It’s the oldest and simplest of my accessories that’s gotten the most notice these days.In summer hat-wearing weather, I’ve been hiding under a woven brim for portable shade. To keep hat on head – and hair piled up beneath hat – I’ve been relying on hatpins.
I’ve gathered a collection over the years, even though they’re mostly stored away, out of sight.
This summer they’re on display. Stuck through the back of hats and all but forgotten by me. Until people – mostly women – ask about them.
“It’s a hatpin,” I say.
“Yes, it works in all but the strongest winds.”
“Oh, I’ve had these for years; in fact, some were my mother’s.”
I think the last time I bought a hatpin was decades ago, when I mostly used them to secure my hair in a bun. Then I started wearing my hair shorter, then shorter still, until tiring of the maintenance. I chose the path of least resistance for my unruly mop: wearing it long.
So, buns were back in and out came the hatpins. And the curious looks.
Still, everyone who noticed has agreed: “What a good idea.”
Hatpins may be a throwback to the last century, when women wore big hats without bonnet strings, but they’re still fit for purpose.
Sometimes it’s the simplest tools that do the best job, even in a high-tech world.
Interested in hatpins? Read more at these sites…
- Antique Hatpins and Hatpin Holders
- The American Hatpin Society
- Vintage Hat Pins on Pinterest
- VictorianHatPins.com
