Downton Abbey fan Lynnie Morgan donning one of her favorite hats. Photo courtesy of Lynnie Morgan.
One day in January I was waiting in line at the post office when a nice looking woman walked in and stood behind me. After just a few seconds I felt a tap on my shoulder,
“Excuse me, are you a fan of Downton Abbey?”
“Yes, I watch Downton Abbey,” I replied.
“Oh I thought so, with your coat and hat.”
I was wearing a narrow fitting grey tweed coat and my old standby cloche-style cap, also in grey.
Of course we got talking and it turns out that my new friend Lynnie is not just a fan of DA but also of hats. In fact, it was the popular PBS show that inspired her to start sporting hats herself. She’s now an avid collector of vintage style chapeaux of all kinds. Lynnie is busy running her own licensed daycare, Bunny Run but she was nice enough to take time for a Q&A with me about Downton Abbey and hats.
Have you been watching Downton Abbey from the beginning?
I’ve been watching Downton Abbey from Season 3. I streamed and binge-watched seasons 1 and 2.
How did you hear about it?
I saw an ad for Downton on PBS.
Are you a regular PBS viewer?
HUGE PBS fan! I currently am watching not only Downton but Mercy Street as well as Antique Road Show.
What is it about DA that has grabbed you?
I love that era, setting, relationships, clothing and of course, the hats!
And now you collect hats – why hats in particular?
The hats on Downton Abby were just so beautiful. I looked for similar styles whenever we traveled.
Did you ever sport hats before?
I have a lot of hair – my mother was Greek – so the hats I had worn before always made me overheat so I wasn’t particularly drawn to them in the past. Now I know better what looks good on me and what types of materials to choose.
How many hats in your collection and were do you find them?
I have seventeen hats in my collection. I Google “Hats” in the towns that we visit. Monterey has a wonderful millinery shop as does Santa Rosa. There is a ladies shop in Healdsburg that has FABULOUS hats – I believe it is called Bella’s and a giftshop in Solvang that has a wonderful selection. Copperopolis by Angles Camp has a gift shop that has a small selection of nice hats, too!
Where do you don your hats?
I wear my hats to church, out with girlfriends, and for weddings and other special occasions.
Do people comment?
Oh my goodness, people say the nicest things to me! But they also say, “Oh I can’t wear hats. They don’t look good on me. But you look just darling in yours!!!” I always thank them then tell them that they CAN wear hats, but that they have to figure out which style best suits their face shape and the style they like best!
What’s your favorite hat style?
I like wide brimmed Garden Party hats like my fuchsia hat, but my very favorite is my straw cloche with a turned brim and flowers or embellishments on the side.
Since, Lynnie, you jumped ahead and now know all about the last episode of Downton Abbey, without any spoilers, please tell us a little bit about what we can expect.
You can expect the most brilliant writing from Julian Fellows! You will feel complete peace and everlasting joy for the Crawleys, Barrows, Mosley and Baxter, Anna and Bates, cousin Isobel & Lord Merton (with help form Violet), Daisy and her new fellow, Andy (who in real life is dating Laura Carmichael, aka Edith) not to mention Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Mason. There is no way I can not make this a spoiler! Wasn’t it Shakespeare who said, “All’s well that ends well”? Let’s just leave it at that!
Thank you, Lynnie. And keep sportin’ those hats!
OverDressed for Life 
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