Antiquated Traditions We Must Resuscitate: Hats
3 tableaux, 3 chapeaux. Inspired by Slim Aarons
1 May 2023, San Diego, California, USA
My mother really appreciates Slim Aarons.
She, a woman who has such creative vigor and dreams up a variety of worlds on a daily basis in her work, vocation as a Yama1 and for kicks, is most transported when viewing his work. Rewind to Saturday early evening, dinner at her house, the grill is on, the oven is sizzling and we all have a refreshing glass of dry riesling to start this spring evening off right,
“I just want to live in this book. I want to be Babe Paley2. I think I could be like that in my next chapter. Lauren, you must come look through this book.” Trudie excitedly exclaims.
“In a moment. I am ravenous.” Lauren manages between bites of chips and salsa3
“No. Come look at it now. I think Beetle should have a frame like this at her wedding, it’s in New Orleans.” Trudie tells not asks.
Lauren pulls herself away from the perfect post-polo snack and stares at the portrait of a bride on a sweeping flat lawn set affront luscious, happy willow trees, to her left on the neighboring page is an image of C. Z. Guest in a white swimsuit in Greece.
“Woah. Incredible. This is incredible!” Lauren happily bellows, glad to have been pulled away from empty calories and into this vintage, elegant, decidedly special world.
Slim Aarons was an American photographer born in New York, New York in 1916. Upon turning 18, Aarons enlisted in the US Army and served as a combat photographer in WWII when he deployed. Impressively, Aarons was awarded a Purple Heart for his achievements during the War. Post WWII his photographic talents continued to evolve as he became widely known for capturing portraits of socialites, celebrities, politicians, and royals across the world. His Palm Springs, European tableaux and portraits of women are legendary.
Now that you are both acquainted, let us move swiftly onto Aaron’s book, Slim Aarons: Women4, published in 2016.
The book is pages upon pages of portraits of Slim’s women, ladies from all around the world captured in their private, polished and sophisticated worlds. Each pages is like a different snow globe of elegance, his photographs are, to me, tableaux of beautiful ladies, some ensnaring because of their looks, lithe figures and couture while others ooze intelligence and knowledge attributes that paint them just as beautiful, fossilized by film. Somehow Slim’s women are timeless. Despite their surroundings dating them, they truly appear timeless.
My sister, Beetle, and I were pouring over this book pre-dinner, and as we turned and pointed we became more and more connected to the pages, and the women within them. No doubt about it, Slim was making his way into 21st & 18th.
For our third episode of Hat Week, Antiquated Traditions We Must Resuscitate, we bring you 3 vintage hats, 3 tableaux, inspired by Slim Aarons and his women.
I. Pillbox wearing stewardess or Austrian Countess?
Styling details
Hat: Nude, vintage pillbox hat from Henry Pollak c. 1940s made from 100% wool Glenover Fawn Tro-Felt
Blouse: Cinq a Sept (Found new on TRR)
Skirt: Christian Dior (Vintage)
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik BB Suede Pointed Toe Pumps
Jewelry: Chanel bracelet and earrings I stole from my mother’s collection, they must be 1980’s, I mean look at them
We wanted to feature a classic, Jackie O. type pillbox hat this week, to encourage you to style one for an upcoming event or even wear while traveling. Pillbox hats are much less fuss than one might suppose. They are easy to style, pack and travel with, and stay firmly on your head with a variety of hair styles. If you’re looking to pepper newness into your accessory collection, I recommend reviewing your pillbox options through a marketplace such as Etsy, set a budget, and filter by colors, either a neutral or hue that you have an already matching ensemble in, ie. do you have a pink suit collecting dust in your closet? Find a matching pink pillbox and send your suit to the dry cleaners in prep for a coming spring event.
The next obvious question you might be asking: Where would I wear a pillbox hat?
To you, my friend, think of hats like a coat, scarf, extra sweater, or a belt. They are not always necessary, but nice to have and oftentimes become useful while also elevating your OOTD. In the case of a pillbox, they are excellent accessories to add to your fashion for a baby or bridal shower, a relaxed lunch or tea, church on a particularly holy day ie. Easter, matinee theater/symphony/opera/ballet production, or honestly wherever you feel called and comfortable. If you are feeling moved to layer in a pillbox hat, get. after. it.
