This Past Sunday I attend my 3rd Hats and Horseshoe event at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto for the prestigious 157th ‘Queens Plate‘. I wore one of my favorite 1940s Vintage hat that I had previously worn the first time I attended this event (but with limited pictures) so I thought I would give it a spin again with a different outfit. Here is the hat with my gorgeous friend Steph and her Hat.
Before I get into the post I wanted to share some images from that day of my well dressed Toronto Vintage Society Friends & Family (My parents are on each end of the image).
This lovely couple of friends pictured below, are very talented sewers and tend to make all their own outfits for their adventures. Andrea created this outfit (the hat she made herself) as an ode to My Fair Lady and you can read all about it at her blog ‘PhysicsGirl on the Loose‘.
The hubby and I. My dress is 1950s Vintage from Flash Back Vintage in Toronto, my vintage Lucite basket-weave purse was purchased (after 4 years of dreaming about it) from Cabaret vintage. Hat vintage 1940s from a friend and vintage Lucite ‘L’ pin from the Toronto Vintage Clothing Show.
3 of the guys made it into the Top 10 of the Best Dressed Men’s Comp (#82 #21 & in the blue suit with boater).
And another friend (#62) made it into the finals for the women (there were around 160 entries that they brought down to 60).
Vintage Hats Inspiration-What One Could Wear to a Horse Race Event (or any event)
Now on to today’s post. I was so inspired by what I saw at the race and by the image below that I thought I would scour the internet for quirky and beautiful vintage hats that one could wear to a horse race event.
Let the Vintage Hat Inspiration begin!
Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Note: If you click on an item and it is no longer available, don’t fret! The websites provided are updated daily with 1000’s of products, so you are bound to find something that will work.
Vintage Shopping: I have created an Etsy Collection of Vintage Hats that would be perfect for Easter or any occasion. It is updated monthly.
This 1930s vintage hat SCREAMS Horse Races does it not? I love the Lucite oriental hair stick on the front.
Vintage toy tilt hat from the 1930s or 1940s in black and white, made by Austelle. I love the train and the bow at the end that keeps the hat on your head. Small and cute and a bit quirky.
Stylish vintage 1930s tilt hat.
1930s Quirky hat to the max! This will get you noticed, that is for sure.
Because I love Cherries- 1940s Tilt hat with Cherries and a cool top knot.
Horse Race Hat WIN! This 1940s “peek-a-boo” hat will get you noticed, fall in the quirky category and keep the sun off your head and that colour…gorgeous!
The green in this 1940s vintage hat makes it so unique.
Oh my goodness…..Vintage 1940s hat, blue straw tilt. This is simply marvelous and super fun! And my absolute favorite so far.
Dior’s New Look is excellent for making a statement when you head to your seat. The brim reminds me a bit of the song “Surrey with the Fridge on Top” from Oklahoma, don’t you agree?
I find 1950s hats could sometimes head into the most interesting direction with their styles, like this lovely AND Quirky 1950s Floral skull cap.
As I end the hat section I’m going to post my bucket list hat which is actually not vintage at all, but is just so stunningly beautiful. Sigh..1940s vintage style tilt hat.
Lastly, For a great blog post that showcased many of the hat styles seen at the Queen Plate this past Sunday, check out the blog ‘Hats by Anne‘. You just might see myself in there as well.
Question Time: Would you go with Quirky or Elegant for a hat to the races? Or maybe you would combine the styles together? Let me know.
FURTHER READING:
- Vintage Fashion 1920s-1960s (Archived Blog Posts)
- Do You Have An Easter Parade Hat?
- Easter Parade-Toronto’s oldest tradition that is really all about the Hats!
Liz 🙂
I think if you do a hat it should be bold. I would definitely do quirky!
Those are good words to live by..bolder the better 🙂
Elegantly quirky! I love that green one.
Green one is marvelous!
your hats are gorgeous I really want a hat with a bit of veiling
retro rover
Thanks! the veil does add a little extra fun to the hat. Mine could of been worn down but it was not the right place for that look.
OMG! I have to admit although I wear a lot of hats–mostly in winter here, alas, I have never been to a horse race. Mores the pity, I know.
You have completely inspired me with this collection of hats. I tend to keep my hat collection fairly conservative, but I think I will need to branch out!
From the hats you found, I could not chose, one, but the cherries one is killer diller, but the green one says horse races to me. Okay, I’ll take ’em all.
Thanks for sharing this delightful hat fest!
The green one is winning! Everyone loves the green (and I do too!). Branching out is good and I too want to to do the same (aka buy more).
Liz 🙂
You looked wonderful, as did all your friends. Love the colour of your dress. These hats are amazing, I like the 1950’s fruit and the one that is an explosion of brown net.
Thanks so very much 🙂 And glad you enjoyed the hats!
What stylish and classy people you and your friends are! Your 40s hat is perfect for the races and I love the others you’ve chosen too. Some great hats. I would have to go quirky, just because how often do you get an excuse to go really quirky?
Ahhh thanks so much! Well you for sure have the ability to go quirky that is for sure. I wanted something with a flamingo on it, but I did not have the talent or the time to make something (more like the talent lol)
You were made to wear fabulous hats!
Thanks so much Kerbey 🙂