Whittall & Javits | Accessories | Vintage Whittall Javits 。This Chic Vintage Whittall & Javits Cream Straw Derby Church Hat features delicate tulle and a beautiful flower accent. Originally sold at BONWIT TELLER, there is also a chin strap to keep the hat in place. The crown of the hat is designed to not look smooth. Brim measurement shown in photo. Inside lined in cream grosgrain ribbon and has a 21” circumference. In excellent condition. Smoke-free home. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Whittall and a friend from school, Eric Javits started making hats after they were graduated “to see if we could sell them.” They could. “We made little beaded, sequined hats by hand. We didn’t know anything about making things in volume,” Whittall says. But after seven years, Richard Shon, who had joined the company as a designer, bought out Javits’ share of the business, and Javits went off on his own. Whittall says his hats have been worn by some of the characters on “Dynasty” and how that television series was an important influence on women’s fashions. “Hats are like the ultimate fashion statement,” Javits says. “They’re sort of like the exclamation at the end of a sentence. They’re the finishing touch. Eric Javits recently came into the spotlight for designing First Lady Melania Trump’s Hat for President Donald Trump\'s 2025 inauguration. She wore a navy, wide-brimmed hat that shielded her eyes from the sun and was part of a custom-made ensemble. The hat was made of the same fabric as the dress (see last photo).