Another View

This is from Donatella (who I'm assuming is not designer Donatella Versace, but one can never be certain). This hat just screams Auntie Em from the Wizard of Oz, doesn't it? It would have to be something she wore before the twister blew into town, because she would have certainly have lost this beauty to the winds along with her house and Dorothy. I adore how the flowers threaten to tumble off the front, perhaps make a flying leap into the hat wearer's soup or tea. Can you imagine if the daisy flopped into a mug of chamomile tea? "Your tea is mighty fresh!" an observer might say. (Chamomile tea is made up of teeny dried flowers). Even if the botanicals stay put, they're kind of weighty, so they'd probably pull your head down slightly, so you'd walk about looking like you're deep in thought or at the very least avoiding the sidewalk cracks (you don't want to break your mother's back, remember?).
Whilst this particular topper is vintage 1930s or 40s, it would be easy enough to make. I'm thinking it's essentially a swath of straw ruched and then stitched to the crown. See that circle of ribbon in the picture of the upside-down hat? That's petersham, it keeps the straw from hurting your pretty skin should the two meet while that hat's having fun on your head. Petersham is not grosgrain ribbon. Chief difference? Petersham has a sawtooth edge and can be easily shaped (kind of like a Cirque Du Soleil performer); grosgrain has a straight edge and wants to be straight no matter what (not unlike a 5-year-old boy who insists sitting in the front of the bus even if it's crowded). I'll write more about grosgrain vs. petersham another day.