Well, let me tell ya somethin’ about these Easter bonnets, the vintage kind, you know? Folks these days, they go on and on about fashion, but back in my day, an Easter bonnet was somethin’ special.
We didn’t have all this fancy online shoppin’ like they do now, with eBay and whatnot. The reference I saw mentioned somethin’ about gettin’ deals on eBay, free shippin’ too. Land sakes, we had to make do with what we had, or maybe if you were lucky, you’d get somethin’ from the store in town, but it wasn’t no fancy internet business, that’s for sure.
I remember seein’ pictures, or maybe even real ones, those old-timey straw hats with ribbons and bows and flowers. The reference talked about “Two Girls Vintage Straw Hats Ribbons Bows Flowers Easter”, sounded real purdy. They were somethin’ else, lemme tell ya. Not like the flimsy things they sell now. These were hats that lasted, hats you could wear to church, to a picnic, to anywhere you wanted to look your best.
An Easter bonnet, they say, is any fancy hat you wear on Easter Sunday. Covered in spring flowers, leaves, all bright and cheery. That’s what the reference said too, somethin’ about pastel colors and such. Well, we didn’t always have pastel, sometimes it was just whatever color ribbon we could find, but we made it work. We made it pretty.
You could find bonnets for women and children, even babies! I saw somethin’ about JELLYTREE baby bonnets and white colonial bonnets, all sorts of stuff. We didn’t have no JELLYTREE, but we had grandmothers and mothers who could sew up a storm. They’d take old hats, fix ‘em up, add a new ribbon, a new flower, and bam! You had a brand new bonnet.
And church hats, oh my! The reference mentioned church derby hats. We called ‘em somethin’ different, I reckon, but they were the same idea. Big, fancy hats, sometimes with feathers, sometimes with veils. You wore ‘em to church on Easter, and you felt like a queen. It wasn’t about showin’ off, mind you, it was about respect, about lookin’ your best for the Lord.
- We didn’t have no Pinterest back then, like the reference talked about, with all them Vintage Easter Bonnets ideas.
- We just used our imaginations, and what we had on hand.
- Sometimes we’d even share ideas with our neighbors, see what they were doin’ with their bonnets.
You could buy vintage bonnets online now, they say. Places like Etsy, or even just regular stores. They got all sorts of bonnets, floral bonnets, custom-made bonnets, all kinds of stuff. The reference mentioned “vintage floral bonnet hat”. That sounds right pretty. But to me, the best bonnets were the ones made with love, the ones that had a story behind them.
I also saw somethin’ about the first Easter Bonnet Parade bein’ in New York way back in 1870, and then it spread to the UK. Imagine that! All them folks, showin’ off their bonnets. We didn’t have no parades where I come from, but we had our own little show, walkin’ to church on Easter Sunday, heads held high, feelin’ proud.
And that song, “Easter Parade”, oh, that was a good one. Irving Berlin, they say. The song talked about Easter bonnets and made them even more famous. We didn’t always know the fancy names of the songs or the singers, but we knew the tunes, and we’d hum along. It was all part of the Easter spirit.
So, if you’re lookin’ for an Easter bonnet, vintage or new, remember it ain’t just about the hat. It’s about the tradition, about the feelin’ of springtime, about lookin’ your best and feelin’ good. It’s about rememberin’ the old days, when things were simpler, maybe, but just as special.
Easter bonnets, they represent somethin’ more than just a hat. They’re a symbol of renewal, of hope, of faith. And that, my friends, is somethin’ that never goes out of style. Whether you get it from eBay, a fancy store, or make it yourself, wear it with pride, and remember the stories behind it.
Tags: Vintage Easter Bonnet, Easter Hats, Vintage Hats, Easter Fashion, Spring Hats, Church Hats, Bonnet Parade, Retro Fashion, Easter Tradition, Handmade Hats