Fabulous Hats Dominate the Royal Wedding Fashion Scene

George Bernard Shaw once said, "If a woman rebels against high-heeled shoes, she should take care to do it in a very smart hat." Royal wedding watchers, like myself, would probably agree. Oh, the hats that showed up for William and Kate's nuptials! Some hats were relatively small and discrete while others proved to be delicate dandies, for sure. I'm absolutely enthralled with those gravity defying hats that just seem to sit there. How on earth do these hats stay in place? No one's talking.

Hats that were brimmed and those slim, unbrimmed toppers that seem abrupt in comparison. Hats with feathers and those that were hardly there with little adornment. Some of the royal wedding hats matched, while others faced off with the couture of the day. Indeed, the Royal Wedding was absolutely surrounded by a hat display that could only be described as head turning.

Of course, the critics pounced on hats and humans alike. Princess Beatrice's taupe colored haute couture dress and matching coat were certainly elegant, but her quirky hat, fashioned by Camilla Ridley-Day, was deemed a royal disaster by most of the international press covering the toney event. Her sister wore a headpiece designed by Philip Treacy that did little to raise her fashion net worth in the eyes of the Royal Wedding adoring public. Earl Spencer's lovely daughters, Ladies Amelia, Eliza and Kitty, stole the show with their provocative garb, but one Philip Treacy number was a little too much for some of those hat honchos in the house.

What's up with all of these royal wedding hats, you wonder? A lot more than you think. Read on.

History of Hats: Form Trumps Function

Covering the head has been a necessity long before it became a fashion statement at the royal wedding. Yes, indeed, hats, hoods, scarves, turbans, veils, animal skins and more probably saved generations from the elements all over the world. According to Hats: A History of Fashion in Headwear (Amphlett, 2003), hats rose in prominence with the Ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians who sported some of the first documented hats and head coverings. But, it was the city of Milan that put hats on the map and exported this little fashion item to world capitals the world over.

In colonial times, women wore bonnets and kerchiefs to assure both their hair styles and station in life. Later, in the 19^th Century, bonnets became larger, more festive and adorned with ribbons, feathers, flowers and more. By century's end, wide brimmed hats came into vogue and the rest, as they say, is history. In the 20^th Century and beyond, hats have gone in and out of fashion, changing alongside society itself. In the 21^st Century, despite a decided shift to more informal gatherings and attire, we're still fixated on this fashion accessory which should have gone the way of the Edsel. I'm hardly immune from the fascination. Who doesn't thrill to the appearance of those wide brimmed beauties at the Kentucky Derby, except maybe the horses themselves?

Notable European and UK Milliners

The number of European hat designers has grown steadily over the years as demand for hats has hit its stride. Belgian's fashion designer and graphic artist Elvis Pompilio and fashion forward Fabienne Delvigne design hats that score big points with royals throughout Europe. Several of their hats were showcased during the royal nuptials, turning heads the world over.

The UK has an impressive home team of hat makers extraordinaire. Philip Treacy is an Irish milliner whose award winning hats have found favor around the world. With a client list that includes Lady Gaga and Sarah Jessica Parker, Treacy shows no sign of slowing down. At the royal wedding, his hats probably dominated the skyline more so than any other designer. Dozens upon dozens of wedding guests were sporting Treacy's bold creations. London's David Shilling designs hats that are so original and noteworthy that many of them are collectible and can be found in museums around the world. A real original, some fashion experts claim that Shilling alone is responsible for the continuing popularity of hats. Likewise, UK's Stephen Jones and Gina Foster make hats that spell elegance for the well-heeled worldwide.

Favorite Royal Wedding Hats

It seems like fashion stole the day at Westminster Abbey, especially when it came to those lovely and bizarre royal wedding hats. My favorite Royal Wedding toppers? Princess Michael of Kent's elegant, matching number and Victoria Beckham's blue beauty (both by Philip Treacy), and Carole Middleton's pretty, pastel colored hat (Jane Corbett). Hopefully, we don't have to wait another thirty years to catch a glimpse of the extraordinary parade of hats. In the meantime, there's always the Derby, right?

RESOURCES

Royal wedding guests: British designers Vivienne Westwood, Philip Treacy, Anna Valentine rule day

By Lindsay Goldwert for New York Daily News (April 29th 2011)

Millinery Info

www.millinery.info/hats_dictionary.html

Hats: A History of Fashion in Headwear

Hilda Amphlett (Dover Publications, 2003)

More From Associated Content from Yahoo!

Fabulous Malbec Wines from Argentina

The Very Best Suitcase and Luggage Collections

Top 5 Suitcases and Luggage