Hat Aficionados

Mad Hatters Tea Party, July 23, 2011

2011-07-23T15:47:00.007-05:00

Joyce knows how to throw a Mad Hatter's Tea Party!!

Rhonda and Nicole enjoying a delicious glass of wine.

Joyce regaled us with the story of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. I particularly liked the quote of the Hatter saying to Alice "You used to be much more...'muchier.' You've lost your muchness." She also read us the well known poem by Jenny Joseph about being an old woman and wearing purple with a red hat that doesn't go.

Joyce entertained us with The Lipstick Personality Test. By comparing how our lipsticks are shaped based on the way we apply them, we learned things(secrets?) about each other. Margarita likes a schedule and may occasionally color her hair to attract attention. Nicole is even-tempered and likable. Jeanne is generous and steady. Suzanne is a peacemaker and easy going. Joyce is opinionated and high spirited. Kelley is inquisitive and makes a great detective. Loretta is to the point and has a quick mind.

We were further entertained by folding a sheet of paper to make a fan and then we were given a guide to understanding messages sent by the fan.....dating back to the mid 1800s when fans were popular. For instance, snapping the fan shut means I'm angry with you; and twirling in the left hand says I wish to be rid of you!

Laurel, Margarita, Jeanne and Nicole about to be seated for lunch.

Loretta, Kelley and Joyce listening to Margarita tell us about her trip to Seattle and Vancouver.

Joyce set a lovely table and the food was delicious. She served us chicken salad, finger sandwiches, green garden salad, congealed blueberry salad and cheesecake, with flavored tea and coffee. Several teapots were used as charming decorations.

What an outstanding group of interesting women with fab hats.

Back row: Kelley, Loretta, Joyce, Rhonda, Jeanne, Laurel and Nicole

Seated: Margarita and Suzanne

Thank you Joyce!!!

Christmas in July

2011-07-20T10:29:00.015-05:00

We didn't really celebrate Christmas in July, but I'm posting our Christmas party pictures in July. I thought I had lost these photos. When I download pictures to my computer, I organize them into folders and label them. Well, I looked and looked for these photos and just could not find them. They finally showed up in a folder with my new granddaughter' photos. She was born the day before this event and so the pictures were all together in my camera and I never separated them. Jeanne is hosting us again this year on Sunday, December 18.

This was our Christmas party at Jeanne's on December 18, 2010. We had a great turnout and it was great fun. We socialized, talked and gabbed, ate and drank, and opened gifts. We had fun with the "Chinese fire drill" gift exchange. Gifts were stolen and stolen again. Some were of course more coveted than others. The pictures can speak for themselves.....

Lunch at Brio Tuscan Grill, June 25, 2011

2011-06-27T20:22:00.004-05:00

Although this meeting lacked quantity, the quality made up for it! Margarita provided these two photos. She reports that it was very nice to get some one-on-one conversation, and that the food was sooo good! It is also a beautiful restaurant. We will have another meeting there in the Fall to give others the chance to try it out. They have a beautiful and fun "cabana " type room that will be perfect for us.

Joyce, Margarita, and Jeanne

This photo is a bit blurry, but I think you get the idea. It is a dessert platter. Margarita said she ordered the chocolate panini for dessert and OMG....so delicious.

May 28, 2011 Lunch at Sevy's Grill

2011-06-12T17:40:00.002-05:00

Lunch at Sevy's was a small gathering, but a wonderful opportunity for great conversations. Many members were unable to attend, no doubt, because it was Memorial Day weekend and other plans were in place.

Our youngest ever attended, August Carly, my five month old grand daughter. Of course she wore a hat.

Suzanne, Margarita, Carly holding August, Jeanne and Laurel.

Carly and August Carly

Jeanne and Laurel.

Laurel told us about a recent book she read that was so interesting. It was the autobiography of Henrietta Lacks, who unwittingly was the source of cancerous tumor cells that were cultured to use as an immortal cell line in medical research.

Suzanne and Margarita.

Margarita shared with us what a blessing her brother has been to her recently.

