I can only imagine there used to be many more options and varieties of hat storage available in the first half of the 20th century. I am infinitely perplexed as to why they don't still make functional hat boxes! I have seen nice vintage hat boxes with the clear plastic sides so you can see inside, but no one seems to make them anymore. After my black Friday hat buying spree (only a few...really, I promise...) my previous way of storing my vintage hats just wasn't cutting it anymore.
I always store my hats in boxes, mostly because I find they get dusty fast if I leave them out in my room. I also have cats who are always interested in investigating (and chewing on) feathers of any kind. I used to store my hats in shoe boxes, big boxes for tall boots are very useful for hat storage indeed. Still, I had amassed a large leaning tower of hat boxes, and often had to go through every box to find the hat I was looking for on any given day. A a new solution was needed, and after searching the net for nice clear hat boxes and coming up empty, I decided to visit the maze that is Ikea.
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| My new leaning tower of hats |
The other Ikea find were these little boxes meant for shoe storage. These two will need a lining of some kind, I wish Ikea listed whether or not these boxes were acid free! As it is I will have to assume they are not. Still, the liftable lids are a great little touch, as are the clear fronts so I can see which hats are inside.
The last new addition to my hat storage arsenal was a surprising holiday sale find! Walking through the grocery store I noticed these clear plastic round holiday cookie containers and immediately though to myself "hat box!". Just goes to show sometimes you can find just what your looking for in the most unlikely of places! Keep an eye out in the holiday sales, I got these cookie boxes for just .60 cents each!
A smaller 40's or 50's hat fits perfectly! If I could find these exact boxes in a larger size I would be over the moon, but these will do fine for now.
I still want to go through and organize my hats better so I know what is in each box. I am planning on printing photos of each hat and taping them to the top or sides of the boxes so I know where to look next time I am searching for a particular hat.
As a major hat lover, properly storing them is always a concern. How do you store your hats? Please let me know in the comments, I am all ears on this subject!
Excellent point regarding that their surely must have been a broader range of hat storage options back in the day. I know, and have heard firsthand from elderly ladies, that a lot of women used their very largest hat boxes to store multiple chapeaus in, but beyond, that I can't say as though I've come across too much on this topic (as it pertains to back in the day).
ReplyDeleteYour own ideas are terrific! I really like the idea of labeling each container with a photo of the contents. Smart!
Big hugs & happy weekend wishes,
♥ Jessica
I definitely put multiple hats in each box, but I'd like to put tissue in between them in the future. I sometimes wonder how many hats the average gal had back in the day, I know I can never have enough!
DeleteI have all kinds of storage boxes, mainly plastic or cardboard, and the hats are all in ones that you can't see in to from outside, so it's always a bit of a pain finding things! I like the storage boxes you've bought, they're more stylish than mine! x
ReplyDeleteThanks Porcelina! I have considered clear plastic totes, but they really don't look very nice. When I have my dream house with a room dedicated to storing my wardrobe I'll figure out an even better solution ;)
DeleteI keep mine in vintage hat boxes. They are not too hard to find and so lovely!
ReplyDeleteI can never seem to find any, you must have more luck than you realize :) I'd really like to get museum quality archival boxes someday, but a they're expensive it will have to wait for now.
DeleteI am so struggling with hat storage myself. I forgot about hats when they are boxed; I don't want to keep them out in case they get too dusty ~ and ugh. When I find a solution I'll let you know. I have to work on it though, because my hat collection just keeps growing and growing! I like the clear pane shoe box from Ikea though ~ I'll have to try that one out! ❤
ReplyDeletexox,
bonita of Lavender & Twill
I know what you mean about forgetting about hats when they are boxed away, I have started keeping a document with photos of each hat to reference when I am planning out outfits. My collection only keeps growing as well, hats are just too cute!
DeleteI still struggle with hats, but nearly all of my nice vintage ones have homes. The struggle isn't necessarily how to store them, but having the room to store them, and in a manner I like. For me, I like seeing them, which is why I love clear boxes, or the ones you showcased here from Ikea. Some hats sit upon shelves in my closet, others hang on padded nails on the wall of my closet, others sit upon those shelf clinging vintage hat stands upon a shelf outside of my closet, and then very delicate ones reside in hatboxes in the bedroom, each with post-its that say what is inside.
ReplyDeleteI definitely need to lable my boxes so I can find which hat I'm looking for quickly. Sometimes I wonder if ladies had many hats back in the day or just a handful that were very versatile...I definitely go for the many many hats system :)
DeleteI have been able to find some nice vintage hat boxes at the thrift store. One even still had a hat in it!
ReplyDeleteI am jealous of your thrifting luck! I'd love to find a source for hat boxes in archival materials (acid free), it's the museum assistant in me that longs for really "proper" storage solutions!
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