Bes-Ben the Original Mad Hatter

Bes-Ben was a brilliant hat label by a designer named Benjamin B.Greenfield. Based in Chicago, Bes-Ben hats started as a small boutique, but later became a remarkable brand name. In the 1940s, the hats took a wonderful, creative turn. Ben would use some rather peculiar items for his hats. For example, mini bananas, little palm-trees, doll furniture, and household items, like scissors, kitchen towels, napkin rings, and cookie cutters made appearances on his hats. One famous example of his works was a hat created for Hedda Hopper for a film premiere of "The Razor's Edge", using actual razors on the piece. In connection with this, he often created war themed hats during the 1940s. His creativity and humor in his designs is what made Bes-Ben so popular ten, as well as now.

Here are a few of my favorite designs of Bes-Ben's:

If you'd like to read more about Bes-Ben and his intriguing hats, this website will tell you more!

http://www.greenfieldfoundation.org/1_ben_green-field.htm 

Stay classy

Shaelynn