Kentucky Derby Day at Lone Star Park, May 7, 2011

2011-05-28T09:52:00.003-05:00

Margarita provided these photos. Although this event is not an "official" Hat Band meeting, some of our members are loyal attendees.
Front Row: Elodia, Wendy and Margarita

Back Row: Esther, Oshie and Laurel

Laural is beneath this stunning Derby hat. Of course, she made it!

Margarita showing off her hat.

Margarita purchased this fascinator in Boston during an annual girls getaway weekend.

Oakwood Cemetery Saints and Sinners Tour, Fort Worth, October 30, 2010

2010-10-30T19:52:00.004-05:00

The Oakwood Cemetery overlooks downtown Fort Worth and was founded in 1879 when founding father John Peter Smith donated land for a public burial place. This is the final resting place for many of Fort Worth's distinguished settlers, as well as infamous gunslingers and gamblers.

This event raises funds for the cemetery association and also the historical society. Volunteers bring to life some of the historical characters in the cemetery.

In the photo above, she is holding a paper cup on a stick as a target for him to demonstrate his gun power.

The tour started in this chapel, constructed in 1912. A small group of dedicated women raised the money for the construction. It was used for funeral services. We were led into the basement where Phillip Morgett (1856-1913) regaled us with stories. There was a specially constructed elevator in the basement to raise up coffins into the chapel. He told us it never worked properly!

Hat Band members all looked fabulous as we posed in front of the stone tribute to John Peter Smith, dressed appropriately in mourning attire. Standing: Rhonda, Kelley, Maureen, Suzanne, Carly and Joyce. Sitting: Jeanne, Margarita and Benita.

The beautiful old cemetery is blanketed by a canopy of majestic oak trees.

Kelley, Rhonda and Maureen walking down the path.

Rhonda did a great job of turning her basic black hat into a mourning hat.

Loretta brought Ella Halsell Waggoner (1859-1959) back to life for us. Ella was the matriarch of one of Fort Worth's best know cattle and oil rich families.

We posed with Loretta and Deborah Carl, who portrayed Electra Waggoner (1882-1925), the flamboyant daughter of Ella and W. T. Waggoner.

The Texas 15th Calvary marched through the cemetery.

Jefferson Davis McLean (1870-1907) told us of his efforts as county attorney to eliminate gambling, which was largely ignored even though it was illegal. He was gunned down during a raid at the Stag Saloon.

A view of downtown Fort Worth from the cemetery.

William Louis Armstrong (1845-1954) served in the Confederate Army. His daughter, Gussie Armstrong was the eldest child. She took care of the family after her mother died.

She reportedly still haunts her turn of the century home on Fort Worth's north side.

Cafe Pacific, September 4, 2010

2010-09-04T19:36:00.006-05:00

The entrance to Cafe Pacific and a view of the dining room.
It was a beautifully gorgeous day and some of us took the opportunity to walk around Highland Park Village and window shop and visit some of the stores and buy a few things. The food at Cafe Pacific is outstanding, as is the service. Several around the table commented that they want to eat here again.

Benita and Margarita, pink and black

Carly and Suzanne; mother and daughter

Jean and her friend Jaci visiting from Chicago. Jaci said she really doesn't like hats, but Jean told her she had to wear one, and she looked lovely.

Joyce and Jeanne. Joyce told us she teaches classes on genealogy at the junior college. She has traced her ancestors back to England in the 11th century. She is also writing a book.

This gentleman at the next table volunteered to take a group picture.

And here we are. This is the picture he took of us all sitting around the table.

Patrizzios, Fort Worth, June 19, 2010

2010-08-24T22:12:00.005-05:00

In June we met in Forth Worth in the newly developed area referred to as So 7/ West 7th. Patrizzios is known for its bellinis, and they were indeed delicious.Maureen, Margarita, Kelley, Benita, Jean and Suzanne

Jeanne, Loretta, Rhonda, Oshie and Esther

Loretta, Jean and Maureen

Margarita and Rhonda

Rhonda showing off her entree

Benita and Kelley having fun

Jeanne - love that pink

Of course we had desserts

Swiss Avenue Home Tour on May 8, 2010

2010-08-24T21:56:00.009-05:00

For the second year, we had a fabulous time at the tour of the historical homes on Swiss Avenue. Below is the group shot in front of Maureen's home. What a great looking group! Suzanne, Stephanie, Joyce, Nicole, Maureen, Margarita, Jeanie, Cynthia, Benita, Stephanie, Carly, Esther, Oshie and Kelley

This house had a garden tour. Gee, I wish my back yard looked like that. What a great area for entertaining.

