Genuine vintage early 1940s hat by Hollywood costume designer and one of Hollywood’s most successful milliners, KENETH HOPKINS. Hats by the talented Mr. Hopkins rarely come to light, and this one is iconic and very special. Serious collectors of millinery and film costume history may know of him and if you do not, you should! This darling hat is a real attention grabber. Made of lush dense velveteen, artistically twisted and sewn into a stylized turban, plump and fat as a French pastry. Colors are deep scarlet wine red and a dusky French blue. In back are wide double straps of blue velveteen with silk twisted cording, creating a strap to secure under the hair. Keeping with the WWII “Make Do” effort in the USA, Kevin has amusingly inserted two large golden ornaments of gold painted bakelite? That resemble knitting needles, with fancy floral ends! He was known for this, his hats often appearing in newspapers during the war years for their charming and inventive use of household materials, etc. However this hat is definitely his couture millinery. Blue silk label is Keneth Hopkins “Original”. You can see some of his hats in 1940s movies and Film Noir classics, such as “Phantom Lady” where one of his hats is often considered the real star of the movie! He also did the wild hats for the fabulous fashion show segment of the Rita Hayworth movie “Cover Girl” and more. This hat is meant to be worn at a severe forward tilt, over 1 eye for sultry and classic Hollywood allure. More details on Hopkins’ Hollywood career below. Please scroll down to read full details and see all the over 15 photos. Here is a film poster for “Phantom Lady” which shows the back view of the mysterious hat in the film. Keneth Hopkins AKA Kenneth Hopkins is a favorite milliner of mine, and living in Los Angeles I was fortunate enough to have a few of his hats from a Beverly Hills estate many years ago. Along with his better known contemporaries such as Gilbert Adrian, Lilly Dache, and the team of John-Frederics, Keneth’s hats are gems seen on the silver screen. He designed hats for the most famous actresses in Hollywood. He died tragically in a house fire at a fairly young age, but will always be remembered in the hearts of film costume historians and educated millinery lovers. PLEASE SEE OUR AUCTIONS FOR MORE ANTIQUE and VINTAGE HATS, Clothing, AND MORE…. PLEASE SEE THE PHOTOS as they serve as part of the condition description. Please ask if you have questions, as hats are not returnable unless I have made some gross error in my description. Thank you for understanding. I charge actual costs or less. Thank you so much. I feel I have priced this hat well below market value. However, I will entertain reasonable offers and will respond to all offers presented. This is to be fair to all interested buyers. The item “1940s KENETH HOPKINS Knitting Needle Velvet Twist TILT HAT HOLLYWOOD Costumer VG” is in sale since Wednesday, June 13, 2018. This item is in the category “Clothing, Shoes & Accessories\Vintage\Vintage Accessories\Women’s Hats”. The seller is “isadorafedora” and is located in Long Beach, California. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Size: One Size
• Style: Tilt Topper Twisted Turban
• Look: 1940s Swing WWII
• Decade: 1940s
• Material: Velvet and more
• Original/Reproduction: Original
• Color: Wine REd and French Blue w gold
• Brand: Keneth Hopkins of Hollywood

Tags: 1940s, costumer, hollywood, hopkins, keneth, knitting, needle, tilt, twist, velvet