Hats

Bowlers, Bergères, berets and beyond, this is the ultimate guide to hats through history. From the lavish fashion hats of Marie Antoinette's court to the experimental millinery of Stephen Jones and Philip Treacy, Hats takes us on a beautifully illustrated journey through class conflict, gendered etiquette and national allegiances to reveal the complex cultures from which each style emerged.

Unlike any other element of dress, hats are able to confer a certain presence on the wearer, whilst working to a seemingly arcane system of codes that govern our behaviour. At which occasion is it appropriate to wear a hat? When is it respectful to take hats off? Why did hats fall out of favour?

Structured thematically with issues such as power and disguise, Clair Hughes explores both historical and contemporary styles, as well as their depictions in art, literature and film, with sharp historical insights and playful narratives. Including head-turning designs at world-famous horse races, the hat habits of royal family members, literary mad hatters and French high-fashion millinery by the likes of Poiret, Vionnet and Chanel, this is the authoritative guide to one of the most culturally rich accessories in fashion.

Hats is the first title in the Elements of Dress Series, edited by Susan Vincent.

"Revel in Clair Hughes' wonderful world of millinery where adventure lies in a folded felt brim, excitement in every trembling feather and allure in each shimmering veil." - Stephen Jones, London 2016

"Clair Hughes utilizes her extensive knowledge of literature, along with other rich sources, to go beyond a mere chronology of headwear. Her discussion of the social context and significance of hats in all their amazing variety – from Marie Antoinette’s pouf to Chaplin’s bowler and Venus William’s visor – shows the power of this most prominent accessory." - Kristina Haugland, Associate Curator of Costume and Textiles, Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA

"Hats is a thoroughly researched volume, written with such grace and subtle humor that it is a delight to read. Hughes singles out and explores many of the professions and circumstances which hats have "covered" and crowned throughout history, proving how indispensable this accessory has been, and continues to be." - Maria Giorcelli, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy

"As Clair Hughes alerts us, instead of “Bravo,” the French shout, “Chapeau!” So tip hats to her energetic, informative survey of (mostly) English hat history. With detours to the United States, Australia and the continent, she uncovers hats in art, literature, conduct books, newspapers and advertisements to reveal how hats rule – even now when their most ubiquitous form are baseball caps worn backwards. Beginning in the dark, poisonous shops and factories of 18th- and 19th- century England and France, she explores how hats – labor-intensive products requiring skilled manipulation of exotic materials – encode class and nation, gender and sexuality, work and play. With their dual roles as signifiers of authority and power or rebellion and dash, and utilitarian protection from the hazards of work or weather, hats encapsulate the complexity of how fashion operates: its stylish ascents and descents provide a narrative and imagery of modernity. Wonderfully illustrated, deeply researched and full of personal anecdotes and astute critique, this book will send you directly to your closet to dust off that turquoise felt bowler hidden behind your bicycle helmet—and put it on." - Paula Rabinowitz, University of Minnesota, USA

"Clair Hughes’s unparalleled expertise on the subject of dress in literature opens a new door onto the world of hats. Her in-depth study of issues such as manufacture, identity, power, etiquette and meaning is enlivened and animated with voices and characters from fictional, historical and contemporary sources. Through these insightful contextual and anecdotal views the hat is transformed from an inert object to a vibrant living thing. For an understanding of the culture and significance of the hat in western society, this exhilarating and extensive study is an indispensable book." - Oriole Cullen, Curator of Contemporary Fashion, Victoria and Albert Museum, UK