The Art of Wearing a Hat: Style and Etiquette

Contents:

• The Influence of Hats: Money, Power, Education, and Status
• The Confluence of Mercury, Felt, and the Eccentric Mad Hatter
• Headwear from Tsarist Russia
• Hats in the USSR
• Reasons for the Loss of Popularity of Hats in Modern Society.
• When a Headdress Becomes the Center of Attention of an Event
• Hats Are Making a Comeback

Once upon a time, going out without a hat was considered extremely unusual and even shocking. Today, hats, which once symbolized adherence to norms of behavior, have transformed into a bold fashion accessory. However, there are certain events, such as horse racing, where wearing a hat remains an integral part of tradition.

Visual culture has for centuries placed a special significance on hats, which served not only as functional accessories but also as important symbols of status, belonging, and style. These headdresses often reflected the social and cultural trends of their time, becoming an element of self-expression and fashion.

Hats were used to denote professional or social roles. For example, in the 19th century, top hats were associated with high society, while wide-brimmed hats could indicate belonging to the middle class or peasantry. However, over time, especially in the 20th century, the meaning of hats began to change. The emergence of more casual and informal clothing styles, as well as changing social norms, led to the fact that hats began to be perceived as something outdated.

With the transition to more practical and relaxed fashion in everyday life, hats began to lose their popularity. They were replaced by more modern accessories that did not carry such deep symbolic meaning. Today, hats are mainly worn for sun protection or as a style element, but their significance as a cultural symbol is no longer the same.

The Influence of Hats: Money, Power, Education and Status

For many millennia, headdresses served as a means of indicating social status. In ancient times, slaves were bald, while soldiers wore protective helmets, and kings, majestically walking among the people, adorned their heads with golden crowns. Others also wore hats, which symbolized their position in the social hierarchy.

In its early days, this item of clothing served a practical function: it protected the head from the sun, cold wind, rain, and frost. This specific utility greatly influenced aesthetic aspects, especially among members of lower social groups.

For example, many artists experienced financial difficulties and preferred to wear berets, which could be easily made from a variety of fabrics, without requiring special millinery skills or the use of expensive materials. Women from the peasant class used scarves to securely hold their hair in place and protect their necks when they bent over.

However, the visual power of this accessory lies in the fact that it quickly acquired the status of a symbolic element and a message: the beret is associated with freedom and creativity, while the scarf represents humility and employment.

Hats and similar accessories have always served as symbols of social status, profession, as well as rights and responsibilities in various cultures around the world. However, the most complex visual and symbolic system associated with these objects developed in Europe and then spread to America and colonized regions.

Hats for women served many functions, informing others not only about the social and material status of the owner, but also about her family status and role in society. A striking example of this are the English hats of the Victorian period: some of them symbolized unmarried status, others were intended for afternoon meetings with relatives, and still others - for strolls around the city.

Hats serve as an important indicator of cultural belonging and ethnic identity. For example, the wide-brimmed Stetson cowboy hat is associated with Americans living in Texas, while the sombrero is a sign of Mexican culture. The hijab, in turn, symbolizes the cultural and religious traditions of Muslim women. The bowler hat continues to symbolize the neat British man, while the beret has become a staple of French bohemian culture.

Traditional headwear clearly signals the cultural background of its wearers, which is particularly noticeable in media and visual images.

While previously people from one culture would hardly have thought about wearing a hat characteristic of another, in today's post-global society such accessories have become part of eccentric fashion or are used as elements of masquerade costumes. However, this process gives rise to an ethical dilemma when the use of a headdress can be perceived as an act of cultural appropriation.

In government agencies such as defense, law enforcement, medical services, and others, headgear has played a significant role in coding information for centuries. It serves to distinguish between various military personnel and units, and also helps identify military and civilian sailors. Additionally, headgear such as helmets or balaclavas serves a vital protective purpose for police officers and firefighters.

In the past, nurses used a variety of hats, making it easy to identify which hospital they worked in. Currently, mandatory headgear for medical personnel has become more standardized around the world, facilitated by the efforts of the Red Cross and the development of mass production. However, even today, anyone can easily recognize a medic by the characteristic shape of his cap.

The Fusion of Mercury, Felt, and the Eccentric Mad Hatter

There are set phrases that emphasize the importance of hats in our lives. For example:

• "To take off one's hat" means to show respect.
• "It's done" means that everything ended favorably and with a positive outcome.

In English, there is a phrase "mad as a hatter." This image, associated with the Mad Hatter from Lewis Carroll's famous fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland," did not arise by chance - hatters really suffered from mental disorders in the 19th century. The fact is that during the production of felt hats, they were exposed to mercury vapor. This led to various neurological problems, such as involuntary movements, speech disorders, and distortions of perception. As a result, the hatter's profession became associated with madness.

