Ladies summer hats in the UK usually enjoy brisk sales in spring in preparation for the next season, when an informal competition heats up. In no other country has hat fashion taken off in such a grand style. Ladies hats are more than just a protective covering for the head.
They are also a symbol of social status. That’s why among the British royalty, wearing an elegant hat while attending outdoor social functions is a way of life. More so of course in summer, when the hat regains its original role as a means of protection from ultraviolet radiation.
London, in particular, is a city that prides itself in having hat makers that have been around for centuries. While it’s socially acceptable to wear hats in order to hide a bad coiffure, wearing grotesquely big hats are subject to ridicule in modern London society. That’s why as early as the 1900s, so-called mushroom hats were lampooned by the UK press.
