Presidents Day, but what about the First Ladies? February 14, 2010

Feb 14, 2010

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy FrouFrou4youyou!

First Ladies and Hats.

Have you ever been to the First Ladies Museum in Canton, OH? Ck their site: http://www.firstladies.org/founder.aspx

I had the pleasure of meeting the moving force upon my visit, Mary Regula, while hoping to gather information about Dolley Madison and her hats. She was famous for the turban. Even if you were never one for Canton, and the Football Hall of Fame, you will be delightfully surprised. This is one place I want to return to this year. Anyone want to pull together and ask if they would like a First Ladies Hat exhibit? Anyone know where to get the hats? It’s too late for the Laddie Northbridge that Mamie owned, but someone must know someone who has some ideas.

I know there is a Dolley hat in Greensboro NC, but do not know if they lend to other museums.

The website is a wealth of information, and since tomorrow is President’s Day, get a bit of trivia from the lives of their wives:

http://www.firstladies.org/DidYouKnow.aspx

Then try the Tribute page-look at the picture. Can you guess who this lovely lady is? Not known for wearing hats, I consider this one a treasure. Lady Bird Johnson, right!  

And from the biography info on the museum site:

“Lady Bird Johnson also reprimanded LBJ’ when he acted spontaneously but with potentially damaging press reaction, such as giving ten-gallon cowboy hats to the Japanese prime minister and foreign minister.”

Hmm, I guess time has passed me by and I do not know why that was unacceptable.

 

Have a lovely 45th day of 2010.

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Laddie Northridge February 8, 2010

Feb 7, 2010

Happy FrouFrou4youyou!

A wonderful straw hat sold for $345 at Antique Dress:

Laddie Northridge was a well-known hat designer whose hats were in the most fashionable shops, and also his own boutique shop at 16 West 57th Street, New York (near Henri Bendel). http://www.antiquedress.com/galleryhats2.htm

Then another google search shows us his hats even made it to the White House for Mamie Eisenhower:

A wonderful peach with feathers Laddie was among the hat, glove, shoes & picture that went at auction for over $1,000 in May 2009.

http://historical.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=6013&Lot_No=48381&src=pr

The article in 1950 was very favorable for the hats he was showing that season:

The New York Times: January 12, 1950,

SPRING LINE FAVORS THE SHALLOW HAT; Laddie Northridge Collection Includes Many Shades of Natural Straw Bottom of Form.

Thirty-odd years of expert millinery design shone through the Laddie Northridge spring collection yesterday at 1 West Fiftyseventh Street. Here was the workmanship, the mastery of color, the exquisite blendings and combniations for which this designer is so well known.

This week’s vintage hat is a Laddie Northridge from the Linda Feigenhiemer collection. It was sold for a song. One has to wonder if the bow is upside down, or just a creative touch.

Have a lovely 38th day of 2010.

Thanks,

M