Dallas Museum of Art, June 14, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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.