GWTW Hats: Beret

So, after three long months of rooting for Scarlett and Rhett's love story (lol!), I was finally able to finish Gone with the Wind last week. Can I just say, what a masterpiece! True, it is a rich, complicated book of star-crossed lovers during the Civil War but I love that this book also teaches us about fashion. Riiigghhht. Haha. The first time I encountered GWTW was when I was doing my post about LBDs and how they were used for mourning (see here).

So you see, I have this thing for finding out the history of an article of clothing, accessory and hats included. It was a night in Batanes, reading Chapter 32 of the book when I thought I first learned when berets was introduced into the fashion world when Scarlett met Emmie Slattery after the war...

“Scarlett saw in a glance that the dress was bright in color to the point of vulgarity but nevertheless her eyes went over the outfit hungrily. It has been long since she had even seen stylish new clothes... And what a cunning hat! Bonnets must be out of style, for this hat was only an absurd flat red velvet affair, perched on the top of the woman’s head like a stiffened pancake.”

All along I was thinking Margaret Mitchell was talking about beret but to my surprise, a different kind of hat was used when I finally saw the 4-hr long movie last Saturday night. Hmmm. Far be it from me to question the costume designer’s interpretation of Emmie’s hat, but I really think it should look more like a beret or probably a fascinator ** but let's focus on berets as it is the highlight of this post's looks. Haha. 

Hat: Here; Coat: Here; Belt: Mango

Hat: Here; Top/ Skirt: H&M; Vest: Mango; Bag: Here

**Berets became a thing during the 1940s when the film was shown (see here)but the timeline of the event in the novel is around 1866 according to this timeline. You can choose here which hat accurately represents that of Emmie Slattery's :)

That Thing Called Fascinator

A late post for Kentucky Derby week... 

Sometimes when I need inspiration for an outfit (translation: when I don’t feel like looking at my long list of my carefully planned mix-and-match combos), I turn to recent events in the world. Apparently this is not something new if you refer to these posts (part 1 and 2). And for this certain week, the style websites that I avid alerted me in one of the greatest people-watching events in the world – the Kentucky Derby.

This is an annual horse racing event held in the namesake place and is known as “the Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.” But to steal a line from the websites, the real spectacle is in the outrageous display of hats as this is also known for a headwear fashion show. Just a quick history, the founder of this racing-event used high-class women to attend the race in the 1920s and it has become a quick opportunity for them to show off the latest in spring fashion. The advent of TV in the 1960s meant more exposure for the spectators and so the hats became more festive, elaborate and extravagant. The tradition continued on until today but the fancy hats were not limited to ladies anymore. Other traditions include drinking mint julep and serving burgoo.

So, around this week, I simply decided to give my LBD a little oomph by wearing this fascinator I got while shopping for accessory requirements in my styling class. It’s a little annoying habit of mine when I go shopping (lol!) but is not expensive and could be a good “focal point” sometimes. *wink*

Hat: Unbranded; Dress: Mango; Timepiece: Guess; Shoes: CMG