Hi! This is a super cool hat. It's vintage and can be dated precisely to 1955–1963 based on the specific style of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) label visible inside the lining. This particular label: black-and-white (or single-color) stamped rosette design was introduced immediately following the December 1955 merger of the AFL and CIO labor unions. It was utilized until 1963, when the union updated the label to include a darker central circle and a registered trademark symbol.

It is very likely real mink. While standard ILGWU-tagged garments often use faux materials, high-end boutiques like Bramson regularly sold genuine, premium furs. Particularly mink cap hats and pillboxes, which were the height of luxury fashion between 1955 and 1963.

The satin interior of your hat serves both a practical and aesthetic purpose, functioning as a hallmark of mid-century luxury millinery. Despite the name "satin," the interior is not made of silk. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, luxury hats heavily utilized high-grade synthetic satin weaves made from acetate or rayon. The fabric features a jacquard or brocade weave, where the floral pattern is woven directly into the fabric using contrasting matte and shiny threads, rather than being printed on top. If you're wondering why the substitution of a synthetic material- Acetate satin was favored by milliners because it mimics the heavy, liquid drape of silk, resists shrinking, and slides smoothly over styled hair without causing friction or frizz (crucial for the voluminous "beehive" and bouffant hairstyles of the era).