Quite a while back, as I was trolling the internet for hats, I came across an old Ebay listing for a Frank Palma hat (with original hat box!) that had sold a mere month before I purchased my first FP hat! Talk about breaking my heart - this amazing faux bird tilt hat sold with only 3 bids for a grand total of $28+shipping. I can't believe I missed this!! I bookmarked the page, and occasionally went back to the link so I could drool over the picture.
There are two interesting points about this hat:
(1) It is unique in that it reflects something I've never seen before: a "Frank Palma Original" on a white feathered, gilded double faux bird hat. The only other examples I have seen of this style of FP faux bird hats have always been under the higher-end "Art Bern Hats by Frank Palma" label. Based on my experience, the "Frank Palma Original" label is earlier than the "Art Bern" label. So, to me this demonstrates the interesting idea that perhaps Frank Palma began designing these higher end double faux bird hats under his own label first, and then was picked up by Art Bern to continue the design under the more "couture" label later...
(2) The original selling price of this hat reflects the trend of how sometimes being an open source of pictures and information can come back to bite you in the wallet! When I first began collecting Frank Palma hats, I paid anywhere from $28-$75 for them. After my first few hats, I began blogging heavily about them, sharing pictures on vintage hat enthusiast forums, and trying to share what limited knowledge I had on this milliner. Suddenly, the prices began climbing, and some of the hats began slipping through my hands because competition grew fierce and prices even fiercer. From July 2011, general Frank Palma prices went from under $100 to on average $250 in 2012 to $361 in 2013. While I am thrilled to share my love of this milliner with others, and provide a base of knowledge for those researching him, I have to say another part of me is a tad annoyed at how it's made it actually more difficult for me to continue collecting the hats. Ah well...
When this particular hat came up for auction a 2nd time, I stumbled upon it through mere chance, and my gasp of shocked delight was loud enough to bring my husband over to investigate! I knew this hat was meant to be mine! But I also knew it was going to cost me dearly...
I did end up winning it (ironic side note: the seller actually used my blog/webpages as a source of information for the listing's description of the hat!), and the hat came with the original hat box as well! Unfortunately, this hat is in the worst shape of any of my Frank Palmas. It's in the worst shape of pretty much all of my other faux bird hats, to be exact. It was obviously well-loved and very improperly stored in high temperatures. The hat is incredibly soiled on the inside, and will need a gentle cleaning. The glue has yellowed all over (and therefore yellowed the feathers), and ALL feathers on the hat body were loose. Due to the high-temp storage, touching the feathers caused them to begin to disintegrate. I do believe that I will eventually end up having to remove them all and replace them at some point, which absolutely breaks my heart. The only positive is that, for whatever reason, the birds and feathers covering the birds are all in excellent condition (now explain that to me?!). All that being said, I feel that I have the ability to restore this hat to its former glory. I have logged hours and hours of experience repairing/restoring vintage faux bird hats, so I feel pretty confident at this point that I can do a good job. This hat demands nothing less than perfection in restoration!
Long story short: in spite of its many flaws & ridiculously high price, this hat is absolutely amazing! It is stunning in an over-the-top manner I had yet to see achieved by a "Frank Palma Original" label. I love it, and I do not regret for a moment purchasing it! It was meant to be mine. I was given a 2nd chance...
