An accessory full of charm and history: the hat

In prehistoric times, primitive men used it to shelter from the sun or to defend themselves from the cold and bad weather. Today we define it as an “accessory”, but in the past it was a symbol of value, prestige, authority and elegance. Let's talk about the hat, the headdress that since its origins has been made with natural materials such as wild animal skins, wool, cotton, silk and leather.

In the 15th century, the felt hat was imposed. Charles VII is one of the first to wear a felt of fine beaver fur, a distinctive sign of the nobility, and he prefers it to that of wool. Over the centuries, the hat defines a social status rather than a practical accessory. In the nineteenth century, the new sign of masculine elegance was represented by the top hat, originally from China where it was apparently made in silk by a Cantonese hatter. It arrived in France in 1795, before being definitively consecrated in England and spread rapidly throughout the world. It is then in the twentieth century that the men's hat takes on a new meaning, becoming a sign of distinction and even an expression of different political affiliation. The old socialists wear round, floppy hats, while the Mazzinians wear soft black hats with wide brims. Pride and Italian characteristic is instead the straw, which appears for the first time in 1907, when the battleship Roma was launched. It was also called Magiostrina because it was worn starting from the month of May and was discarded at the time of the harvest. The straw hat triumphs as a fashion all over the world: worn by the undisputed arbiter elegantiae Edward VIII, considered the most elegant man of the entire twentieth century, with the advent of silent cinema Buster Keaton crowns it a must have. We find it, however, also in the paintings of the French Impressionists such as those of Renoir and Manet where there are portraits of gentlemen from the beginning of the century who go by boat on the river wearing the canotier.

With the advent of the great American recession which will have repercussions all over the world, the hat factories are not spared. The hat is dammed as a non-essential accessory. The producers appeal to the image of Humphrey Bogart with his famous bandeau hat worn low over his eyes. After the Second World War, the need was felt to recover. The images of Hollywood stars arrive through the cinema: the very dark felt by Cary Grant, the rigid cap with visor by Marlon Brando, the large hat with a wide raised brim by James Dean.

In Italy, in 1946 people were unemployed and exhausted by hunger, distractions were sought to forget the terrible years of the war and devote themselves a little more to appearances. In the same period, Paris was the city where one of the greatest transformations in the field of fashion began. There were hats of all kinds, with felts, velvets, small straw hats, Scottish hats and many different models.

Today, the hat is no longer used as it was in the past, but rather it is seen as a useful accessory only to protect the garment. Wearing a real hat captures the attention of those who don't wear it, and a shy person hardly dares. Fortunately, fashion today offers hats in all models and in all styles, and I hope that more and more people will start wearing this cap so full of charm and history, without prejudice!