Hat Blog

The Village Hat Shop Rocks Hillcrest at its 2009 Holiday Party

This year, the stars aligned. We have three very talented bands closely associated with our business. These are established, well-recognized, California musicians and song writers. So, what better way to celebrate than to dine and imbibe at our favorite local Hillcrest restaurant, Saigon On Fifth, and "kick out the jams" (am I showing my age and Detroit roots?). We took over the banquet room, set up the back line, closed the doors to the main restaurant, and rocked.

The Silent Comedy opened. Their set included the world premier of guitarist Tim Graves’s song "Bartholomew". Among the bands many accomplishments, The Silent Comedy performed this year at the San Diego Music Awards and won the 2009 Best Pop Artist award. Next up was Lauren DeRose accompanied by Marissa Oliver on violin. Lauren is a top-tier singer/songwriter. Her musical training includes 3-years at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Boston's loss is San Diego's (and The Village Hat Shop’s) gain. Simply put, Lauren’s honesty and musical virtuosity is wonderfully unique. After stomachs were full with good food and potent potables, the perfect closing band was the rhythm and blues of Tori Roze and The Hot Mess. The big sound of this five-piece band filled the room and the party was on, full-tilt. The Hot Mess is Lee Clark (Tori’s mom!): Flute/Backup Vocals/Added Percussion, Jordan Morita: Trombone, Johnny Alexander: Guitar, Harley Magsino: Bass, and Serge McCoy: Drums. Tori, in addition to the lead vocalist, plays trumpet, keys, and acoustic guitar. Tori's soul singing reminds me of the great jazz and blues stylists of the middle 20th Century, but with her own very distinctive modern lyrical bent. The music and lyrics from all the bands is original.

What a party! What good fortune to be surrounded by such wonderful and talented people on a daily basis. Lauren and Tori work at VHS HQ. Our connection to The Silent Comedy is by way of our Christine, Tim Graves’s "lady" as he so aptly put it his shout-out. We also have a sponsorship deal with TSM (these fellas wear Jaxon Hats; and they did so before we hooked up). So, it’s all good. We should only be as fortunate next year to have this entire gang still closely connected to The Village Hat Shop. Who knows, maybe we even can run this gig again!

Fred Belinsky
www.VillageHatShop.com

Iconic Hats: Newsboy Hats and Ivy Hats

[This is article #8 in a series on iconic hats. It joins The Top Hat, The Bowler, The Fedora, The Cowboy Hat, The Beret, The Baseball Cap, and The Fez.]

^{Newsboy caps and ivy caps – variously known as flat caps, baker boy hats, driving caps, golf caps, English caps, eight-quarter caps, etc. – date to pre-World War I and historically are associated with the working classes. In pictures from this period, as well as in literature, one finds factory workers, laborers, construction workers [there is a famous 1932 photograph by Charles C. Ebbets of construction workers on a beam over NYC - Lunch Atop A Skyscraper -where most are wearing a newsboy or ivy cap], etc. wearing variations of cloth caps. Because this headwear was cut-and-sewn primarily from either cotton or woolen fabrics, variations were plentiful and a man could easily distinguish himself from the next by his choice of color, material (e.g. tweed, herringbone, etc.), or style (cut). Furthermore, these caps were inexpensive when compared to the full size hats of the day like bowlers, top hats, or fedoras, so a person could own more than one and, if so inclined, change his hat from day to day. Because of the small size, soft nature, and portability of these caps, their popularity spread to young professionals, college fraternities ("ivy" cap as in Ivy League), sportsmen ("golf" cap as worn by the likes of Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan), etc. A man accustomed to dressing up for work during the week with a full size hat, could now wear this informal cap on the weekend signaling his "time off" while he pursued leisure activity without stepping down in class.}

^{Today, the popularity of ivy and newsboy hats is perhaps second only to its ubiquity in the early 20th Century. The English-born Kangol 504 cap helped to revitalize this style in the mid to late 1990s. Movie stars, musicians, golfers, fashionistas, skate boarders, people young and old, can be found on a daily basis wearing a newsboy or ivy cap frontwards, backwards, or sideways. . Those who determined that this was "my style" quickly learned that the variations of this headwear style are virtually limitless. Many – like my father – make a hobby of collecting caps and make certain to pick up one or two while traveling in the British Isles or Europe.}

^{Fred Belinsky
VillageHatShop.com} 

 

Jaxon Hats on TV

October, 3 2008

On last night's episode of NBC’s "My Name Is Earl", the JAXON C-Crown Stingy Brim Fedora was part of the story!