Benita and Carly

Cynthia and Benita

Maureen and Benita

Oshie, Carly and Cynthia

Stephanie and Carly

Stephanie and Esther

We had a delicious pot luck buffet at Maureen's house

Waiting to get into one of the old mansions

More garden tour

This home owner used a megaphone to tell us about his house

Savage Park, the vendors set up in this area

Mad Hatters Tea, Dallas Arboretum, April 22, 2010

2010-08-24T21:34:00.005-05:00

Although this was not an "official" Hat Band event, I emailed members to determine interest. As it turned out, only Oshie and I attended. It was so fun and so special, we immediately started planning to attend next year. The hats were creative, beautiful, outrageous and fun.

This was the 22nd annual event. It began with a champagne reception, and silent auction followed by a fashion show of fabulous fashion from Carolina Herrera, Jimmy Choo, Ralph Lauren and St. John and the winners of the hat competition were announced. Then we sat down for a lovely luncheon.

This event funds the Women's Council of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. With the funds, the council designed and constructed the Women's Garden, and now maintains it. Here I am with Sharon, the chair of the Madhatter's Tea. I made her hat.

Ladies visiting, looking good and viewing silent auction items.

At the fashion show, Oshie and I are sitting with Veree, looking very chic.

The luncheon

Isn't this a wonderful hat??

The fashion show

At the fashion show

This beautiful dress was made entirely of flowers!!

Notice the bird cage hat to the right. It actually had a live bird in it!

A Dallas Cowboys Stadium hat.

Burlap outfits, going green.

This flat pink hat was one of the winners in the hat competition. The categories were Most Creative, Best Vintage/Elegant, Most Whimsical/Outrageous, Best of Show using event theme of Dahlias and Divas.

Lone Star Park, Kentucky Derby Day, May 1, 2010

2010-08-24T21:08:00.012-05:00

What better place to wear at hat than the horse races. Kentucky Derby Day at Lone Star Park is a favorite gathering for Hat Band members. Margarita has access to a reserved area close to the track that was perfect for us. What a fun day.

Laurel, Loretta, Tasha, Kelley and Suzanne

Pink ladies Suzanne and Margarita

One of our two tables

Laurel and hubby Kerry choosing horses

Benita with Pam, our Chicago member

This is a lady from the table next to us looking stylish

The hat contest was the biggest ever!

Pam, Suzanne and Jean at the hat contest
Our hats were rather tame compared to some

Esther and Oshie styling and enjoying champagne

Benita, Jean and Loretta

Kelly, Margarita and Tasha

Pam in her fabulous feather hat and Benita looking pretty

January 23, 2010 Fashion Game

2010-05-14T20:27:00.006-05:00

Stephanie hosted the Dallas Hat Band in her home on Janaury 23 and we played Fashion, a board game that covered the many aspects of fashion. Yikes, it was HARD. Some of the questions were rather obscure. We had fun and had a good laugh at some of the questions. Stephanie had yummy snacks.

Joyce and Betsy

Margarita and Jeanne

Maureen and Nicole

Stephanie, our hostess with the mostest, and Jeanne

and the whole group together.....

Maureen, Stephanie, Betsy, Joyce, Margarita, Jeanne, Suzanne and Nicole

November 7, 2009

2009-11-12T16:51:00.009-06:00

For the November meeting of the Dallas Hat Band, we visited Fashion on Main and the Dallas Arts District.

We joined Costume Society of America (CSA) members at UNT's Fashion on Main. The special exhibit was entitled Painting the Town, 1920s High Style. It featured ensembles from the wardrobe of New York designer Regina Kobler and images of her 1923 designs as well as evening attire from the Texas Fashion Collection and the private collect of Caralee Smith.

