Hats off to hats

If you think the hat has lost its allure, please don’t mention it to the British who cannot find enough reasons to don one on their colonial heads (just kidding on the colonial part).

Yet we can learn a thing or two from the royals regarding their penchant for fascinators and  

tilt hats. Melania Trump has embraced the wide-brimmed hat on several state occasions and Princess Kate regularly chooses wide brims, fascinators, tilt hats and pillbox hats.

Whether it’s for camouflage or simply to cover one’s head, the hat has been an accessory for more years than can be counted.

It was not only a necessity but an indication of rank in the upper classes to wear a hat in the early 1900s. Wide brim hats and boater hats for women, bowlers and derby hats for men, were all the rage.

The cloche became the go-to accessory in the 1920s, while men often chose the panama hat, fedora or straw boater.

The 1930s saw the reintroduction of berets, turbans and slouch hats. To tilt a hat, like a beret, made the mystique behind wearing it even more scintillating. The fedora brim became wider for men during the 30s as well.

Wartime 1940s saw the rationing of fabric. Hats were smaller though the popularity of tilt hats continued. For men and women, military caps, side caps, sailor caps and berets, were worn. Fedoras were made from felt instead of wool.

Enter my favorite hats of the 1950s: the pillbox and of course, fascinators, which are still popular today. The beret remains my second choice for the je ne sais quoi beauty of this French head cover.

When the 1960s hit, hats lost favor, but the pillbox endured, partially because it was flattering on faces of all shapes. Mod caps, floppy hats and bucket hats took off too.

The 1970s saw an even greater relaxation of structure. Floppy hats, crocheted knit caps and berets ruled. Men adopted the cowboy hat even if they had never stepped foot on a ranch.

The 1980s turned sportier still. Baseball caps for men and women, visors and bucket hats ruled the day.

Enter the beanie and the fisherman hat in the 1990s: not a memorable decade for hat design. And again, the 2000s, even less memorable for the rhinestone cap, beanie and newsboy cap for both men and women.

It wasn’t until 2010, when vintage clothing reemerged from dusty shelves, that flat caps, the wide-brim felt hat and boaters made a revival. Sun hats also made a showing as did straw hats. Fedoras for women were shown in wool and straw.

The pillbox hat saw a revival in the 2020s as have, unfortunately, luxury baseballs caps with sequins and sparkle. Straw boaters for women and a resurgence in the drop brim hat have made hats chic once again.

Fashion statements like Jackie Kennedy’s iconic pillbox hat or Melania Trump’s wide-brim navy blue boater with white ribbon band (aka inauguration hat) remind us of the attention the right hat can garner.  We remember their hats more than any dress or suit.

As hats sit atop our heads, we are reminded that the hat remains an essential accessory for those in the public eye and others who wish to be.

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