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The Great Hatsby

Milliners in Film: The Hands Behind the Headwear

By Elizabeth DouglasPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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"Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, till she cry "Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover, I must have you!"

Few fashion adornments throughout history have undergone an evolution on par with that of the hat. Around for centuries, the hat has continued to transform itself since its inception by switching gender roles, taking on occupations and defining generations. Over the years hats have been significant on a broad spectrum, from things such as recognizing social status to simply protecting the wearer from the outside elements. Today, headwear plays a crucial role in our understanding of decades past and the cultural ideals that went with each period in history.

As the general wearing of hats took a sharp decline in the sixties, the younger generations of today may not realize how prevalent they were to everyday life in the decades that came before us. We are allowed glimpses into the past by way of old photographs, books, museums, television and film. The headwear differs dramatically from an old western, an Edwardian era film, wartime era films and so forth, playing a crucial role in transporting the viewer to that particular time. The work that goes into costume design on a project is paramount to its overall success. Take for example, Baz Luhrmann's 2013 film adaptation of The Great Gatsby. Loud are the costumes from head to toe with in-your-face displays of the glitz and glamour, the untamed and liberated aura that encompassed the "roaring twenties". The scenes from Gatsby's parties are a dessert for the eyes, featuring the most decadent evening wear topped with unbelievably magnificent headpieces. As viewers, we feast on these scenes, allowing the characters to pull us into the party itself. It is the films job to take us away from our reality and propel us into theirs, leaving little to no time to realize the true talent and art that goes into making the film come to life before our very eyes. Catherine Martin, the lead costume designer for the film, accepted the Academy Award that year, a well-deserved win for her entire team. Working alongside her was head of headwear, Rosie Boylan, and seven other Australian milliners, creating nearly 1,000 unique headpieces for the film.

Hats were a prominent staple of the 1920's and Rosie and her team worked tirelessly creating cloches, boaters, homburgs, turbans and exaggerated headpieces for each of the characters. Various silks, feathers, organzas, jewels and other bling were used to encompass the beauty and decadence of the time. The team studied old documents and photographs for groundwork and used that knowledge in creating the pieces for the parties at Gatsby's, the speakeasy, Myrtle's apartment, the Valley of the Ashes, and various street scenes. Above all, the characters themselves were the most important factor in creating the look. Each piece was made for a particular person in the film, even an extra seen only for a split second, styled to fit their particular persona and face shape. Regarding the main characters, the details were meticulous. Catherine and Rosie had regular discussions about the character vibe, personality and mood in a particular scene, including what the character was feeling at that time. Daisy for example, has a soft, "girl next door" persona, and was mostly seen in elegant and blush garments. Her headwear in the film leans heavy on the feminine and pretty side. On the other hand Jordan Baker is a character with an elegant but strong personality, and that boldness is reflected in her headwear as well. One piece that comes to mind is a particularly stunning gray felt cloche worn by Jordan during the tea scene with Nick. The elegant cloche drapes low to firmly angle her face, creating a confident, debonair lifeblood for her in that scene. The characters were all styled in this manner, with close attention paid to the underbelly of what made them unique. The small but crucial details came together to enrich the characters and bring to light the spirit and definition of the era.

Walking down the street today you won't see very many hats, but they are out there. The work of milliners in film and other media outlets keeps the knowledge of headwear alive and often influences the public in one way or another. Following the release of the film in 2013, the hat community saw a surge in Gatsby style influence at special events and formals. One-hundred years later and the hat is resurfacing again and again as a definitive way to transform a look. Whether it be the next time you sit down to watch a movie or walking in the street, pay attention to the hats you see. Even if the wearer is not aware, there is a distinct history to the origin of that hat, and many strong hands behind its making.

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