When the thermometer dips to the -30’s here in Canada I often get to wondering what the lovely ladies of the 1940s would have worn on their pretty well styled heads to keep them warm? Did the opt for unstylish toques that wrecked your hair in 30 seconds flat? Or did they go with fashionable hats and worried about frost bite late? Lets see shall we?

First up here are some tips on what you might see in a 1940s winter hat 

  • The hat material needed to be something that would not spot in the rain or snow
  • Protective brim was often seen
  • Fur was popular
  • Velvet
  • Dark hats with heavier weights
  • Felt hats
  • Gray wool felt hats
  • Knitted/crocheted hats

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1940s Winter Fashion: Ladies Winter Hats

Lets start with this cute Dutch Bonnet. Looks like it will keep your head warm and your hair looking super fabulous at the same time.

1940s ladies hat -Dutch Bonnet knitting pattern.

Early 1940s Fashion (possibly 1930s as per the style in the image but close enough for this gal!): This beret is adorable and popular but not for -30 weather. Warmer winter days…yup!

1930s vintage photo of a a knitted Beret

Some winter ski outfits. The hats are more practical for winter I see but I’m unsure how the toque on the right is staying on her head lol!

1940s vintage photo from a 1940s vintage catalog of women's Ski Outfits and 1940s winter hats.

Well technically not a hat a warm 100% wool head scarf will keep the chill off. You can chose a ‘Spun Rayon Triangle with knotted wool fringe”, a ‘Sheer new wool triangle’ or several others. Have fun with it!

Further Reading: A Vintage Guide to 1940s Hair Accessories

1940s winter hair scarf made out of wool or rayon to keep your head warm.

Here is the 1940s head scarf in real life action in this vintage photo of ladies building a snowman.

1940s fashion - 1940s Winter fashion as seen in a 1940s vintage photo of 4 women making a snowman, wearing winter jackets and winter hairscarfs.

Source

1940s vintage ad for Stetson Hats. Stetson did not just make mens hats, but also women’s as seen below. These are darling winter hats but your ears would be cold no?

1940s vintage advertisement for Stetson Hats for women featuring an image of a women wearing various styles of Stetson Hats for winter time.

Source

The 1940s images below are clearly stating that it is cold outside but their stylish hats I’m sure are not keeping their pretty heads warm (and the shoes neither).

They are I must say extremely stylish winter ladies and I would have paired any of those hats with those coats as well, even if I froze my head off!

1940s vintage photo of a four 1940s women in 1940s winter coats and 1940s hats. Stunning 1940s fashions!

Source: Etsy

Some amazing 1940s hats in this picture and some of them actually look like they are bit warmer then the ladies above. My favorite is the lady on the Left. Her outfit is divine!

1940s vintage photo of Four women with suitcases and in stunning 1940s winter coats and 1940s hats posing before heading out on trip. Super 1940s fashions.

Source: Etsy

Now this is a darling number from the 1940s-Fur and Felt. Winter hat must haves crossed off the list.

1940s Fashion: a 1940 women's hat with fur fringe and a felt bow.

If you watched the now cancelled (sniff sniff) bomb girls you would have seen some pretty fantastic winter hats in the show. Here is Vera in her brimmed hat.

1940s fashion as seen in the TV Show Bomb Girls. The image features a man in uniform with a Bomb Girl in a blue 1940s coat and 1940s hat. Perfect winter style.

1940s vintage hats you can buy right now (at time of post).

NOTE: If an item you clicked on is no longer avail, don’t fret! Etsy is updated daily with new vintage items, so you are bound to find something you like.

Nov 2023 update: I have started a collection on Etsy of Vintage Ladies Hats (Winter & Other seasons), that you can shop in, right now.Happy Shopping!

An iconic 1940s dark green felt bonnet cloche hat with velvet trim and dark green and gold feather tufts on the right side panel. The hat sits on the back of the head with a rounded crown and a short asymmetrical brim. STUNNER!

1940s Fashion: A 1940s Hat Dark Green Felt Bonnet Velvet n Feather Trim
1940s fashion: a 1940s Hat Dark Green Felt Bonnet Velvet n Feather Trim

Source: Etsy

An adorable 1940s Tam!
This hat is styled as a darling halo tam, done in a rich coffee brown soft wool. The hat features two bow details at the rear that are in fact straps that can be pulled through to adjust the head size of the hat. Practical and adorable!

1940s Fashion: A womens 1940s vintage hat-a 1940s Brown Tam

Source: Etsy

1940s Wool Tan Ladies hat with the most interesting look. Your head would be warm in this beauty!

1940s Fashion: a 1940s Tan Wool Hat, Ladies Wool Hat/

Source: Etsy

Vintage 1940’s Grey Velour Halo or Bonnet Style Hat with Black Plumed Feather.

1940s Fashion: Vintage 1940's Grey Velour Halo or Bonnet Style Hat with Black Plumed Feather

Source: Etsy

Stunning 1940s hand-knit lush forest green beret hat.

1940s Fashion: Stunning 1940s hand-knit lush forest green beret hat

Source: Etsy

Exquisite 1940s dark green wool hat by Berkshire made in USA.

Exquisite 1940s dark green wool hat by Berkshire made in USA Mohn.

Well as you can see the hats were both practical and not so practical in their designs but we can all agree that they were gorgeous even if you turned blue while wearing some of them.

Question:

When it’s cold outside do you go with style or comfort?

Further Reading: Vintage Fashions 1920s-1960s (Archived Blog Posts)

Liz 🙂