Vanilla Beane, whose radiant hats topped the heads of legions of African American women at church, weddings and funerals in the District for half a century, earning her the title of “D.C.’s Hat Lady,” died Oct. 23 at a hospital in Washington. She was 103.
Democracy Dies in Darkness
Vanilla Beane, the District’s ‘Hat Lady,’ dies at 103
Her radiant hats, aimed mostly at African American women for use at church, weddings and funerals, were featured on postage stamps and in museum collections
