How To Fix Up Your Vintage Sun Hats

With the heat of summer really settling into our daily lives once again, you may be finding that you are reaching more and more for your favorite vintage sunhat! These are wonderful accessories not only for adding that obvious flare and style to your summer outfits, but for also protecting you from that harsh summer sun. But after constant use, you may have noticed that the brim flops a bit too much. While this is most definitely irksome, there is a way to bring it back to life!

My “new-to-me” 1940s restored vintage hat and dress!

As many of you know, vintage accessories - just like vintage clothing - need to be stored, cared for, and repaired properly in order to keep them in circulation for decades to come. But when it comes to hats specifically, the methods used may not be as straight forward as say fixing up and mending a vintage dress is. The most common issue I find with vintage hats - sun hats in particular - is that they flop far too much. Literally to the point where your vision is obstructed and it becomes a hazard walking around with one on.

What my 40s hat looked like before I cleaned and starched it.

So how can you fix this?

Fixing the flop is actually a lot more simple than you might think! A good vintage sun hat simply needs to be starched! Below, you can read my step by step guide on how I fixed up my own “new-to-me” 1940s sun hat!

Why starch?

Well, the starch allows for a sort of rigidity to occur to the fibers. You may be more familiar with this in regards to starched shirts or linens to get a nice crisp creased look or to add body to a garment while also making wrinkles less likely. Of course, with regards to linens, this crispness can be uncomfortable if you are not used to it. But luckily for you, with a hat this really isn’t an issue. For sun hats in particular, it is the starches ability to give body and firmness that we are after - this is what will help reduce floppiness to your hats brim!

Step 1 : Aquire Starch

Niagara starch for heavy fabrics - you can get it HERE.

You could be old school and grab a box of cornstarch and figure out some way to apply it that both adds rigidity back to your hat while also not making a huge mess. But there is an even simpler method. I myself have opted for a much simpler method- using a spray can of cornstarch. There are various versions available online but I choose “Niagara” - you can find it here. I have opted for this specific version of Niagara because it stated it was ideal for heavy weight fabrics. While my hat isn’t fabric, I thought that given the sturdiness of the straw, this particular version would suit my needs best.

Step 2: Clean Your Hat

To make my hat look its best, I gave it a quick little dust off with a soft bristle brush. I did not want to encase any dust onto the hat with the starch spray. I also made sure to do a quick mend and tack back down the ribbons on the hat in order to keep them from moving out of place.

Step 3: Here it GOES!

Spraying the hat with canned starch.

Do this outside if you can! While the can is still cleaner and more controlled than powdered starched, it can still make a mess and well, honestly the stuff does still smell strongly of starch while wet.

I did a few test sprays onto the towel so I could get an idea as to how thick the spray would come out. My biggest concern was that it would not spray in a steady light stream and thus ruin my hat. But after a few tests, I felt that I was able to get the hang of it. To optimize your use of the can spray, I suggest you do the same.

Just as an added precaution, I did still decide to test it out first on the underside of the brim. The spray comes out really quickly and it coated the hat heavily in an almost light foamy texture . This had me worried at first because it felt extremely sticky while it was drying. But it turns out that as it dries, both the foamy spray residue as well as the sticky feeling dissipates. And once fully dry, there is absolutely no foam or stickiness left!

The hat sits upon my hat stand while it dries partially.

After spraying the underside, I made sure to securely place the hat right side up upon my hat stand so that it would not stiffen with a bend in the brim or the crown. As a side note, this actually made it easier to spray the top-side portion of the hat anyways. Once the whole piece was sprayed, I let it sit on the stand to dry for about 15 to 20 minutes. Once it felt somewhat robust but was still a bit tacky to the touch, I actually decided to sit the hat upside down to finish drying so that the brim would open up a bit more - essentially I was hoping gravity would work some magic. Ideally, I should have laid it on a donut pillow or in its original hat box (neither of which I am in possession of) so as to make sure that the crown would not crush while it sat upside down. Instead, I had to create a sort of contraption using what I did have available - a chair and some plant pots - to prop it up. Regardless, the final result ended up being phenomenal!

The Final Results

My fixed up 1940s navy blue hat with matching 1940s lace dress! You can find a similar dress HERE!

Full disclosure, after the hat was fully dried I actually decided to do one more round of spray as I felt like I was a bit too conservative with the spray the first time around, besides one spot was still a bit too floppy. But after my second round, I definitely got the results I was looking for!

This process taught me that I 100% made the correct decision with the Niagara spray for heavier weighted fabric. I don’t think any less starch would have yielded the same results - unless one sprayed multiple rounds of spray. I also learned that it’s important to spray just a tad bit more than you think you need and to make sure to not miss any spots.

I wont lie - I am actually really surprised with how well this turned out. I was truly worried I was about to ruin a gorgeous 1940s hat with this project, but it desperately needed to be done. I am so glad that despite my trepidation I went for it and I am even happier with how my pretty hat turned out! Now I have the perfect accessory to wear with my 1940s navy blue dress!

An VERY important side note - please remember to store you vintage hats properly in order to keep them looking their best. There are a number of ways to do this. I personally store my own hats in either vintage hat boxes or modern archival boxes. My choices depend upon the hats condition and rarity. While archival quality boxes are a preference, they are a bit pricey for a large hat collection. I do however always use acid free paper (aka archival tissue) when storing hats. This is especially important when I need to ensure the hats keep their shape when not in use. If you are in need of hat storage, you can often find vintage hat boxes at your local antique store. There are a number of retailers that sell archival quality boxes - my favorite brand right now is Gaylord, which tends to include free tissue with your box purchases!