II. Raceday Trifecta
Styling details
Hat: Made by me (!)
Dress: Carolina Herrera
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik Pachana Nude Pumps
Gloves: Cornelia James Regina Sueded Cottons Gloves
Jewelry: Pink crystal drops from Betsy Johnson (Like really old school BJ) and a beautiful necklace whose provenance is a major question mark
I am a big race goer - I actually just scored tickets to the 2023 Breeder’s Cup5 at Santa Anita this coming November - and have gone out of my way in my adult life to create as many opportunities to attend horse racing events. As you can tell, I adore hats, new, vintage and home-millin-ed, and each race I attend I do my best to work in a new hat, or style an old favorite in a completely fresh way.
For this look, I was inspired by Slim Aaron’s, Mady De La Houssaye, from 1978. The green and pink complement one another and scream spring. Today is the first of May, 22 days from my birthday and firmly in the spring season. Spring is in my bones, and pulling together this look was amusing and energizing - like reading a Catherine Coulter6 regency romance novel.
III. Pre-dinner cocktails with Mrs. Lynch Wemple
Styling details
Dress: Custom, Made by Trudie
Hat: Vintage (Also from Trudie’s collection)
Jewelry: Tennis necklace and crystal drop earrings from Betsy Johnson (My early 2000s archives when BJ was cool)
I wanted to have the least fuss in this photo. To me this dress and hat, Bonjour, Virginie, were always to be our swan song in Antiquated Traditions We Must Resuscitate. To learn more about this custom vintage hat, I would like to direct your attention to last week’s Hat Week episode: Vintage Finds.
Re. the frock, prepare yourself: This dress was custom made for me by my mother, Trudie, for my 8th grade Christmas pageant. Yes, you read that correctly. This dress is about 15 years old.
In 2020 I worked with my mother to reinforce the seams and change out the buttons, but save for the buttons, the dress has not changed a lick in over a decade. I also wore it during our engagement portrait shoot.
For me this tableau of me in these Trudie pieces sitting on my prized furniture possession7 in the foreground of my home, which I have been remodeling with my husband, feels like a perfect depiction of me in my present life.
This frame of my life is filled with newness, scary unknown corridors for work, life and marriage (ie. kids?!!) begging me to reply to them. In this frame, I am all stillness amidst a frenetic new world and what is keeping me grounded are my roots. My family, my mom, my sister and working on 21st & 18th with her, memories from my childhood growing up here in North County San Diego. Me, my DNA and the people and experiences that built it.
Being grounded is a beautiful thing. Like a seatbelt for the hellish ride that is life.
What helps you to feel grounded? Perhaps you can channel, enjoy or experience that today? Make this Monday great, strong, a lovely start to your week.
The next installment of Hat Week will be Meet the Expert, our fourth article finale to each concepted week. In Hat Week’s Meet the Expert, we will sit down with a milliner and peel back the layers of their world and craft.
If you are keen to read Meet the Expert, subscribe to
as a free subscriber or Patron. If you become a Patron, you will gain access to 21st & 18th's Patron Slack community, where we chat history, art, fashion and everything in between while reviewing shop-able Vintage Finds catalogs. It's fabulous. Just saying.Until next time. Cheers,
Lo. Lynch
P.S. In the meantime, browse the Artsy marketplace for Slim Aaron’s prints - the prints are quite good value
My mother’s nickname within the family. My brother’s two kids call her this, it is sweet.
Barbara Cushing Mortimer Paley a Boston born NYC made editor and socialite who was besties with Slim Aaron and whose second husband was the founder of CBS
El Napolito in Encinitas, best salsa in the world
Go find it on Amazon, if you go used you can get a banging deal. OR go the Trudie route and order it, for free, to your local library
2024’s host track is Del Mar - boy, am I ready to tear up the Turf Club in ‘24
The only author I have ever written fan mail to, she lives in Marin, CA with her cats - what a woman
cough cough the Louis XIV bench, remember this for future Vintage Finds epi