INSPIRATION
pertinent attire gave the world a kick in the proverbial hemline and started many a trend in hat trims.
seductive glances than on their millinery for conveying mood. The black and white format opens a world of detail to the imagination as to possible colour combinations. We see stripes, prints and leopard details frequently in films during this era as costume pinpoints that helped separate the good girl from the ‘floozy’. Luxe ensembles underlined a myriad of character flaws or sketched a world of happy people living life as only Hollywood could depict it. There are films filled with social
commentary, and films that were meant to uplift the sorrowed world by flipping that coin to distract and entertain. Going to the movies to see Greta Garbo, Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer in their latest and always
Cinematic magic
It was easy to see how a woman could change from vamp or vixen to rough and tumble powerhouses with a flip of a feather or the shape of a crown. Hats were always there, meant to direct the eye of the beholder as part of the fabric of cinematography. Heavy in another category were the costume dramas that captured historic references, always elaborate for both men and women. Errol Flynn as Robin in the 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood wooed Maid Marian in her coy chiffon headgear. Even today, with Marvel and DC creating kingdoms and building universes, storylines and costume designers add headwear that might help inspire once and future collections. It can be hard
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023 TV series)
Mia Farrow in The Great Gatsby (1974)
to follow the storyline when your eye is feasting on the glorious hats in The Duchess (2008), or the high court scene in Man of Steel (2013) where every member of the Krypton Council wears a wired headpiece, one more spectacular than the next. Movies for milliners are in the must-watch-several-times category, each time seeing how hats were used from different points of view. Colour in the movies brought a
spectrum of added detail where tonality joined with shape, automatically stimulating the imagination. Headpieces in the movie Black Panther (2018) echo tribal influences as much as shapes seen in films like Flash Gordon (1980), Out of Africa (1985) and even Tarzan movies. The craft and art of costume design have always provided a rich harvest for the fertile mind of a milliner. Research is always more fun when the camera pans to an overhead shot, backlit and capturing nuance from behind and above. Lighting can define or suggest veil placement: think Marlene Dietrich under
Cendrillon at the Metropolitan Opera (2018) 60 | the hat magazine | 101
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