bits and bobbins

vintage cocktail hats: the obsession continues…

i love how when you set your mind to something (whatever that is, fashion-related or otherwise), you start seeing that something everywhere! for instance, i’ve been crazy for vintage cocktail hats this year…i think about them way too much. the thrift gods must be able to read my mind, because i keep finding super special ones on my secondhand shopping excursions!

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this one was found at thrift town, just after i got done filming my little interview for the thrift town documentary last weekend (neat experience, btw!):

and this velvet beauty was found at the alameda antiques and collectables fair the weekend before last.

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i feel sometimes that thrifting/secondhand shopping is a magical, almost transcendent experience. you don’t ever know exactly what you’ll find when you go on a thrifting adventure…and that’s the beauty of it! it’s like urban archeology…digging through the discards others deign to drop off is not just fun, it also speaks volumes about our culture at large. and of course, it is like a history lesson, if you dig a little beneath the surface and indulge your curiosity. what’s the story behind this object? who made it? what does the design say about the context in which it was made, the time period at which it was most relevant? who owned this object before me? what were they like? why did this object end up being given away?

i have a lot of reverence for this magic inherent in the thrifting process…and for this blessing the thrifting gods have bestowed upon me. i have put my time in: i’ve been thrifting for years and years, and i’ve been a student of aesthetics in a formal and informal manner. as such, i feel i’ve trained my eye to pick out the really lovely things, the delicious diamonds in the rough that deserve to be found amongst the reams of racks and shelves. i’m more than happy to buy something used, and just as happy to give it new life with my love and delight. and i am happy to add it back into the system when i’ve tired of it…so someone else can potentially feel the same way.

can you relate?

July 9 2007 | Posted in fashion musing, i thrifted this.

1. July 9 2007 at 2:24 pm

   jenny

   YES. yes, yes, yes!!!!!

   you know i can totally relate to this!

   those are some super fabulous cocktail hats. i love it that the thrift gods have been so good to you with just what you wanted!

   
   

2. July 9 2007 at 3:52 pm

   lady coveted

   you are so good at thrifting… i have to give you props for that!
   ; )

   also the blue hat is perfect for you and your coloring….

   
   

3. July 9 2007 at 4:52 pm

   swissarmyknife

   yeah, the same thing happened to me when i decided to collect deer related things: they just startedpopping up out of nowhere at the flea market hehehe.

   the hats are beautiful. i was looking for hats too, and found a few. i’d love to get some like the ones you got, but then i’d never have an occasion to wear them

   
   

4. July 9 2007 at 5:00 pm

   tricia

   swissarmyknife: well, i certainly don’t have an “occasion” to wear them either, so i have to MAKE occasions to wear them, i.e. ANYTHING. it’s all about shifting your paradigm, you know? like, going out for drinks with friends is an “occasion”. attending an art opening is an “occasion”. shopping at the flea market could be an occasion!

   i am on a mission to change people’s minds about things…there are very few rules when it comes to fashion, i think!

   
   

5. July 9 2007 at 5:07 pm

   jenny

   well put, tricia! i like the way you think, girl.
   too damn bad we are on opposite sides of the country!
   we would certainly have fun making our own little occasions to break out some pieces from our collections. i say, going to the market is occasion enough to wear a good find.
   what’s the point in having it anyway, if it just faces a life in the back of the closet!?

   

   
   

6. July 9 2007 at 5:27 pm

   Brownie(s)

   I know exactly what you mean about the magical experience. I feel so sad for people who say places like Value Village are just stinky and full of junk. I know this is weird but the days when I feel a real urge to go thrifting are the ones where I always find something that seems to have been left especially for me. Your hats are beautiful, I only wish I didn’t have a huge head!

   
   

7. July 9 2007 at 6:09 pm

   tricia

   brownie: that’s the thing about cocktail hats, they don’t have to FIT your head, they are usually just small little fripperies that sit ATOP your head (usually held there with bobby pins or a strap you hide in your hair). so even YOU can rock these little hats, even with a head that’s allegedly “huge”!

   jenny: omg, i totally wished we lived near one another! we’d be crazy! maybe we can arrange to visit one another sometime!

   
   

8. July 9 2007 at 6:33 pm

   jennifer

   thirfting is hard times for me. but i can usually find something great for someone else.

   i found a 20s whimsy and a 40s cocktail dress for my sister to wear to a formal once; it was fabulous and she looked beautiful.

   
   

9. July 9 2007 at 8:42 pm

   sarah

   oh, that black velvet! It’s my favorite!

   hmm…maybe I just need to figure out what I’m on a mission for, so it can start showing up!

   
   

10. July 9 2007 at 8:52 pm

    Jeannine

    absolutely, 100% agree with you!

    
    

11. July 10 2007 at 8:53 am

    madam0wl

    I love how you shed new light on things! I can relate to the hidden treasure aspect of thrifting. Have you read any of the scholarly research on thrift shopping? It is really interesting and actually not all that much exists as of yet. After doing a small research project on it last spring, more research in that area is now on my scholarly to-do list. I have too many to-do lists Off to do more purging in the spare room upstairs…

    
    

12. July 10 2007 at 10:16 am

    tricia

    madamowl: no, i haven’t read any scholarly research about thrifting, but would love to! what discipline would that sort of thing fall under? cultural studies?

    man, if i had several more lifetimes to live and an unlimited stash of cash, i’d stay a student forever!

    
    

13. July 10 2007 at 10:30 am

    Eileen

    I wish the thrifting gods looked down upon me as the do you!!

    I’ve been on the hunt for cocktail hats for about a year now. Sadly, living in Michigan hinders my quest. The opportunities here are horrid.

    
    

14. July 11 2007 at 10:52 pm

    Zena

    I can relate soooo much, though my eye isn’t as trained. So much.

    
    

15. July 12 2007 at 9:19 am

    madam0wl

    The bit of research on thrift shopping I’ve found falls under consumer behavior / marketing… at least that is the background of the reseachers and the publishing journal. Here is one citation:

    Bardhi, F., & Arnould, E. J. (2005). Thrift shopping: Combining utilitarian thrift and hedonic treat benefits. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 4(4), 223-233.

    This article describes “Pursuit of the unexpected” as one of ways thrifting has hedonic value, as opposed to the more obvious utilitarian value, such as cost savings.