Hats

The Roaring Twenties, the golden age of the hat!

Inescapable item in the 19th century, the hat was then the key element in every single self-respecting outfit! At that time in fact, going out with bare head was seen as a lack of education, worse still, as the sign of belonging to a lower social class.

Before the First World War, the activity designers, the milliners, was soaring. Some had a great impact on the activity: Caroline Reboux, the Legroux sisters, Lewis and many others.

Headgears each as voluminous as the next and made up of feathers of several centimeters high, of ribbons, knots, flowers… The most fashionable was the one with the most embellishment: the more it has, the more beautiful and elegant the hat was and denoted a high social ranking.

As you can well imagine, it was then very appreciated to order your own tailor-made headgear by a hatter and to go out with it in order to beautifully sublimate your wardrobe.

In 1920, there was a revolution in the millinery world: the corsets are getting abandoned, dresses display a more minimalistic style… But this decade coincides with the arrival of the biggest fashion designer the world has never known: Gabrielle Chanel. Yes, indeed, the one who was nicknamed Coco Chanel began as milliner. Her hats reflected all her work: chic, discreet, sophisticated and minimalistic. Nothing less to characterize the wonderful creations of Gabrielle Chanel.


From the 50s to now, from decline to renewal! 

From the 50s, heads are clearing up. The automobile democratization has certainly something to do with that. Comfortably seated behind the wheel of a hermetic metal carcass, why would you cover your head? The hat becomes then a vestment or an artist whim. A whole sector got affected. Factories, workshops, and milliners went out of business one after the other.

Today, the hat is gaining ground again. It is reinventing itself while keeping its fundamentals. It progressively recovers the position it has always held: the final touch of an outfit, a way to assert your personality, a note of elegance or the essential element that will sublimate your look.