Customer Reviews

Vintage Hats & Bonnets: Collectors ID & Value Guide 1770-1970

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're interested in reproducing authentic costumes, you won't find a better guide to hats and bonnets than this book. I haven't found anything close to it. Intended for collectors, it is full of photographs showing what women wore on their heads for the 200 year period covered. Today a hat is usually something worn strictly to protect from inclement weather. Until a generation or so ago, no woman felt dressed in public unless she wore some kind of hat. It's a valuable addition to any costume library.

Susan Langley's book is great for people who enjoy reading about and admiring hats. It is informative, organized and beautiful. Except for the first two sections which comprise 3 decades each, 1770-1800 and 1800-1830, the book is organized by decade. Each section has a wonderful introduction which consists of a historical overview, fashion overview and overview of hats which is devoted solely to that time period. Then come the gorgeous fashion plates, vintage photos of hat-wearing ladies and actual hats on period milliner's heads such as the century old,rooted haired and glassed eyed Alice who is on the cover with the pink picture hat. Also included are advertisements and articles which,though in small print, can still be read. Ms Langley often compares the fashion plates with the photos of hats on the milliner's heads and old photos of women wearing the hats. This is a great book.

Susan Langley's book is great for people who enjoy reading about and admiring hats. It is informative, organized and beautiful. Except for the first two sections which comprise 3 decades each, 1770-1800 and 1800-1830, the book is organized by decade. Each section has a wonderful introduction which consists of a historical overview, fashion overview and overview of hats which is devoted solely to that time period. Then come the gorgeous fashion plates, vintage photos of hat-wearing ladies and actual hats on period milliner's heads such as the century old,rooted haired and glassed eyed Alice who is on the cover with the pink picture hat. Also included are period advertisements and articles (ex. Irene Castle) which,though in small print, can still be read. Ms Langley often compares the fashion plates with the photos of hats on the milliner's heads and old photos of women wearing the hats. This is a great book.

This book really filled a void -- I liked the organization, the photo quality and the layout. I would have liked to have seen more examples from the 1930's and 1940's, but that's nitpicking (and personal!). I love that the book feels well made too-sturdy and like it will last.

This is a beautiful book. Just what I needed for period research. It has beautiful color illustraions and well written definition. This book is winner.

Thoroughly researched, brilliant color photos, good crossreferences - it will become one of those books that are a "must have" for any serious fan of historical clothing and costuming.

I have always loved hats! Susan Langley has put together a wonderful selection of gorgeous vintage hats and put them in their historical and fashion context. A wonderful treat.

if it is tons of pics of hats you want this is it!

Sue Langleys "Vintage Hats and Bonnets" is the best and most complete resource I've found, including the research library at the Victoria and Albert when I was in the U.K.. The photos are exceptional. As a collector of antique bonnets, I would recommend this as essential reading for other collectors. Read it and enjoy!

What a treat for all of us who are used to "collection" books of little use and no imagination. Ms. Langley has put together the most comprehensive, lively and usable guide I've seen. Arranged by decades, each section begins with an historical and fashion overview followed by a description of the hat trends for the period. The Ms. Langley presents a truly comprehensive array of fashion plates, great old photos of women wearing hats, and hundreds of excellent photographs of hats from each period. This allows the reader to make a reliable determination of the origins of a hat he or she may own. Also, not just hats, but all fashion trends are depicted and described. Vintage Hats and Bonnets is not only a useful resource, it is also very entertaining and informative. When is the last time you can remember being entertained by reading a picture caption? This is a book I would recommend highly, and not only to hat collectors. The fashion overviews and historical nuggets make it a book anyone would enjoy (did you know that during WWII, Paris designers made hats much larger in defiance of German restrictions on material use, resulting in hats large enough to "annoy the Germans?") P.S. The book is 404 pages long, not as reported in Amazon's descripton.