Characterful hats, from pillboxes and boaters to bicornes and buckets, are making a significant comeback in fashion, moving from catwalks to high-street stores.
This season, at the high-end brand Loro Piana, almost every model wore a hat. Thom Browne showcased straw boaters covered in colourful mesh, while Chloé featured see-through hats matching transparent trenchcoats and white sailor hats atop all-white outfits. Courrège presented space-age hats, Burberry had large buckets, and Bottega Veneta offered hats brimming with charisma.
Personality over practicality
These hats, sometimes called "personality hats" or affectionately "silly little hats," prioritise character over practicality. They serve as creative punctuation points to an outfit, drawing the eye upwards, rather than functional headwear for storms.
David Long, author of The Hats That Made Britain: A History of the Nation Through Its Headwear, explained: "Excluding beanies and baseballs, hats are a rare opportunity for display, so I think the wearers are trying to say: 'I'm not like everyone else, even though we all wear the same clothes nowadays.' They're showing off, in other words, but only a little bit."
From runways to high street
High-street fashion has also embraced this trend, with wool and pillbox hats available at Asos and H&M, evoking Jackie Kennedy vibes. John Galliano's collaboration with Zara includes Napoleonic-style bicorne hats and a hat reminiscent of the millinery worn by the bird-feeding woman in Mary Poppins.
At Copenhagen fashion week, pillbox hats were a common sight. Milliner Noel Stewart, who has created hats for Mulberry, JW Anderson, and Valentino, said: "Hats can be a major signifier of personality and intent, whether it is shouted or whispered is up to the wearer." He also noted: "People want to be chic without being too forced (and expensive) about it. This soft pillbox is a very good way of doing that."
Wearing hats with bravery
For many, wearing such characterful hats on an ordinary day still requires bravery. Even Jackie Kennedy, a famous pillbox hat wearer, once wrote: "Oh dear, it was so pleasant when I didn't have to wear hats! They will pauperise me and I still feel absurd in them."
