Today we have a darling hat from very early on in Hattingdon’s hat collection. It is a sweet, colorful interpretation of the newly created “sweetheart” hat silhouette. Vivian named the hat design Sophie.
Sophie Hattingdon.
Sorry we are so late in posting. We have had crazy busy week over at the Fund for Horses. If you are interested in horse safety and protection, check out our blog sometime called Tuesday’s Horse.
Hattingdon was created to help us raise money to help horses. We did very well for a very long time until the recent various health threats which slowed the country and economy down.
But we are encouraged and will be reopening Hattingdon’s shop in the near future.
Initially we will be selling Hattingdon designs on mugs, greeting cards, tote bags and tees — her previously four most popular products.
Hello, and happy Monday. It is time for a classic hat, and this one . . . . is a new one. Vivian named the hat Daisy, and you are about to see why.
Daisy Hattingdon Blue.
Daisy Hattingdon Green.
Daisy Hattingdon Peach.
Daisy Hattingdon Black.
We were not too sure about the black, but it turned out lovely. The blue and green are so fresh and fun. But the peach! We are all in love with it here. How about you? Which one do you love most?
Hattingdon’s fedora has a new name. It is now called Kelly.
Since we were changing the name, we decided to update it a with a broader brim. It looks very “smooth” and ready to go.
Here it is, in five colorways: light gray, dark gray, sky blue, shamrock green, and khaki tan. And introducing the hat for the first time — in black. Very snazzy!
Updated 08.12.22 4:44 pm EST
Light Gray.
Charcoal Gray.
Sky Blue.
Shamrock Green.
Khaki Tan.
And here she is in her brand new black fedora, looking a bit “Al-Capone-ish”!
Classic Black.
About the fedora
The fedora has a fascinating history. Here is just a bit.
Fedora hats were first seen as a feminine hat with masculine undertones in 1883, inspired by a drama called “Fédora,” created by the French playwright Victorien Sardou.
Sarah Bernhardt, a French Actress, played the star role of Princess Fédora Romanoff who was wearing a stylish, center-creased, soft brimmed hat. Sarah was known for adopting men’s fashion and acting roles that shocked audiences.
The play’s first review named the style of Bernhardt’s hat “fedora” after the play title. This review coined the name “Fedora Hat” into womenswear of the time, and later menswear too.
Prince Edward VIII.
Soon after, fedora hats became a popular fashion statement and symbol for women’s rights activists, standing for liberation and assertiveness.
Before long, the fedora style spread to all women and fashion-forward men like Oscar Wilde and Prince Edward VIII.
In 1924, Prince Edward VIII wore his fedora Hat to the United States and dressed it up with a suit instead of everyday dress.
The style was seen on stars like Humphrey Bogart and the infamous Gangster Al Capone.
In the 1940’s and 50’s, cinema helped to create the iconic symbol of manliness and mystery with fedora hats worn by Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra and even football coaches Paul Bear Bryant and Tom Landry.
The fedora later resurfaced onscreen in the 70’s and was styled as edgy and unique, yet still practical, as seen on Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones.
Most recently, fedoras have made their existence known on shows like Mad Men and Peaky Blinders.
In honor of National Book Lovers Day August 9, we put away our smartphones, pull out a good book and simply read. (Audiobooks are okay too.)
Here’s Hattingdon to get us in the mood.
Dewey Hattingdon.
Books are the purest form of escapism. They can take you to any time, any place, or any culture.
From clay tablets to today’s eBooks, literature has played a crucial role in preserving cultures, educating the masses, and storytelling.
Thanks to Johannes Gutenberg’s 15th-century printing press, anyone, not just royalty, monks or landed gentry, could read and own books. But, alas, there was no overnight shipping.
Today, join a book club or re-read a favorite novel because National Book Lovers Day rocks! More »
Dewey
The Dewey Decimal Classification, colloquially known as the Dewey Decimal System, is a proprietary library classification system which allows new books to be added to a library in their appropriate location based on subject. It was first published in the United States by Melvil Dewey in 1876.
“Dewey” Hattingdon (seen above) is named in honor of the Dewey Decimal System.
Hello there. Vivian has whipped up a brand new classic hat. In black. Featuring a fantastical, whimsical splashed paint pattern. She named the design “Karan”. Here it is.
Karan Hattingdon.
What do you think? Are you loving it?!!? We hope so.
Jackson Pollock
The artist best known for dripping and splattering paint across canvases was Jackson Pollock. Even more than a century since his birth, American “splatter artist” Jackson Pollock still provokes heated debate about the very definition of art.
Was a man who placed a canvas on the floor and dripped paint straight from the can actually creating a work of art? Watch at WBUR.org »
Wow. It’s Nat’l Blogger Day today, but what to blog about? How about Hattingdon’s beginning, and the first two Hattingdon horses Vivian ever created?
It was a dark and stormy night . . . . Ha, ha, ha! Just kidding.
It was late December, and Vivian was still in Washington DC lobbying on behalf of horses, waiting for Congress to adjourn for the Christmas holidays so she could go home. Everybody else in her organization had already gone, so she was on her own.
To pass the time, she got on her computer and started layering shapes, until she had what you see below — her very first ever cartoon horse. She named him Curtis.
Curtis Hattingdon.
She put Curtis on a t-shirt to raise money and help defray lobbying expenses, plus be able to rescue, rehabilitate and find good homes for horses in need. Curtis was a wonderful success.
The following Spring, Vivian made another cartoon horse — this time a lady. Her hat was inspired by the fashions of the Paris runway. Vivian named the new addition Harper.
Harper Hattingdon.
She wondered, what if her creations became a series — what in the world was she going to call them? The one thing Vivian knew for sure is that she wanted the word “hat” somewhere in the name. Nothing came to mind.
Then one day, lo and behold, when she was not even thinking about it, the name popped into her head . . . . Hattingdon. So she named her cartoon series Hattingdon Horses.
Not long after, she created Hattingdon’s first blog. And that, as they say, is history!
“Blogger Day is celebrated on August 5 every year. This day celebrates one of the most popular platforms in the world, Blogger. Anyone who has ever created a blog before has most likely used Blogger. This platform allows people to express themselves for either personal or commercial reasons.
“Some bloggers use blogs to disseminate information and it has been a very good way to consume news ranging from politics to sports, technology, lifestyle, and a host of other topics.
“This day should be well celebrated, especially by the blogging community as it celebrates one of the platforms that contribute to our freedom of speech.”
Hattingdon Horses® 