by Rosanna Carlucci
The phonograph sighs sweetly in the corner of the room. The music brings her back to last night and the flow of champagne and laughter. She can remember the pull of his hand and the swing of his step on the dance floor. She closes her eyes and tries to remember the feeling of his dark wool coat and how their breath seemed to form small wispy hearts in the cold autumn night. Beneath the brim of her black cloche hat she peered at his chin and then his mouth. They kissed.

Her memories slowly fill the room and before she knows it, the record is spinning and there is no sound. She walks over and lifts the needle, carefully replaying the same song and the same night over and over again…

There is no greater accessory that signifies the beginning of fall than the hat. More specifically, the cloche hat is gaining great popularity this season. The cloche hat is a hat that was extremely popular in the 1920’s. It was often made out of felt and usually had floral or jewel embellishment on one side. The cloche also had a very small brim or no brim at all. During the twenties the cloche hat signified a “new woman” or a woman who was breaking free from the stuffy and dated looks of the early nineteen hundreds. The cloche hat also complimented the short bob hairstyle of the times and the dramatic use of make up. It allowed a woman’s face to become the focus and further display her bow shaped red lips that were all the rage at the time.

Today millinery designer Eugenia Kim has recreated this classic in her fall ’08 collection. She has created the cloche in numerous fabrications and styles, more notably a lush satin in contrasting colours that can be worn both day and night.

Feminine, sleek and oh so art deco, this hat is the perfect compliment to falls more voluminous silhouettes.