Once upon a time in Hollywood, there was a place called Western Costume. This building was legendary, housing bazillions of garments from all the eras of human life. You could rent twenties-style morning suits for your groom and his best man. You could rent pirate garb for a day of hijinks out on your millionaire friend’s yacht. You could costume your actors for that film that was going to make you into the next Cicil B. De Mill.

You could find Raquel Welch’s fur bikini.

When the rental palace closed down, the sales were the highlight of the Hollywood summer. Old friends found each other in the crowd, duels were fought between desperate actors, babies were conceived and born in the narrow aisles. I found hats. This is one of the hats that I found.

It’s black wool felt, constructed on a dressage note and highlighted by a bit of Irish Green grosgrain ribbon and some straw rosettes. The veiling is not the original — that fell apart in my hands, and I replaced it as you see here, with veiling that was nearly as vintage.

The hat stays perched atop your head by means of a thin elastic, and the veil is threaded into it, to hold your bun or ponytail off of your neck. Marilyn, my model, has nearly too much hair!