History enters the head
The beginnings of women's headwear can be found in the holy books of the world's largest religions! The command to cover the head for women, who were supposed to be modest before the outside world, was included in St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians. This Christian tradition, which shaped contemporary European culture, required women to cover their seductive hair under veils, hoods, and wide-brimmed hats. Over time, hats were assigned a completely new meaning - they became a sign of social status and noble origin. Women's hats adorned with jewels were a perfect addition to the outfit, through which one could manifest wealth - that's why they also became part of the jewelry. Wide-brimmed hats also served an additional function, namely protecting noble, alabaster white skins from the sun's rays.
The art of hat shaping became so popular that in the 18th century a completely new profession was created: millinery, which today is considered a dying art of handmade hat creation.
Universal madness
The beginning of the 20th century is another new chapter in the history of fashion. That's when the first fashion houses began to appear, the successors of which are today's dictators of fashion. In 1913, Coco Chanel herself opened her first hat shop in Paris. Even before the First World War, Paul Poiret popularized the fashion for women's turbans, richly adorned with precious stones, pearls, and feathers. The trend survived the turmoil of war and was reborn in the interwar period when emancipated women loved to wear tight and narrow headgear, emphasizing their short hairstyles. However, a real avant-garde in the world of hats was introduced in the 1930s by Salvador Dali's friend, Elsa Schiaparelli. Her surrealist interests manifested themselves in crazy ideas for headgear, e.g., in the shape of a shoe or a compilation of gloves.
Today, this slowly forgotten art of hat making is mostly cultivated by British aristocrats during the annual Royal Ascot horse races.
Mad hatters!
Contemporary women, fascinated by elements of classic men's fashion, most often wear men's fedoras - felt hats with a narrow, sloping brim with a concave fold along the crown. However, mad hatters from Gucci, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, or Moschino in their collections cause a real headspin. Gucci offers bright and flashy hats with elongated crowns, Chanel presents similar color styling in the form of headwear that was worn by Madame Coco herself. On the other hand, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, and Moschino also refer to the retro style, but in more screaming colors, putting on the heads of their models women's hats with a netted veil.
Avant-garde, a riot of colors and decorations, applications, veils, and sizes, it's just madness! When it comes to hats, this autumn's trends in headwear are really off the hook. It could be said that the weirder, the better, because a hat is always a true adornment for a woman!
