WASHINGTON, DC- NOVEMBER 03 Vanilla Beane, 92 still works in her hat shop Bene Millinery in Washington, DC on November 03, 2011. Beane is one of three sisters in their 90's we are writing about as an example of the burgeoning population of seniors citizens living in their 80's and 90's redefining what it means to get very old. Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Vanilla Beane: Washington DC’s ‘Hat Lady’ Dies at 103

November 3, 2022
How Africa News
WASHINGTON, DC- NOVEMBER 03 Vanilla Beane, 92 still works in her hat shop Bene Millinery in Washington, DC on November 03, 2011. Beane is one of three sisters in their 90’s we are writing about as an example of the burgeoning population of seniors citizens living in their 80’s and 90’s redefining what it means to get very old. Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

 

The owner of Washington’s most acclaimed hat and bridal shop passed away after working as an elevator operator in a hat store and later crafting some of the most sought-after designs.

Vanilla Beane, also known as “D.C.’s Hat Lady,” reportedly died in a Washington hospital on Sunday, Oct. 23.

Beane was 103 years old, according to The Washington Post, and the cause was complications from an aortic tear, according to her grandson, Craig Seymour.

Beane was well-known for the radiant hats she created at her Bené Millinery and Bridal Supplies shop on Third Street, NW. Her creations piqued the interest of African American women looking for hats for special occasions such as church, weddings, and funerals. Each design was unique and included a variety of hats such as tams, turbans, Panamas, sailors, and cloches.

“NOBODY WOULD WANT TO WALK INTO A CHURCH AND SEE SOMEONE ELSE WEARING THEIR HAT,” SHE SAID ONCE, ACCORDING TO THE WASHINGTON POST.

Maya Angelou, the writer and poet, and Dorothy I. Height, the founding matriarch of the United States civil rights movement, were among the notable African American women who wore Beane’s fashions.

Beane, according to the outlet, made her hats the old-fashioned way. Her technique included wetting buckram, a stiff cotton, molding it, and decorating it with various fabrics.

In 2009, she told The Washington Post, “Some people like really fussy hats.”

“SOME PEOPLE LIKE SOPHISTICATED HATS, WHILE MANY PEOPLE LIKE SIMPLE HATS.” I TRY TO PLEASE EVERYONE, REGARDLESS OF RACE OR BACKGROUND.”

According to legend, D.C.’s “Hat Lady” worked six days a week, including her 100th year, turning her fingers rough and stiff.

“The hat tradition grew out of the idea that you were expressing how God had blessed you,” Craig Marberry, co-author of Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats, told The Washington Post in a 2019 story about Beane.

“THE MORE FLAMBOYANT A HAT, THE MORE BLESSED YOU ARE.”

Beane’s hats, including a green velveteen design and a red felt bicorn style, are reportedly on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

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