After the Fashion on Main exhibit, we went to the Nasher Sculpture Center. We had a nice lunch in Cafe Nasher by Wolfgang Puck with some of the CSA members.

We strolled through the outdoor exhbit at the Nasher and then went indoors and looked at the scale models of contemporary architecture around the world designed by prize winning architect Norman Foster.

Rush Hour by George Segal, 1983

Jonathan Borofsky, Walking to the Sky, 2004

Although this looks horizontal in the photo, it is actually vertical, reaching towards the sky.

From the Nasher, we walked across the street to the Crow Collection of Asian Art. The exhibit there is Yeohlee: Design for Now.

Rhonda, Nicole, Suzanne

Rhonda, Edie (President of SW region of CSA) and Nicole

Here are a few photos of the new Winspear Opera House in the Dallas Art District.

Winspear Opera House

Meeting at the Movie: The September Issue

2009-09-30T21:22:00.004-05:00

On September 20, 2009, a group of Hat Band members met up at the movie theater to see The September Issue, the new movie about Vogue editor Anna Wintour and the production of the magazine’s giant annual September issue.

Benita, Margarita, Nicole, Jeanne, Rhonda,

all looking fabulous

Here are some comments about the movie:

-----"This movie is so not about fashion, but more of a look at the personalities and behaviors of the people behind the scenes. I was and am now absolutely fascinated by Grace Coddington, the magazine's shoot stylist. Definitely not a "fluff" movie. Oh, and I am now not going to be so hard on myself for not looking like those models and women in the magazines. The movie did not hide the fact of the touchups and airbrushing that is done to make these women look they way they do." -Margarita

-----"I was struck by what appeared to be a genuinely warm relationship between Anna Wintour and her daughter. It was in stark contrast to Anna’s interactions with everyone else shown in the movie." -Rhonda

-----"I enjoyed the documentary. I had forgotten about women in NY and their appearance. Except for Anna Wintour, ALL of the women working for Vogue desperately needed makeup, a good hair cut, moisturizer. That is the way they women looked when I was in NY in the ‘80’s." -Benita

Lunch at Hattie's, August 22, 2009

2009-08-25T12:26:00.003-05:00

The Dallas Hat Band lunched at Hattie's in the Bishop Arts District on Saturday, August 22. We had a wonderful lunch in a white linen tablecloth setting. Kelley announced to all of us that she is getting married. Congratulations Kelley! After lunch we shopped at some of the boutiques in the area. We all looked fabulous as you can see.

Margarita, Jeanne, Jean, Maureen, Kelley, Carly, Benita, Nicole, Paula, Suzanne

Dallas Museum of Art, June 14, 2009

2009-07-05T20:55:00.012-05:00

Our June meeting was a docent guided tour of the DMA, with the focus on fashion in art. We met for a quick lunch at the DMA and then we had a few minutes to step outside and enjoy some of the Dallas Art Fest that was filling the streets with people.

Welcome to our newest member, Oshie, who attended for the first time.

There was a fun exhibit of art cars.

Benita looking cool and summery in front of the Brass Van art car.

This car is completely covered with yarn, applied in a very artistic design. Sitting beside it is the artist, working on a little repair.

Nicole, Betsy and Joyce looking at the yarn art car.

Suzanne and Joyce standing by the Beatles art car.

The Women Rock Art Car

Can you name these women?

Maureen walking into the Museum

Nicole with our docent, Christina

The Group

Oshie, Betsy, Nicole, Suzanne, Maureen, Benita, Joyce

Lone Star Park May 2, 2009

2009-07-05T20:35:00.007-05:00

The Kentucky Derby Day at Lone Star Park is of special interest to the Hat Band. It is a fun event we have attended in the past that provides an opportunity to wear and showcase our beautiful hats. It is also fun to enter the hat competition as well as watch the horses. However, this year we opted to do the Swiss Avenue Historic Tour of Homes. Three of our members, Kelley, Margarita and Shannon, attended and here are a few photos.

Kelley pensively watching the ponies.

Margarita with Glynis, a Fort Worth attorney.

One of the funny hats, poking fun at the swine flu outbreak.

