Hat collections of two women reveal headgear fashions over last 100+ years
By Julie Parent
Jan Windey of Alexandria was thrilled when she met Mary Ryks of Nelson because they have a commonality. Jan and Mary collect women’s hats. Jan owns approximately 100 hats, and Mary has a whopping 800 hats.
Although it is hard to choose, Jan’s favorite hat is one she received from her Aunt Nellie Windey. The hat is red with a feather and netting. Her Aunt Nellie had thinning hair, but nobody was aware of that because she always wore hats. Mary’s favorites are her older hats, such as the hats worn during the Titanic era around 1912 and the Derby hats with feathers commonly worn in the mid 1920s. She also has two unique hats. One is made entirely out of aquamarine-colored ostrich feathers, which were popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The second is a replica of a Hennen, which is a cone-shaped hat with a veil down the back like women wear at Renaissance Festivals held worldwide.
Jan began collecting hats in the 1980s when she received some of her Aunt Nellie’s vintage hats. After that, Jan and her three sisters, Gin Madigan, Carol Sumstad, and Kathy Janssen, would get together and have fun shopping for hats. They would look for the hats at antique stores, thrift shops, and rummage sales. If Jan bought a hat in another state, she would wear it on the airplane so it wouldn’t get crushed in her luggage on her way home. In addition, Jan and her husband, Mervin Windey, would shop for hats when they were on vacation and on Saturdays within a 75-mile radius of their home. She cherished that time they spent together, especially when items they saw would remind them of old memories. One time, Jan decided not to purchase a set of brushes and a hand mirror she liked with a picture of a hat lady on them. Later, her husband surprised her by going back and getting them for her.
Mary’s collection began in 1999 when she and her husband, Ron Ryks, were camping in north central Minnesota. During that time, she decided to go to an auction where she purchased a hat for $2. After that, she was hooked. She’d look for hats every time they went on a trip.
Jan is drawn to original hats, not remakes, from the 1940s and 1950s. Mary likes hats with designer labels. Neither one of them have spent a lot of money on their hats. Most of them cost between $2 and $5. If they saw a hat they couldn’t pass up, they might spend as much as $15 on it. Mary remembered a time she started bidding on a hat she really liked on eBay and Ron continued to bid on it for her after she went to bed.
They have also received hats as gifts and some people have passed their hats on to them. Although they have some hat pins, hat boxes, and display stands, neither one of them collected the small purses or other accessories people wore with their hats, such as gloves.
A person at a millinery shop used to make hats with straw, felt, wool, and a variety of other materials. Jan and Mary use a brush to clean their hats. Mary stores her hats in large containers in a temperature-controlled building with cloves to keep the bugs away. She keeps track of her inventory in a large binder with a picture and detailed description of each hat. Jan uses a hairdryer to mold misshapen hats. She stuffs the crown of the hats and seals them in plastic bags filled with air before putting them into containers. Jan is always delighted to unbox her hats for special occasions. Seeing how women act and how much fun they have wearing her hats at places such as tea parties, brunches, luncheons, reunions, schools, church programs, and Mother’s Day events brings her pure joy. This is especially true at senior centers since senior citizens lived during the years when hats were frequently worn. Jan has a dark green hat that she likes to wear for St. Patrick’s Day. It has a loop at the top of it and it reminds her of Twiggy who was a famous English model, actress, and singer in the 1960s. In addition, she likes to tastefully decorate her house with her hats for the four seasons and the holidays she and Mervin celebrate throughout the year.
Both women really like to dig deep into the fascinating history of hats, for example: in the early 1900s, women did not leave the house without wearing a hat; many hats were bought for a significant moment in someone’s life; and during World War II, some of the products used to make hats were rationed. In addition to being fashionable, some women wore hats for religious reasons, to indicate their social status, to protect them from harsh weather, and simply to cover their unwashed hair. For three-and-a-half years of her life, Jan felt privileged to have the opportunity to enter a database catalog of the beautiful hats at the Lyon County Museum in Marshall, Minn. Today, elaborate hats are usually worn at royal family member’s weddings in England, at the Kentucky Derby, and at Easter time.
Collecting hats has brought happiness to Jan and Mary as well as those they have shared their hobby with. Like the people in their lives, Jan and Mary know there is something special about every hat they have acquired. Over the years, they’ve thoroughly enjoyed the time they have spent finding these hats and discovering their interesting attributes.
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