Springtime and a little local hat history brought Gilroy women
together to celebrate the relationship of mothers and daughters
(and all those women who have been important role models in our
lives). At a May Mother-Daughter Luncheon, our hostess, 85-year-old
Gilroyan Margaret Wentworth, energetically modeled hats from her
collection spanning the 1850’s to the present day.
Springtime and a little local hat history brought Gilroy women together to celebrate the relationship of mothers and daughters (and all those women who have been important role models in our lives). At a May Mother-Daughter Luncheon, our hostess, 85-year-old Gilroyan Margaret Wentworth, energetically modeled hats from her collection spanning the 1850’s to the present day. Raised in San Martin, Marge (as she is known), is a lifelong member of our community, moving to Gilroy after marrying her husband Everett back in 1940.
Guests, including Marge’s great niece Heather (her sister’s granddaughter), wore their favorite hats, with the top hats winning prizes. There was a leather hippie hat (1964), a black straw hat from JC Penny (1970), and a mint green hat worn to a wedding in Guatemala (1986), while the most cleverly decorated example of haberdashery was a big hat covered with miniature hats worn by Judy Marez. Her friend Lonnie Smith won “most historic” for her hat, which represented fifty years of Disney with Mickey Mouse figurines festooning its crown.
As Marge modeled, her guests played a hat game in which they tried to guess the date of each hat she was wearing. “I haven’t worn some of them in so long, I don’t know if I remember exactly how to put them on,” she laughed. The oldest one modeled by our hostess was a beautiful lavender sunbonnet from the 1800’s.
She also modeled a purple felt turban-shaped one with netting and a large jewel in the center of its crest that looked like something out of “The Arabian Nights.”
“My sister loved this hat and got it for me,” Marge confessed, “but I never wore it; it’s just not me.” A century ago, hats sporting feathers and even entire birds were the height of fashion. When Marge put on a red feathered chapeau that was more feathers than hat, someone in the audience called out, “I think Camilla needs that one!”
Hats were once considered so indispensable that women used to take classes on how to make their own hats, but many of the historic hats at the Spring luncheon were purchased downtown at a store that once stood on Monterey Street between Fifth and Sixth streets. Some readers will remember it fondly as the “Ladies Toggery,” owned by Steffie Weldon, a popular shopping spot for Gilroy women for many years.
With service we can’t imagine today, customers who entered the Toggery would find themselves comfortably seated as they waited for sales people to bring them a selection of hats to try on. Clerks wearing white gloves would then proceed to place each hat on your head “the proper way. They knew what they were doing,” as Marge described it.
Hats began going out of style in the 60’s as hats came to be considered “establishment” and too restrictive, and hair became more important as a symbol of women’s freedom. However, in fashion, what goes around always comes back around. So what’s next? According to the International Fashion Review, hats are making a gradual comeback and are once again being worn to represent individuality, style, and creativity for the women who wear them. You might not want to put those hats away just yet, Marge. It seems hats are back!