Judge wearing a Cassie Macgregor hat.

Glynis

Swiss Avenue Home Tour on 9 May 2009

2009-05-12T10:55:00.018-05:00

The Dallas Hat Band met on Saturday, May 9, 2009. We met at Cynthia's home and then strolled the streets to tour the homes that were open for the Swiss Avenue Historic Home Tour. We had so much fun that we decided to make it an annual event. The weather was perfect.

We started out on Cynthia's front porch, enjoying the view and people watching. In the picture below, Cynthia is going into the house and Rhonda and Maureen are visiting. We all brought salads and sat down together for a delicious luncheon.

This is Cynthia and Joyce as we prepare to take the tour.

Along the way, we stopped at the park, where there was live music and vendors. Best of all, one of the vendors was selling hats.

Rhonda tried on a pink hat that matched her outfit fabulously!

Maureen bought this stunning big brimmed black and white hat.

Here is a mirror image of Suzanne.
Loretta bought a cute green hat.

One of the beautiful homes on Swiss Avenue.

More Swiss Avenue homes.

Rhonda with one of Cynthia's dogs. She has two beautiful Old English Sheep dogs.

After touring for several hours, we went back to Cynthia's for some of her delicious homemade sangria.

Here is the group.

Back row: Maureen, Benita, Joyce, Suzanne, Nicole

Front row: Loretta, Rhonda, Cynthia

Happy Hatting

Coco Chanel at Celebration

2009-03-21T16:57:00.011-05:00

At our March 21 meeting, we enjoyed visiting over lunch and then we had a presentation about Coco Chanel. Celine, our French lecturer, is describing the size of the hats worn in the time of Marie Antoinette and telling us they were so large a woman could hardly move. Things as odd as live birds and vases of flowers could have been part of these enormous hats. We learned Coco was born Gabrielle Chanel and after her mother died she was put in an orphanage and learned to sew from the nuns. In her 20s she opened a millinery shop in Paris and began making clothing. She is remembered for the little black dress and of course Chanel No. 5 perfume, both introduced in the 1920s. She popularized comfortable clothing, slacks for women, short skirts, all a departure from the corsets previously worn by women. Coco was an eccentric woman and Celine shared with us some famous quotes. Among them: "Fashion fades, only style remains the same" and "A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future."

Rhonda and Maureen listening to the presentation.

She had our rapt attention.

Joan, Benita and Loretta looking happy.

Laurel and Nicole in their chapeaux.

Rhonda and Margarita

Tina, Stephanie and Nicole looking good.

Rhonda, Cynthia, Maureen, Nicole, Margarita and Celine

Although there were 15 of us, this was all I could get together for a group picture.

Valentines Day at Nicole's

2009-02-26T10:20:00.013-06:00

Our February meeting was hosted by Nicole on February 14, 2009. This meeting was another of our Member Spotlight Series. Nicole shared with us some of her collectible treasures, and she served us a wonderful punch and finger foods. Among those treasures were beautiful vintage French fashion plates from Gazette du Bon Ton.
She also passed around some books on vintage Vogue magazine covers that were before the days of photography when the fashions were beautifully drawn. She also wowed us with some of her vintage millinery supplies, including silk veiling and rare, exotic feathers.

Kelley

Margarita

Rhonda and Betsy

Shannon

Joyce and Paula

Because it was Valentine's Day, many of us took the opportunity to wear our red hats. It was a good day to enjoy wearing red without being mistaken for that other hat club.

These are the three groups shots I took. As you can see, I was having difficulty getting a good photo with everyone's face clearly visible.

Holiday Tea at the Adolphus, December 27, 2008

2008-12-31T15:03:00.026-06:00

Holiday Tea at the Adolphus was wonderful. This was our second time to meet here, the last time was in 2003. As you can see from the number in attendance, this is a very popular event. Tea is held in the lobby of this beautiful old, historic hotel. We sat on sofas and tea was served on the coffee tables. Our tea captain informed us it was perfectly proper to put our plate on our lap to eat since the table was so low. We had three courses, starting with tea sandwiches, then a raisin scone with Yorkshire cream and fresh strawberry marmalade and then an assortment of desserts. We drank several wonderfully exotic teas. Everyone was dressed very elegantly.Back Row: Rhonda, Kelley, Joyce, Maureen, Benita, Shannon, Raquel, Betsy and Loretta

Front Row: Nicole, Suzanne, Margarita and Carly

Benita, Nicole and Maureen, all looking fabulous.

