eskayfeathers: 1920s-1950s Feather Hat Styles

From the cloche to the head hugging hat and a word on Lucie Ball.

The cloche hat is a fitted brimless hat style that was created by the milliner Caroline Rebouxe in 1908. Cloche in French means Bell. The hat style is called cloche because of its bell shape.

The cloche hat became very popular in the 1920s and you can find many vintage hats from the era adorned with feathers of all different sizes and colors. Cloche feather hats are still popular today and can be bought at most hat stores and in countless online stores.

Feathers can be attached to a plain cloche style hat to give it that special magic that feathers bring to any article of clothing that they are added to.

The cloche style was popular throughout the 1920s and 30s but as the 1950s approached the close hat or head hugging chapeau “hat” emerged and was made very popular by Lucille Ball from the “I Love Lucy” show.

These newer style hats were very often covered with coordinating compositions of red, orange, or green feathers.

Both styles of feather hats can still be found for sale today.

Of course you can also buy the feathers yourself and create your own vintage style beauty.