix. Nonetheless, hats to me are the bow on a present. I wish they’d come back, seriously come back, in fashion although it’s nice to have hats as a signature look. Style Crone (a blog I also follow) does great hats and I can’t wait to see what hats you have in store for us.
Linda
PS have been reading this blog for awhile and this is my first comment. Thoroughly enjoy your comments and observations.
May 4, 2013 at 11:08 pm
Interesting post!
Enjoyed seeing women in hats at Kentucky Derby today!
May 5, 2013 at 9:59 am
Oh, I love those derby hats, too, Jeannie! I missed it today due to a wedding. Are you a hat person?
May 5, 2013 at 10:00 am
Yes, Judith (Style Crone) has a wonderful hat collection and wears them so well. Inspiration for all of us! Thank you so much for the praise. It means a lot to know that someone actually follows! Keep on wearing your hats…
May 5, 2013 at 10:01 am
Katie, so nice of you to comment. Someone pointed out to me today that if they did come back, it would quickly dissolve our ability to make a real statement, simply by wearing a hat. I hadn’t thought of it that way!