You can only see Nicole partially here, but she has the attention of Betsy, Kelley and Margarita.

We were seated in three groupings for tea. Betsy, Rhonda, Joyce and Loretta enjoy visiting here.

Carly and Nicole having a good time; all smiles.

Margarita and Kelley; both wore large brim brown hats with brown satin ribbon trim.

Maureen and Nicole in front of the huge Christmas tree in the lobby of the Adolphus.

Maureen and Benita chatting. They dressed in the similar colors!

The lobby is beautiful.

Nicole in her cute pink hat and Margarita looking very sophisticated.

Rhonda posed with our tea captain.

Suzanne and Carly

A second group photo.

Fashion on Main - November 22, 2008

2008-11-23T19:24:00.012-06:00

Promenade of Style: The Caralee Biery Smith Collection

The Dallas Hat Band was fortunate to visit Fashion on Main and to see this beautiful exhibit of clothing from the 1830s - 1890s. The detail and beauty of the dresses is exquisite and the condition of this vintage clothing is remarkable. Caralee invited us to join our meeting with the Costume Society of America's meeting and she was available to share her knowledge with us. Fashion on Main is presented by the Texas Fashion Collection, College of Visual Arts and Design at the University of North Texas.

Myra of UNT gave us a "behind the scenes" tour of the unfinished area that will become the expanded exhibit area of Fashion on Main. The University has purchased this historical building, which opened in 1929 as the department store Titche Goettinger, or just Titche's, then became Joske's and later closed altogether in 1986. Today it also houses apartments.

The current exhibit area is only 500 square feet, which limits what can be exhibited. The new space will be much larger and allow special exhibits that it has been unable to accommodate in the past.

Suzanne and daughter Carly.

The dress behind them is Civil War era,

having a bit of a military look.

Joyce in that cute red hat and Benita with her unique vintage flair including fox tails and veil.

Nicole enjoying the view among the beautiful lace wedding gowns.

Cynthia and Maureen looking very stylish.

From the exhibit, we walked the short distance to Neiman Marcus and had a wonderful lunch at the Zodiac.

Joyce was wearing this darling red Lilly Dache hat. During lunch, she shared her interesting story about the hat. Many, many years ago, she came to Dallas to shop at A. Harris, a prominent department store. In those days, women wore a hat and gloves to go shopping downtown. For those of you who haven't been around Dallas that long, A. Harris Department Store merged with Sanger Brothers in 1961 and became Sanger Harris, which later became Foleys in 1987. Anyway, back to the story. She found this wonderful hat at A. Harris and wanted it so much. But she had 4 small children and she couldn't even consider such a hat. She kept going back and admiring it. As it happened, friends invited her to their country club to play BINGO, and, you guessed it, she won the jackpot and rushed over to spend her winnings on the hat.

Carly in the forefront, Benita and Betsy next to her.

Loretta, Laurel (oops, caught her by surprise) and Nicole.

Self portrait taken by Carly with her mother, Suzanne.

Kelley brought a gentleman friend, Dorian, her grandson.

He is a cutie and a perfect gentleman. He even wore a hat,

but like all gentlemen, he took it off at the table.

Stephanie, Margarita and Cynthia enjoying good conversation and wonderful food.

This was a really fun meeting of the Dallas Hat Band and we had a really good turnout. Thanks to all for your attendance and support. See you in December for our Holiday Tea at the Adolphus.

Dallas Hat Band, October 25, 2008

2008-10-26T23:36:00.006-05:00

Brunch and "The Women"Rhonda was the perfect hostess. It was a beautiful day and we started out by the pool. She chose a Fez for the occasion.
Loretta and Benita relaxed by the pool and sipped champagne.

