This article is part two of the Outfitting Gatsby feature.
When I started this Gatsby costume project, I assumed finding the perfect hat would be the easiest and most fun part of the whole thing. I was willing to spend a bit more money than I would on something like a dress since vintage hats are a neat thing to collect. Little did I know that two factors would making buying a hat nearly impossible. One, I apparently have a freakishly large head. Two, I actually couldn't bring myself to spend hundreds of dollars on a hat. Not that I didn't find a bunch that I wanted to buy -- I placed bids on four of them on eBay. But of course, as the auction business goes, the hats would go from $20 to $200 in the last couple minutes.
So, plan B: I would make my hat. Despite my successes with the dresses, I was intimidated by the hat-making process. I knew that I wasn't going to spend the money on a hat block and stretch the thing myself, but I wanted to do more than just trim a modern straw hat. I asked myself some questions: would I want to wear a cloche or a sunhat? Could I actually create something that I truly wanted to wear? Most importantly, was I being completely stupid in making something when I could just buy a new hat that I liked? For inspiration and guidance, I relied heavily on this book.
My first attempt at making my hat was a promising mess. I found an old straw fedora at home and ironed/steamed it into a more suitable shape. Then, I covered with ribbons and lace. To trim the hat(s) I used flowers from a vintage hat I had purchased eBay -- a hat that had seen better days. In theory, the the hat was passable. My execution was, however, terribly sloppy and I started over.
At the fabric store -- on a search for more lace -- I checked out some modern patterns to see if I could find a hat design that could do the job. Working with the existing straw hats I had was proving to be a bit of a challenge and I figured that making a hat from scratch might not be that difficult.
I found this pattern from Vogue and decided that view "A" -- that hat with the largest brim -- might do the trick.
The pattern turned out to be incredibly easy to work with and I was relieved that the basic shape was exactly what I was looking for. Its interfacing gives it just the right flexibility to the brim and I was able to trim it with the flowers and accessories I had at hand. I'm planning on wearing the iridescent gold/purple hat with the cream lace dress. The other two will be for two of my friends also attending the picnic.
Completing my look are these shoes purchased from Amazon, gloves purchased from Lacis and a flea market find pearl necklace. The two peacock pins were also purchased at the Alameda Flea Market.
Stay tuned for the final Outfitting Gatsby installment -- the picnic preparations.