The Fashion Statement: Will 2011 be the Year of the Hat?

by Kristin Young (RSS feed)
Dec 30th 2010 at 8:00AM

Hats worn for the express purpose of style hasn't been widely popular since the '20s. Millinery did have a brief comeback in the '80s when Princess Diana gave visibility to the British tradition of wearing hats for special occasions. Now Kate Middleton is again putting a modern face under the British topper. And numerous designers on both sides of the pond made the hat a central focus of their spring/summer runway collections. And then there is Lady Gaga entertaining us all with her theatrical chapeaus.

Not since the '80s have we seen so many hats! So we wonder: Could 2011 be the year of the hat?

Arguably the most buzzed about accessory of the season was the colorful, wide-brimmed hat like the one above at Prada. Badgley Mischka and Marc Jacobs channeled Jodi Foster in Taxi Driver with their bright pink versions shown over hair that had been appropriately curled and frizzed. Sally Field in The Flying Nun would have fit right in at Missoni where almost every model wore hats that flapped down the runway like wings. And Alberta Ferretti went boho by pairing floppy fringed brims with her collection of gauzy ethereal gowns.

Gallery: Hat Gallery

There was a strong showing of classic caps as well. John Paul Gaultier for Hermès sent out very crisp and boxy equestrian riding hats while John Galliano went with white sailor caps for Christian Dior. Carolina Herrera showed the gaucho hat, a kind of cowboy hat found in her native Venezuela. Ralph Lauren used brown suede bowlers to give a Victorian feel to his collection of mostly western-inspired gear. And there was a Parisian air to the black bowlers at Nathalie Rykiel for Sonia Rykiel. Dsquared2 and Yohji Yamamoto made use of the classic small-brimmed straw hat encircled by a ribbon in contrasting color. And the Italian lines Moschino and Just Cavalli paid homage to the cowboy hat, giving new meaning to Spaghetti Western.

Way out there hats were in full force, too. Giles Deacon went out on a limb with fuchsia and yellow feather pompoms. Issey Miyake sculpted straw hats into asymmetrical cones sometimes exposing a good part of the head. Ann Demeulemeester's metal veils brought to mind Jacqueline Kennedy in mourning....or was it Hannibal Lecter? Meanwhile, your grandma could have been behind Anna Sui's whimsical crocheted caps that cover the head in flowers.

My prediction for 2011? Enter the era of headgear. Hats are back.

Tags: Alberta Ferretti, ann demeulemeester, Anna Sui, BadgleyMischka, Carolina Herrera, Christian Dior, dsquared2, Giles Deacon, Hermes, issey miyake, John Galliano, John paul gaultier, just cavalli, Kate Middleton, Lady Gaga, Missoni, moschino, Prada, Princess Diana, Sonia Rykiel, YohjiYamamoto