Who Remembers Hat Pins?

There was a time when no self-respecting woman left her home to go grocery shopping, on a day trip, or ANYWHERE without putting on her hat and pinning it into her hair. Even in the 1960s, when I was growing up, my nan went through the ritual before going out.

You can see her in this picture, with me, on holiday, when I was about 7 or 8 (1962/1963) ... no coat ... but wearing her hat.

Hat pins varied from the plain to the glamorous. My nan's was quite plain, about 4" long and topped with a pearl, as was Aunt Maud's (an adopted aunt to our family from when my mum and her sister were young) who is seen here holding me when I was about 2.

This link goes to a page explaining some of the history of hat pins and the photos show how the heads could be quite plain, to suit an outfit/ensemble or very elaborate in design.

History of hat pins with photos