On the Episode entitled "Stole an RV", Randy, Ear's younger brother, happens across the hat.

Jaxon Hats will also be featured on upcoming episodes of “Ugly Betty” and “One Tree Hill". Jaxon Hats are regularly seen on MTV.

Bob Dylan and Hats

What can I say about this that won’t be reductive?  I’m reluctant to write this, I admit a degree of crassness, but do want to address the Scorsese documentary.  Hats do play a part in this event and, after all, we are a hat blog.  First of all, one of my favorite Dylan tunes, “Leopard-skin Pill-box Hat” is actually one of the few songs sung in its entirely in the film.  Here are the lyrics:

Well, I see you got your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat Yes, I see you got your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat Well, you must tell me, baby How your head feels under somethin' like that Under your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat Well, you look so pretty in it Honey, can I jump on it sometime? Yes, I just wanna see If it's really that expensive kind You know it balances on your head Just like a mattress balances On a bottle of wine Your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat Well, if you wanna see the sun rise Honey, I know where We'll go out and see it sometime We'll both just sit there and stare Me with my belt Wrapped around my head And you just sittin' there In your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat Well, I asked the doctor if I could see you It's bad for your health, he said Yes, I disobeyed his orders I came to see you But I found him there instead You know, I don't mind him cheatin' on me But I sure wish he'd take that off his head Your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat Well, I see you got a new boyfriend You know, I never seen him before Well, I saw him Makin' love to you You forgot to close the garage door You might think he loves you for your money But I know what he really loves you for It's your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat

Copyright © 1966; renewed 1994 Dwarf Music

So what to make of this?  Initially, it appears as if the hat represents nothing more than a strong symbol of association that Dylan ascribes to the woman that the song is about.  Why does the woman wear this hat and why does it catch Dylan’s attention?  Something to consider is the fact that pillbox hats were hot-hot at this time.  Jackie Kennedy wore pillbox hats designed by Halston, a very chic designer of the day.  Jackie led the fashion parade in those days.  This woman was not someone acting outside of the mainstream.  The hat certainly catches Dylan’s attention, in fact as she carries on with another guy, this clown is wearing her hat and that bothers Dylan more than the affair!    Finally, Dylan thinks that this hat is so powerful that he levels the accusation that another guy does not love her for her money (back to my point about the kind of women who would wear these hats in those days), but rather because of the hat, and only the hat! 

If you are readers of this blog or VillagHatShop.com, you know that I continue to address the historical power of hats as symbols.  I won’t reiterate here, see other blog articles and VillageHatShop.com for more on this.  But, did anyone notice that short film, identified as the first footage of Dylan in New York’s Greenwich Village, within the film?  The entire short is nothing more than Bob Dylan changing hats.  Talk about symbolism!  Here, clearly in my opinion, Dylan is saying, as did Scorsese throughout the film, that Bob Dylan is a chameleon, is capable of changing personas, musical styles, and the like. 

Tonight is the second part.  Keep on the lookout for hats. 

Fred Belinsky

http://VillageHatShop.com

Snoop Dog

Here we have a picture of the rapper Calvin Broadus, better known as Snoop Dogg, wearing a fedora.

A fedora is a Men's soft felt hat with brim and lengthwise crease in crown , adopted by women. The name Fedora was after the heroine of Victorian Sardou's drama presented in Paris in 1882.

Ruben

At the Grammy awards, Ruben Studdard came wearing a beret.

A beret is a cap with a round flat crown of varying widths. Made of felt, wool or other fabric. Forms of the beret have been found since Ancient Times.

Prince

In this picture we have Prince wearing a Homburg. The Homburg was manufactured at Bad Homburg, Germany. Soft, elegant, felt hat with tapered, creased crown and rolled brim that had a bound edge. British version made popular by the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII of England from 1901 to 1910, who went to Germany for the spa. Popularity of the hat revived in the 1930's the 1940's and the 1950's. Worn by British Prime Minister, Anthony Eden. Dwight D. Eisenhower wore it for his inauguration as President of the United States in 1953.