HATS OFF

As a new book charts 200 years of women’s hats, Katy Pearson marvels at millinery from days gone by
From straw bonnets and tea hats to trilbies and headscarves, hats have kept heads warm and added the pièce de résistance to outfits for centuries.

Until well into the 20th century, most women – regardless of social status – did not think of leaving home without a hat, reveals Caryn Franklin in Fashion: The Ultimate Book Of Costume And Style. book teaser

Indeed, in 1940, this very magazine urged its readers to ‘continue to wear gay and frivolous hats; it is the simplest and least expensive way of keeping up our morale and giving to our towns and villages an air of elegance’. Here are the hats that we have been wearing since 1850…

WIN! We have three copies of the hardback, Fashion: The Ultimate Book Of Costume And Style, the definitive guide to the evolution of costume and style (Dorling Kindersley, £30), to be won. To enter, click here.