"Eye Catcher" Hats
from the 1940s
from the October 5, 1942 issue of Life
"Men have been blamed for a lot of things women do and now Milliner Lilly Dache accuses them of driving women into eye-jeopardizing hats. These are high-rumpety bits of nonsense with feathers, veils, or brims reaching down over the right eye. Without so much as batting one of her own excitable Gallic eyes Madame Dache says, 'Men in uniform, they like their women helpless. So, we knock out one eye on the lady and catch all the men's eyes.' Hats on these pages and one on cover are interesting examples.
Hats are one of the few items of women's wearing apparel unrestricted by Government regulations. Milliners are using enough materials so that a hat looks like a hat and not a piece of string and the industry is at last determined to make them flattering."
"Eye-shield of lacquered lace is pretty camouflage for a lady with a wink or a black eye. This was Cherry Hannan's first modeling job. No wonder she looks startled."
"'Flirtation Hat' is John Frederics' name for this stovepipe hat. Black Chantilly lace nose veil covers both the eyes but the brim completely knocks out the right one."
"Seeing stars is no trick for the person wearing this hat. Black veiling studded with scintillating stars is draped over the pink felt crown and shoots down over the eyes."
"White feather of glycerined ostrich is used in place of a veil to hide one eye and half the face. Ticklish males are likely to find this little bonnet a hazard when dancing."
"A felt hat slanted over one eye has long been a Joan Crawford pet. This is a new Dache version."
(c) 2006