4 Ways to Keep a Hat on Your Head

Have you admired vintage hats from afar? tried them on but thought “How on earth do I keep this silly little thing on my head?” Well, I have 4 tricks that I use to share with you, that will keep your hat firmly in place even when the wind is blowing and your skirt up around your ears!

Way back before I started to wear vintage hats daily, I struggled to find ones that ‘fit my head’ as they all just fell off whenever I moved! But, it turns out that that is normal!

Yes, the style of a lot of vintage hats is  to sit on top of your head and tilted, and you NEED things to keep them on!

As there was no hat magic to make them stay, I over the years found a number of ways to make them stay on head. These are the top 4 I use all the time and will work on almost all styles of hats!

#1 Hat pins
Vintage hat pins are my favourite! They are the most traditional and have been used for the longest. Also, they add a little decoration which I like!You can find them at vintage stores, ETSY and if you’re very lucky you might be able to thrift one!

#2 Hat Elastic
Hat elastic is a great option as it is easy and is well hidden in most cases! You can find hat elastic as any haberdashery store, I get mine from Spotlight has it here is Australia. Just attach it to each side, make the right length and you’re ready to go!

How to make hat stay on your head 2 - Evelyn Wood

 

#3 Bobby Pins
Not the best method, but if it’s all you have on hand, then this is the trick for you! Just slide in two pins, one on each side of the inner hat band,and then push down on your head!

#4 A Hair Comb
I use this one ALL OF THE TIME! I usually hand stitch hair combs onto all my hats before I wear them, and then when it is time to wear it, I also add a hat pin for extra staying power!

This video is one of the first I have made, the first one I was talking in!!! SCARY! So, it needs a little improving but I had so much fun making it and I will keep practicing and making more tutorials for you! I would love to know what you want tutorials on!

My YouTube channel is hereyoutubeicon.

I really hope you enjoyed the video and gained a new trick or two from it!

Let me know if you found this video useful, or if you have some other tips in the comments!

Dress : Lucille 1950’s reproduction coat/dress from Evelyn Wood Vintage Fashion House
Hats : All vintage

 

sign off

 

Evelyn

Vintage fashion designer and style blogger

  • Christine says:

    Thank you for this video! I have a lovely collection of hats, and I really need to start wearing them more often. Now to just find the confidence to actually wear them 🙂

    • Evelyn says:

      Oh Christine you definitely have to start wearing them! I am sooo glad that you got something out of this video!! I so often get asked about hats, so I feel it is simply passing back the knowledge I wish I knew when I started wearing them! Hats just finish off any outfit and once you start, I promise you will not regret it! Start with something small and not so out there to relax your hat wearing muscles! xx

  • 1 says:

    Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been too this blog before but after reading through some of the
    post I realized it’s new to me. Anyhow, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be book-marking and
    checking back often!

  • Sue Crawford says:

    You are magic Evelyn!

  • Thank you so much, off to find a hat pin.
    You’re a life saver.

  • Fiona says:

    This is really helpful I am making a duster coat for my sons wedding and I have managed to find a pill box hat that will go with the dress I am wearing under it but I was worried about how I was going to keep the hat on so this has answered my question.
    Thank you

  • Kivara says:

    I love this post! I just wanted to let you know, if you have trouble finding hat pins (though I found many on Ebay and Etsy), or just don’t care for their prices; I’ve made my own.

    They are much cheaper, and I can customize the colors. I buy a pack of floral pins (long straight pins with a topper, usually a clear bead) in the craft section of Wal*Mart (I think I got 20 pins for $3.)

    You can then stain the bead, add more beads with super glue, or even add other accents, like small feathers.
    Anyway, just my 2 cents.

    • Evelyn says:

      Hi Kivara! Yes, I had thought of doing this, but have never got to it yet! It is good to hear you do it with success! Thank you for the tip!

  • Wonderful post, Evelyn!

    It’s funny, the other day a caught a taxi and when I told the driver where I was going he said, “you’re the writer lady, but I didn’t recognise you without one of your pretty hats.”

    That was one of the best compliments I think I’ve ever had… 🙂

    • Evelyn says:

      Hi! Thank you I am glad you enjoyed it! This would have been hilarious! It is true that you do get recognized by your style and certain fashion items, so I’m not surprised this happened to you if your always a hat wearer!! I’m very glad to hear that you are!

  • Doeschka says:

    Awesome! Just what I needed, great tips! I have been thinking about wearing hats but thought I wouldn’t be able to since it is windy most of the time where I live. But those tips are great, I can finally start wearing hats now, thanks!!

    • Evelyn says:

      hahah Doeschka I used to think the same thing! But it seems there are heaps of tricks to keeping a hat on your head, one for every hat! I’m so glad it helped!

  • Gaynor says:

    Hi Evelyn, for the first time ever I have just worn a proper hat (a trilby, rather than some kind of fascinator or beret). Went down to my local shopping centre and happened to bump into someone I know who thought I looked dashing. But I felt a little worried about losing my hat so have come home and found you through good old Google. So helpful to see your video so I will now be looking for a suitable hat pin and some more hats! Inspired by your styling! Thank you.

  • Lori says:

    I have always loved hats but have never felt pretty/confident enough to wear them. Last year I bought three hats (one modern casual, two antique) and never got up the courage to use them. Add to that the fact that I didn’t know how to keep small ones on my head with my fine, thin hair making a hatpin pretty useless. Now that I have seen your video I feel re-inspired and have decided to keep following you. I am a retired 60 year old with nowhere to go that requires dressing nicely, but I will try not to let that stop me! Thanks for the inspiration!

    • Evelyn says:

      Aww Lori I am so glad to hear it!! Definitely, don’t et that stop you! What you do every day is your life! So make is fabulously dressed!

  • BaldWin says:

    All perfect for bald people. Thanks 😛

  • Acme Hat Co says:

    Love all the ideas you’ve mentioned here. Great post Evelyn. Thank you.

  • Wendy says:

    Thanks so much! This was a lovely video and will help with my new red hat that kept blowing off my head today!

  • Jenni says:

    Have just got into vintage re-enactment days in blighty and found you while looking for a hat online. So grateful for your tips on how to keep hats secure. Many thanks, Jenni

  • Kelly M says:

    This is helpful. I’ve made a vintage-look hat for a play- having a difficult time keeping it on the actress’s head. I’ll try the hat elastic- need to find that elastic!

  • Kathy Mosier says:

    Thank you for your tutorial on how to keep your vintage hat from falling off! I enjoyed your lovely video and never knew how to use a hat pin!

  • Hana says:

    Thank you for the video, very usefull! Finally I can wear my hat on windy days 🙂

  • andrea says:

    Excellent video Evelyn. Thank you so much.

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