Nicole, Joyce, Maureen, Rhonda and Margarita. We ate scones and drank Mimosas.

Nicole, Joyce, Maureen, Benita, Margarita, Loretta, Rhonda and Suzanne - what a great looking group of hat aficionados.

I set the timer on the camera and ran and got in the picture. The lounge chair was the spot saved for me. Notice that Nicole is assisting me with my champagne.

Maureen and Margarita enjoying brunch. The table setting was both beautiful and elegant.

Joyce always looks so good!

Rhonda, Loretta and Benita trying out the quiche. Benita's blue vintage hat belonged to her mother.

Getting ready for the movie. We watched the 1939 movie "The Women" with its all female cast. The dialogue was so good and the hats and fashion were marvelous. This was such a fun meeting.

Old Downtown Carrollton July 19, 2008

2008-07-19T16:14:00.017-05:00

The Hat Band at Vintage Martini Vintage Martini....don't you love the name? You can't see it very well in this photo, but the dress on the mannequin in the window is covered entirely with flowers.

Joyce, Rhonda, Laurel, Nicole, Suzanne, Maureen, Cynthia

Greg and Ken have a wonderful vintage store and they are so welcoming. They have lots of treasures and the clothes are organized very well and they have great vintage hats! Great finds! Ken pulled down a darling green doll hat and wanted a volunteer to try it on. Cynthia was standing near and she did not have her hat on, so he put the doll hat on her. She said she didn't look good in small hats and then she looked in the mirror. It looked darling! It didn't come off of her head until she bought it. I didn't get a picture, but she promised to wear it to a future meeting.

We had a nice lunch at Agave Azul. Here are a few candid photos.

Nicole and Joyce.

We learned that Joyce is a self described biker babe!

Laurel told us about her vacation in New York.

Cynthia and Maureen. Welcome Cynthia. She has just returned to Texas after living 20 years in Colombia and she loves hats. Our kind of gal!

Rhonda and Nicole.

Maureen looking utterly stylish and cool as a cucumber in her 20s style dress and large red hat.

Hat Band Meeting at Rise, June 14, 2008

2008-06-17T14:38:00.015-05:00

June 14 is Flag Day, but for the Hat Band, it was Souffle Day. Yum!Standing: The Chef, Suzanne, Joyce, Benita, Hedda

Sitting: Nicole, Margarita, Rhonda

Benita displaying her vintage hankie while we were waiting to be seated.

Welcome to new member Joyce, pretty in pink. She recently moved from Tyler.

Hedda, one of the owners of Rise, graciously brought in some of her special hats to show us. Here she is modeling one of them.

Margarita in vibrant color and Rhonda looking very chic.

Letter tiles on the table were fun to arrange into hat related words. We entertained ourselves with them while we waited for our souffles.

Suzanne ready to enjoy her souffle.

Nicole, also looking pretty in pink.

As we left, we were invited to draw one of these folding cards from a big jar. They were a sort of non-edible fortune cookie with little quotes. Here is an example of one: "To know is not to prove, nor to explain. It is to accede to vision. Flight to Arras"

The Texas Fashion Collection at UNT, May 10, 2008

2008-05-13T15:27:00.008-05:00

We had a wonderful time going through the garments, hats, shoes and purses that are part of the Texas Fashion Collection at UNT. It was hands off as we walked through the racks of garments which are arranged by designer. However, we were able to touch the tags on the clothing and that gave us such information as who donated the item and the year, among other things. It is hard to image living the life style some of these donors must have lived with all the designer gowns, suits and dresses. We wondered, where did they wear all of these beautiful garments and was life one party after another? The oldest items in the collection were pre-Civil War and looked very fragile.

It was so nice to have Evelyn, the founder of the Hat Band, join us. Many years ago she worked at the Fashion Collection, and she even found tags with her handwriting. By the way, she has just published a book available from Amazon.com. It is entitled A Texas Journey: The Centennial Photographs of Polly Smith.

Here are two pictures from our meeting on Saturday. Unfortunately, Stefani, Evelyn and friend Dorothy left before I pulled out my camera. Betsy, Rhonda, Suzanne and Nicole looking at hats.

