I get asked at events all the time about tilt hats. Probably one of the most iconic pieces of 1940s clothing and fashion next to red lipstick. These are great questions because tilt hats are so very 1940s - in America and in Germany. In German photographs and fashion magazines tilt hats abound in many shapes and sizes. So, when I got this question and found this image in my magazine collection, I thought it was a great opportunity to do something. The image is from a 1941 dated German Fashion Magazine. Then I went through all my originals. then it hit me, why not show you my collection and how they are worn? This blog post is a companion post to the live video presentation that is on this blog's Facebook page. if you are interested in it, you will have to view it there. For here, you get the photos of some of the hats I sampled in the video.
To start, tilt hats get their name because they are worn at a tilt, either tilted forward towards the face or else at the side a little bit like at a jaunty angle. These hats come in a multitude of styles, materials, and can be quite creative to fantastic. They come in straw, wool felt, floral materials.
To wear a tilt hat, not every hair style will work. Since these hats are worn tilted towards the face and sit on top of the head more towards the forehead than the back of the head, your hair style needs to suit the hat. For a tilt hat, wear your hair more towards the back and sides of your head. This way the hat will have a space to go and the hair around it will help keep it in place. Think of your hair as a "nest" for the hat. If you wear your hair in a pompadour style with the hair piled high on the top of the head, the tilt hat would have nowhere to sit or else would crush your hair.
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| tilt hat of ribbon loops and netting |
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| black and white straw tilt hat |
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| white glossy straw and green satin ribbon. This tilt hat is a high fashion French tilt hat. |
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| floral tilt hat on a black straw base |
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| dark felt tilt hat with silver satin loops |
Many tilt hats have bands or rings at the back of the hat that go around the back of the head to help keep the hat in place. These are not chin straps!! These bands can be simple or fancy to coordinate with the trimmings. Other hats have a simple elastic cording. Often the ones with the elastic cords go under the hair and are hidden. Some hats have both bands at the back of the head and the discreet elastic cording. Some hats even have little combs that help grip the hair and keep the hat in place. Below are some examples of what I am talking about. These hats are from my collection:
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| a discreet elastic band on a tilt hat |
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| a band of straw covered wire that is at the back of a floral tilt hat |
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| a small plastic comb stitched into a hat to keep the hat in place |
Often the bands on the back of these tilt hats are enough for the hat to stay in place but when it's not, or when you need reinforcements, you have options. Hat pins work wonders and so do well placed bobby pins. I have used both separately and both together. For using bobby pins, often these tilt hats have soft fabric bands, and I will pin the bands to my hair in an "X" pattern. I like to position my bobby pins as close to the actual hat as possible. When it comes to keeping tilt hats in place, think of them as an extension of your hairstyle and not just as an accessory. tilt hats really do need hair to sit on and to stay in place. If you look through period magazines, photos, and even films, these tilt hats are often paired with a hair style that suits the hat and helps it stay on.
How do you know if you are wearing the hat right? This is a good question. Normally, not always, the labels go in the back or the side. Hats with netting - lots of long netting - go over the face. For tilt hats, they are like reverse mullets - party in the front, business in the back. Tilt hats usually have all the crazy trimmings towards the front of the head so you can see it with your amazing pretty smile. Lots of tilt hats have an extension that goes at the back of the head - these are not brims that face the front. These extensions go at the back of the head to pin in place to help the hat stay in position. These are just some general guidelines and not hard and fast rules. The best way to tell if you are wearing it right is to try to find similar hats in period print or films and compare that to how you are wearing it. Asking a friend is a good idea too assuming they know their hats and like you. I've seen some women let other women wear hats wrong to make them look silly on purpose. When in doubt, trust your gut.
Another note when talking about tilt hats is that not every tilt hat will suit you. Some will do wonderful things for you while others will just look ghastly! To best find what works best for you, know your face shape and try on lots of these hats. Some tilt hats will suit a square face, others a triangular face. Don't know what I'm talking about? Look for 1940s or even 1930s and 1950s beauty books and they will have a lot of advice on how to pick and choose a hat that will best suit you. These booklets can be found as digital downloads for little very money. Although by modern eyes and ears this may sound like hog wash, this was a real thing in the 1940s - buying hats and choosing a hair style that suited your face. This also dictated how women would apply their makeup such as where to place rouge.
Trying on tilt hats is the best and fastest way to know what does and doesn't suit you. Once I had a lady over to my place and we were talking about hats. I introduced her to my collection, and she got to find out firsthand that one, I'm a hat hoarder, and two, that some hats really looked amazing on her while some totally did not. She left knowing what finds of hats to look for. I know not everyone has access to try on hats. That's ok but when you get the opportunity to try them on - DO IT! This kind of firsthand experience really is invaluable.
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