Anna Leialoha Lindsey Perry-Fiske was more than a hardworking, fifth-generation rancher, master pa‘u rider and celebrated community leader who single-handedly saved and reinvigorated the family enterprise. She was also a lady — one that was quite the collector of chapeaus.
More than 25 hats belonging to the late Perry-Fiske are on display at the Anna Ranch Heritage Center on Kawaihae Road in Waimea. Her love of headgear is evident, and the collection, offered through the end of this month, gives some insight into her colorful personality — at least, fashion-wise.
Most of the hats were custom designed in the 1960s and ’70s, said Barbara Sterne, a volunteer docent and fashionista who coordinated the exhibit. She got the idea for the show a couple of years ago while browsing through the catalog of items, compiled by Momi Naughton and volunteers. She thought the hats would be great to display in celebration of spring.
Pulling the hats out of boxes and finding photos of Perry-Fiske wearing them to share with the public has been “very rewarding” for Sterne. She has discovered the hats often stir up memories of another time or of travels for viewers of all ages.
The hats exudes elegance and sophistication — there’s a red felt pillbox with a black mink tail trim by mid-20th century American designer Frank Olive; a cream-colored, pleated turban by European designer Edna Wallace; and a short-brim felt hat with a diagonal band of peacock and cream feathers by New York designer Henry Pollack. There are also the plumed, floral and flamboyant, as well as the sleek and understated — providing a mix of contradictions. The hats usually possess some kind of adornment, such as ribbons, bows, bunches of wheat, seed beads or shells. Several have a transformational quality about them, evoking a certain persona or mood. Others definitely have an almost comedic element.
A favorite designer was Irina Roublon, considered by many to be San Francisco’s foremost couturier. Sterne discovered Roublon was born in the Ukraine in 1913, orphaned during the Russian Civil War, ran away from a boarding school at age eight and escaped Russia with the help of her aunt.
Roublon came to the United States as a student and joined her brother in Hartford, Conn. She studied voice, opera, drama and fashion design in New York City before marrying a czarist aristocrat. They moved to San Francisco, where she opened her first studio salon as a milliner. She eventually branched out of hats and into dresses, Sterne said.
In Perry-Fiske’s collection, there are at least eight hats and one pale pink satin gown with rhinestone embroidery by Roublon. One receipt indicates the relationship between the two women had grown into a friendship. The receipt dated March 22, 1966, for a Easter parade hat, costing $125, with “no tax out of state,” purchased from Roublon’s Sutter Street store includes a handwritten note at the bottom. It says, “Good luck dear Anna. Have fun and do come to see us. Love from Irina.”
Sterne said Perry-Fiske was “a spirited, visionary woman with a heart of gold” who was always raising money for charity or helping her community. Every year, she attended an Easter Seals fundraiser at the Royal Hawaiian in Honolulu and donated hats she had commissioned from milliners to the auction. She also won the event’s hat contest several times.
Through this exhibit, attendees will discover Perry-Fiske’s love of fashion. Whether the occasion called for velvet and pearls, rhinestones and satin, or blue jeans and palaka, the First Lady of Ranching enjoyed dressing up and had “incredibly beautiful clothes, which she preserved with great care,” Sterne said.
Sterne hopes the exhibit further piques attendees’ interest in Perry-Fiske, the Anna Ranch Heritage Center — her former homestead that she donated to the Waimea community — and the Big Island’s ranching history. The property is listed on the state and national registers of historic places. Its grounds, outbuilding and house remain much as they were when the Perry-Fiske lived there. Inside the house, which the public can tour, are hundreds of treasures.
It’s free to see the the hat collection, but reservations are required. Attendees who wear their own favorite hat may also take a tour of the home for half price, or $5. Tours are held at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. For more information, call 885-4426 or email info@annaranch.org.