Headwear of the Tsarist Russia

In Russian society, hats served as a noticeable visual indication of an individual's social status. This was especially evident in the 19th century and continued until the beginning of the First World War.

• Top hats were worn by both members of the upper aristocracy and wealthy city dwellers. This accessory was a symbol of prosperity and high social status. It was worn to emphasize status during evening walks with a wife or while visiting the theater.

• Bowler hats were popular with both politicians and representatives of the middle class, including businessmen, doctors, and lawyers.

• Caps and peaked caps were used by both the military and officials, as well as peasants, which served as a sign of their belonging to a particular social category.

In Russia, as in other countries with developed economies, women's headdresses served as an indicator of social status and had to be appropriate for certain circumstances.

Hats in the USSR

After the 1917 revolution in Russia, dramatic changes took place in the social and economic spheres, which were immediately reflected in fashion trends. Headwear became more liberally worn, and its design lost its former splendor and decorative appeal.

Elite hats were perceived as a symbol of the bourgeoisie, making them increasingly inaccessible to the general public. Gradually, people of different social strata began to abandon them in favor of simpler and more practical headdresses, such as caps and scarves, which had previously been associated with the working class and peasants.

Women who supported the revolution used red scarves as a sign of their struggle for social change.

However, the reason was not only the Russian Revolution: the intricate designs of hats and other headwear were disappearing in various corners.

We are transported to Paris to Coco Chanel, who shares her life with Boy Capel, a man who has achieved considerable success in the financial sector. One day, Coco decides that she wants to take up hat making. But these will not be the bulky accessories she sometimes saw at the races, where Boy often invited her. She rents two premises on the second floor of Rue Cambon, the doors of which are adorned with the sign "Chanel modes". Boy Capel makes a deposit at Lloyd's Bank on her behalf. A year later, after selling many hats, Coco manages to redeem this deposit. And Boy, twirling his mustache and with a hint of melancholy, says: "I thought I was giving you a toy, but in reality I gave you freedom."

In his work "1913: What I Really Wanted to Say," Florian Illies explores the significant events and cultural changes that occurred in that pivotal year. The author immerses the reader in the atmosphere of a time when the world was on the brink of great change. In his narrative, Illies emphasizes how personal stories intertwine with historical realities, creating a unique picture of the era. Each character presented in the book becomes the bearer of a certain idea and reflects the spirit of the times, which allows us to better understand the hopes and fears that tormented people on the eve of the First World War.

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With the introduction of industrialization and urbanization policies, when life became more comfortable and joyful, a new visual image of the Soviet person emerged. In the 1930s, hats became popular again, especially among urban intellectuals. Women began to prefer small cloche hats and other stylish ornaments, while men began to wear felt hats and bowlers.

In the 1940s and post-World War II period, headwear such as hats and caps served not only a utilitarian function but also served as a significant symbol distinguishing soldiers from civilians.

In 1959, when Dior staged a show in Moscow, passers-by could notice a striking difference between the more functional hats and headscarves worn by Soviet women and the stylish but less comfortable hats worn by French models.

In the 1970s, there was a clear shift towards winter headwear on the international fashion scene, both in the Soviet Union and beyond. In 1976, the famous fashion house Yves Saint Laurent organized a show called Opéras et Ballets Russes or Haute Russian. This event was a kind of interpretation of Sergei Diaghilev's Russian Seasons, inspired by Siberia and the image Lara from the novel "Doctor Zhivago." Models wore fur-trimmed hats that were not supposed to be removed even indoors. A new word entered the English language during this period: chapka.

Fur hats, called a la russe in France, were popular in the Soviet Union before, but their popularity increased significantly in the 1970s thanks to the release of the film "The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!"

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Reasons for the Loss of Popularity of Hats in Modern Society.

There are several significant factors that contributed to the loss of popularity of hats in the 20th century.

• Headwear was traditionally used for protection from the sun. However, in 1929, when the first models of modern sunglasses began to be mass-produced, the need for wide-brimmed hats to protect the eyes disappeared.

By the 1940s, sunglasses became a part of everyday use, and around the same time, the first sunscreens with SPF began to appear. As a result, hats gradually lost their practical function.

• After the end of World War II and global changes in the world, fashion underwent significant transformations.

This situation was especially evident among young people: in the 1950s and 1960s, the emergence of youth culture was a real protest against traditional norms, including strict dress codes and the demonstration of social status through hats.

Jackie Kennedy, a fashion icon of the 1960s, briefly elevated traditionally elegant hats to the rank of popular accessories. She favored pillbox hats, which became her signature style, and many women in the United States, and later other developed countries, sought to emulate her sophisticated style.

• In the 1960s, high hairstyles and bouffants, created with the extensive use of hairspray, were at the peak of popularity. This product began to be produced in large quantities and actively advertised.

