Notes of studies on hats

https://vintagefashionguild.org/fashion-history/the-history-of-womens-hats/#:~:text=As%20fashions%20of%20the%20mid,but%20disappeared%20in%20the%201970's.

Extracted reading notes:

In the 18th century however, a milliner was more of a stylist. Traditionally a woman’s occupation, the milliner not only created hats or bonnets to go with costumes but also chose the laces, trims and accessories to complete an ensemble.

(18th century)

These hats were considered necessary to keep the sun away from fair complexions, especially as the parasol was not a fashionable accessory during this period.

(BONNET DU JOUR)

A large brim framed the wearer’s face from the front but hid her profile from the side. A veil protected her identity and propriety as well as her delicate skin from the sun’s rays.

Masculine styled clothes and hats entered women’s wardrobes in the 1890’s via new forms of sporting and activity clothes.

After 1908 the silhouette became more slender. Conversely the hat became increasingly larger. ... The hatpin had other advantages too. Any man who attempted an unwanted advance soon discovered that a hatpin was all a frail woman needed to defend herself.

During the First World War hairstyles decreased in size so hats gradually began to sit lower on the head and, generally speaking, became quite plain. ... It was considered unpatriotic because it suggested that the wearer was more concerned with her own appearance than with the war effort.

Post war 1940’s and 1950’s saw many women choosing not to wear hats on a regular basis. To preserve its market, the millinery industry set about creating variety and extravagance. Generally speaking hats remained small and close to the head. They were now touted as the essential accessory to complete the ensemble.

As fashions of the mid 1960’s were geared for youth, which wore hats sparingly, headwear became an accessory of the past. Even the Catholic Church dropped its dress code, abandoning required head coverings for women in 1967. With the exception of cold weather wear, the fashion hat all but disappeared in the 1970’s. Credit goes to Princess Diana’s influence in the 1980’s that met with some success in bringing hats back into style.