{"product_id":"40s-50s-bes-ben-close-hat-with-bes-ben-hatbox-by-bes-ben","title":"50's Brown Netted Floral Close Hat with Hatbox by Bes-Ben","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrown and beige felt Bes-Ben hat.  Crown is brown with taupe, beige and brown florals around the edges.  It is topped with a thick brown netting.  Interior is finished with the standard petersham ribbon and 2 side placement combs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eComes with the original Bes Ben hatbox.  Lid is tagged with Bes-Ben, 938 Michigan Ave, North Chicago Ill.  along with the purchaser's name and address.  On the inside lid it reads \"We do not accept Hats for Refund, Credit or Exchange, Bes-Ben.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBox measures 12 x 7 inches.  Hat measures on the outside, side to side 11 inches.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCondition of the hat is excellent with no issues. The hatbox is worn with fading.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe following information is provided courtesy of the Vintage Fashion Guild.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBenjamin B. Green-Field, the “Mad Hatter” designer behind the hat label Bes-Ben, was born in Chicago in 1897.  Mr. Green-Field and his sister (she was the “Bes” and he was the “Ben”) opened their first hat boutique on Chicago’s State Street in 1920, eventually expanding to 4 more locations in the area. At first he made lovely but not particularly remarkable hats, but in the early 1940s Bes-Ben’s creativity began to reach new heights, and hat history was made.  Bes-Ben designs became unusual, whimsical, even outrageous by some standards. Hats from the 1940s were trimmed with a bizarre assortment of items, including: miniature bananas, pedigreed dogs, palm trees, cigarette packages, bugs, skyscrapers, and doll furniture. Bes-Ben also made war-themed hats at this time, using everyday objects like kitchen utensils, cookie cutters, ice tongs, and kitchen towel fabric, trimmed fetchingly with napkin rings.  Prices ranged from $37 to $1000 at a time when the average shopper could buy a hat at Sears for around $2. Vintage Bes-Ben hats are sought after by modern-day hat aficionados, due to their quirky designs and highly collectible status. During a WWII-era interview, the designer was quoted, saying “Anything that makes people laugh at this point in world history may be said to have its own excuse for being.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFeel free to ask questions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"alley-cats-vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":37747915948185,"sku":"AC709","price":185.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0118\/0132\/9723\/products\/besben-13__j7eg7l2q9.png?v=1610495283","url":"https:\/\/shopthrilling.mom\/products\/40s-50s-bes-ben-close-hat-with-bes-ben-hatbox-by-bes-ben","provider":"THRILLING","version":"1.0","type":"link"}