Because of their bulkiness, women began to refuse to wear hats.

• The 1980s saw a marked expansion of democratic processes and an acceleration in the pace of movement. Hats, once a symbol of decency, gradually lost their significance and gave way to new fashion trends.

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Continued research into the history of design in the 1980s and 1990s focuses on graphic design. This period witnessed significant shifts in approaches and styles, driven by advances in technology and changing cultural contexts.

During these years, graphic design became more accessible thanks to the advent of personal computers and specialized software. This ushered in a new era in which designers could experiment with shapes, fonts, and colors without being limited by traditional methods. Software packages such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop revolutionized the process of creating visual materials.

Among the key trends of this time was postmodernism, which was a response to the strict rules of modernism. Designers used bright colors, unconventional fonts, and asymmetrical compositions, introducing an element of play and irony into visual communications. This resulted in the creation of unique and memorable works capable of attracting attention and evoking emotions.

Furthermore, an important aspect of this period was the development of branding. Companies realized that visual identity plays a critical role in their success. Graphic designers began to focus on creating logos and corporate identities that helped companies stand out from the competition and develop a lasting image.

The influence of pop culture on graphic design is also worth noting. Music covers, posters, and advertising materials began to reflect the social and cultural changes taking place in society. This contributed to the formation of new visual languages ​​and stylistic trends.

Thus, the 1980s and 1990s became an era of experimentation and innovation in graphic design, which had a lasting influence on its development and practice in the future.

When headwear becomes the center of attention of the event

Horse racing requires mandatory headwear.

The Kentucky Derby, the most famous horse race in the United States, borrowed from the British Royal Ascot the tradition of highlighting ladies' hats as a separate spectacle. For Derby spectators, creating hats becomes no less exciting than the race itself, and can take the most unexpected and extravagant forms.

A fascinator is A stylish head accessory often chosen as a replacement for a traditional hat. These items are typically made from various materials, such as feathers, flowers, or beads, which are attached to a base with a ribbon or clip. Unlike hats, fascinators serve a purely aesthetic purpose: they cover only a small area of ​​the head and offer little protection from adverse weather conditions.

The word "hatinator," coined in the early 2010s, describes a headdress that combines elements of a hat and a fascinator. This accessory is fixed on the head with a ribbon, similar to a fascinator, but has an appearance close to a classic hat.

At Ascot, there is a stricter dress code. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II banned the use of fascinators at Royal Ascot, allowing only full headwear.

At major Western universities, graduation ceremonies are another event where hats play a key role. By throwing their hats into the air, young people symbolize the transition to a new, more mature life. This tradition made the tasseled cap a symbol of knowledge and education.

The custom of graduating students throwing their caps into the air began in the United States in the mid-19th century among the cadets of the West Point Military Academy. These young men wore gray peaked caps, known as "Confederate caps" in honor of the Confederate States of America. After completing their studies, the cadets no longer wore these hats, symbolically releasing them into the air to mark the end of their education and the beginning of a new life.

Over time, this tradition spread to secular educational institutions, gaining popularity in other countries. However, instead of confederate caps, they began to wear black caps.

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A dress code is a set of rules that determines what clothes should be worn in certain social or professional situations. It plays an important role in shaping a person's image and can range from strict standards to more relaxed recommendations.

The history of dress codes goes back to ancient times. Initially, clothing requirements were associated with social status, profession, or even a person's role in society. For example, in the Middle Ages, different social classes had their own unique attire, varying in materials and style. Over time, as society developed, the need for standardization of appearance arose, which led to more formalized rules.

In the modern world, dress codes have become an important element of corporate culture and social life. They help create a certain atmosphere in the team, promote unity, and shape a professional image. Each organization can set its own requirements depending on its goals and values, which makes dress codes a dynamic and adaptive concept.

Hats are making a comeback

Today, headwear that is perceived as "regular everyday wear" includes baseball caps, berets, beanies, and sometimes felt hats with narrow brims. They are used more for protection from the weather or as a fashion statement, rather than as a symbol of status or social standing.

In the last two years, headwear typical of the 20th century has become popular again at fashion shows. In particular, in 2024, a pillbox hat, evoking associations with the image of Jackie Kennedy, appeared in the collections of mass brands.

Bob Dylan dedicated his composition "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" leopard "pillbox" hat, which was very popular in the 1960s. In the lyrics, the lyrical character voices his disappointment in love and criticizes the pettiness of fashionable fads, personified by this leopard-print hat.

There are many factors that led to the decline in the popularity of hats: from the advent of the automobile to the desire for change that swept much of society in the sixties of the last century. However, fashion has a cyclical nature, and hats appear on the catwalk again and again – in different interpretations.

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