Harlow’s Halo Hat
Posting this on the blog, as I’m finding myself increasingly fed up with the state of social media in 2023. Character limits and other restrictions aside, posting on Instagram or “X” to provide “content” gives me the heebie-jeebies, to put it lightly. I just like to share with people who have like interests—I’m not interested in “influencing”.
I’m never great at remembering to post regularly on my blog, but maybe I can finally start forming a habit. Anyway, random “old man yells at cloud” rant aside, let’s talk Jean Harlow.
You guys (well, longtime followers) know how much I love to geek out over Harlow’s repetitive accessories—with a woman as heavily photographed as she was, it’s fun to seek out items she seemed partial to, and map out when/where she wore them.
Here’s a cold-weather item to focus on with the recent arrival of November; one of Harlow’s chic “halo hats”, a mid-to-late thirties chapeau trend which arrived in Hollywood over the summer of ‘35, heralded as the latest in fall fashion. It almost was, as its fairly whimsical outline is still emblematic of its era.
Harlow is shown on the town in her “halo hat” in these four* different shots:
1. With BFF Bobbe Brown at the Biltmore Hotel, November 1935—keen eyes will notice the same dress worn at the Max Factor event below; and oh, those bracelets. Pretty sure Bobbe is wearing one of Jean’s older ‘32 dresses—she was frequently seen wearing her bestie’s hand-me-downs.
2. Cutting the ribbon to Max Factor’s brand spankin’ new “BLONDES ONLY” room on Hollywood and Highland, despite a recent transition to brownette. Seen with the ‘makeup king’ himself in November 1935. High time for me to take another selfie here.
3. With Robert Taylor and Cecil B. DeMille during their performance of Madame Sans-Gene on Lux Radio Theater, December 1936. Harlow was under the weather that day, unfortunately, hence the handkerchief. Imagine doing a radio drama on your feet with a cold.
4. Beaming at Bill Powell while waiting for a table at the Trocadero, late 1936. As you can tell, Harlow didn’t balk at the concept of wearing last season’s hats.
*5. Not the same hat, but a similar model that also saw much wear during this era—seen here modeled in this demure Ted Allan portrait made in 1936. She’d wear this particular model up until her passing—her last public portraits were taken in this one. More Harlow by Ted Allan here.
An item on Harlow’s halo hat (say that three times fast?) that circulated in 1935:
“It’s a tricky millinery creation that tops the new style locks of Jean Harlow, still easily recognizable by flicker fans despite the passing of her platinum tresses. And even the most critical of moviegoers will concede that the combination of the ‘halo hat’, and new brown shade of hair is becoming to the film star.”
As a fairly critical moviegoer, I agree!