Hard-Sided Boxes for Mad Hatters

Dear Fashion Police: Now that I’ve bought all those beautiful (and delicate) hats with broad brims, just how am I supposed to travel with them? Let’s say I’m going to a wedding by plane. Packing them in soft-sided luggage is courting disaster. The other option is to put it into an overhead bin and hope it isn’t crushed by someone’s laptop. Luggage makers used to have hard-sided hatboxes you could check, but I can’t find one anywhere. Do any companies still make such a thing?

--MAD ABOUT HATS

Dear Mad: Yes, they do, but they’re a little tough to find, since hats aren’t the popular accessory they were in the 1940s and 1950s, when everybody wore them.

You have a few options. You can put your hats in a cardboard hatbox (found at department stores and some general-merchandise stores) and try to fit that in an overhead bin. The box will protect the hat, but depending on its size, the box may be too big for the overhead compartment. And if you’re like us, you’d rather chew off your own foot rather than tangle with airport security or flight attendants about oversized carry-on luggage.

Your next option is to get some hatbox luggage to check or carry on if it’s not too large. There are a few companies that still make it, including Mulholland Bros. and Louis Vuitton. But they’ll both set you back quite a bit--a square Mulholland Bros. hatbox at El Portal (stores in the West, or visit https://www.el-portal.com) is about $695 and Louis Vuitton is . . . well, if you have to ask, forget about it.

Some less expensive hatbox luggage is available at Drea Kadilak, a Los Angeles milliner, at (323) 931-2051. Prices range from $79 to $99.

We also called the Proper Topper, a catalog and Web site that carries men’s and women’s hats (https://www.propertopper.com or [888] 842-3055). Owner Anna Fuhrman said she hasn’t had much luck traveling with cardboard hatboxes (although the company does sell them) but suggested something else: drum cases.

Found at music stores, they’re made of heavy plastic and are sturdy enough to check, she said.

She added that the catalog also carries packable hats that can be rolled up and stuffed in a suitcase.

If none of these ideas is making you dance with joy, we have one more idea: Try online auction sites, such as eBay, and search under “hatbox luggage.” We saw some from the ‘40s and ‘50s that looked in pretty good shape, and prices were not outrageous. The size and condition of the luggage will determine if you should check it or carry it.

Dear Fashion Police: I am getting married this October at my fiance’s parents’ home back East. We are having a small ceremony followed by a big party. I do not want a wedding gown, but I would like to wear something very special, knee-length and at least sort of white. It should be comfortable, warm, and since I will probably never wear it again, it should be seriously fashionable. I want my future kids to be entertained by what women wore back in fall 2000. My groom will wear a suit. Wedding boutiques do not seem to have anything but gowns, and other stores are displaying summer dresses now. Do you think a smashing white ensemble exists that may not have been designed for bridal wear?

--STYLISH BRIDE

Dear Stylish: Call us a cockeyed optimist, but darn it, we do think such an ensemble exists!

But you’re going to have to do some legwork before you say your “I do’s.”

First, let us fill you in on fashion trends for fall 2000. For evening there’s a whole lot of luxe going on, with body-conscious dresses, many in sumptuous, gleaming silk. Looks are elegant and feminine, with touches of fur and beading. It’s not overdone--just a hint of glitter on a hem, a bit of fur trim on a neckline or cuff. (By the way, we recommend faux fur.)

In bridal, the diaphanous look is big, as in a layer of sheer organza over the skirt of a gown, or sheer sleeves. Embellishments are minimal, as in evening wear. And dresses aren’t the only way to go--you can choose separates, too.

Will you be able to find some of these elements in a short bridal dress? Maybe. We recommend starting with Web sites such as the Knot (https://www.theknot.com) or the Wedding Channel (https://www.weddingchannel.com). There are literally hundreds of dresses to choose from, and you may find exactly what you’re looking for. Bridal magazines such as Bride’s, Martha Stewart Weddings and Modern Bride also feature trendy designer gowns in their editorial pages.

If you don’t find your perfect dress there, you’re going to have to start hunting in stores. Fall merchandise will begin to arrive late summer. That won’t give you a lot of time to look, but you could get lucky.

Start with evening wear, not bridal. You might find something in an off-white shade that will do. And think about separates. A silk skirt with a faux-fur trimmed cashmere sweater could look very bridal, once you add in the veil or hat, shoes and your bouquet.

As a last resort, you can always have something made. Peruse pattern books to find the style you like, then choose the fabric. If you start now, you won’t run into a time crunch. You don’t want people to notice pins in your dress as you walk down the aisle.

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Write to Fashion Police, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, fax to (213) 237-4888, or send e-mail to socalliving@latimes.com.