The Czarina's Miliner

Hat: Vintage (Handmade by my Great Aunt the Czarina for The Hudson Company), Ring: F21, Faux Leather Shorts: F21,  

Sweater: Thrift, Tights: H&M, Nail Polish: Hard Candy

My Great Aunt "the Czarina" is far and away the most chic woman I've ever met.   When I was little she taught me such important life lessons as "Never leave the house without lipstick", "Make friends with your neighbors so they won't rob you" and "Children whine too much and are a burden to travel with - it's better not to have them".  She's kind of old school, I guess. 

She worked for The Hudson Company in the 1940's, 50's, and '60's as a miliner.  This was back when hats were an essential part of any ensemble - if you were a woman who knew anything about anything, you had a hat for every occassion.  To this day, her hat closet (she obviously has a separate closet for her hats) would make any collector weep with happiness.  She loves passing along her former creations to my mom, and I love digging through the boxes and tissue paper whenever I get the chance.

 

I think this red felt wide-brimmed hat is from the '60's.  This style was just coming into fashion then and it doesn't feel as delicate as the older hats.  The Czarina would be mortified I paired it with these leather shorts (she once gasped with disgust when she saw me in a baseball hat) but I wore it to keep warm while shopping on a mild winter day.  And shopping is always Czarina approved.

Your Golden Girl,

Olive

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