Megan, the Assistant Curator, showed us these recently acquired hats and told us a little about them.
Suzanne, Nicole, Betsy, Rhonda

Crowns at the Jubilee Theatre in Fort Worth

2008-04-25T14:58:00.002-05:00

Loretta, Margarita, Benita and Laurel attended the Sunday matinee of Crowns at the Jubilee Theatre in Fort Worth on April 20. . We had a lovely time this weekend. The theater is very small and intimate and we were 2 rows from the stage and about 6 feet from the actors. We could really see and hear the women. It was enhanced by Art Fest, the downtown FW street art fair, being held the same day. Margarita found a hat to buy!

Stoneleigh Hotel, March 15, 2008

2008-03-18T14:35:00.008-05:00

Here is the Dallas Hat Band at the Stoneleigh Hotel. When this hotel was built in 1923, it was the tallest building in Dallas. Hard to imagine! It just re-opened after a fabulous renovation. The decor is restored to the original style and it is wonderful. Rhonda went for a 1920s look. We all wished we had one of her play cigarettes with holder.

Rhonda and Laurel chatting. After a tour of the hotel and spa, we had lunch in the restaurant, Bolla, billed as modern Italian. We sat at the Chef's Table.
Loretta and Maureen in their finery. The letters on the wall behind them spell THE and are from the original hotel sign.

Back row: Suzanne, Rhonda, Nancy, Betsy.

Front row: Benita, Laurel, Loretta, Maureen.

Our prissy waiter invited himself into this photo. The beads above our heads are beautiful crystals chandeliers.

This was our final photo. We could not pass up the red tufted bench in the bar for a final picture.

Fashion on Main

2008-01-24T16:26:00.001-06:00

The Dallas Hat Band met on Saturday, December 15, at the "Fashion on Main" exhibit, sponsored by UNT and displaying the fabulous gowns of Michael Faircloth. After viewing the exhibit, we had a wonderful Holiday Buffet lunch in the Zodiac Room at Neiman Marcus. It was overheard in the ladies room at NM that we were a group of ladies wearing vintage Neiman's hats from the 40s and 50s!! Dont' we all look fabulous? It was a cold windy day in downtown Dallas, but we warmed the day with our holiday spirit. Loretta, Kelley, Tasha, Nicole, Tracy, Rhonda, Betsy, Maureen, Benita, and Suzanne

ART at DFW - Dallas Hat Band November 17, 2007

2007-12-01T12:51:00.000-06:00

Here's the gang...Suzanne, Nicole, Kelley, Tasha, Maureen and Laurel. We had a very personalized tour. We broke up into two groups of three each. The new terminal is beautiful and the art is inspiring. However, people are rushing to catch flights and hardy take notice, walking over the mosiacs without stopping to take it all in.

Dance! Don't Walk, by Linda Guy.

Laurel, Nicole and our tour guide Brian.

Most of the art is mosiac floor medallions. This is one to walk through and play music by stepping on designated spots. Circling, An Urban Musicial Instrument by Christopher Janney was mesmerizing.

The mosiac above is entitled Louise and was created by husband-wife team Linda and Ed Blackburn. After the tour we had a nice lunch at the new Grand Hyatt which is connected to Terminal D.

A Taste of India

2007-07-24T12:59:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, July 21, we began our Taste of India by shopping in several Indian stores in Richardson. We found such treasures as beautiful saris of both cotton and silk, fun jewelry including sparkly bangle bracelets and cute beaded sandals. We also shopped in the grocery section of Taj Mahal Imports. Margarita recommended the Ataulfo Mangoes. These are different from what we normally find in most grocery stores. I have to agree with Margarita that they are sweeter and creamier. Yum!

After shopping we went for Indian cuisine at Pasand. The buffet was perfect for those of us unfamiliar with the food.

Standing, left to right: Loretta, Rhonda, Nicole, Suzanne
Seated, left to right: Margarita, Kelley, Melissa, Benita

After lunch, we dashed to the FunAsia theater to see "Partner" and for most of us, this was our first Bollywood movie. Nicole is a big fan of these movies and set the whole day up for us. Thanks Nicole!