Monday, May 23, 2011 at 11:06AM By: Cynthia Anderson Beyond the fascinator: Fall hat trends
fascinating, maybe not in a good way Princess Beatrice at the royal wedding/image: Getty Europe
Discarded to Divine MC Brandy Kuentzel shows off her fascinator/Image:S.Whittle for Style Wylde
Fascinators, those sometimes adorable, sometimes outlandish diminutive hats worn on the front or side of your head, seem to be everywhere lately. Whether it's Princess Beatrice's wild Philip Treacy look for the royal wedding (pictured left) or the flower-and-bow type popular on the streets of San Francisco (pictured right) it appears the whole world has gone wild for fascinators.
But lets be real for a minute, shall we? For women who don't see their wardrobes as an opportunity to work out their British lady fantasies, those tiny hats can be hard to wear. And while antique-loving Victoriana-philes will swear the fascinator is timeless and classic, the look, thanks to its association with that big wedding in April, screams"Spring 2011" and has a high potential to look passe come Fall.
Super model Karlie Kloss in a trilby style hat at Anna Sui/Image: S.Whittle for Style Wylde
But that doesn't mean all hats should be passed up when looking for pieces that will work for multiple seasons. The Fall runways were filled with a variety of hat shapes, materials, and constructions that work now and going forward. A few of our favorite takes on the head wear trends include:
Super model Lily Donaldson in a fur hat at Anna Sui/Image:S.Whittle for Style Wylde
Trilbys, and furries, and cat hats oh my! If it was textured and Ballet-Russe inspired it was in at Anna Sui Fall 2011 where a bevy of super models sported hats fit for Anna Karenina. Easily wearable for a variety of face shapes and personalities, Sui's hats were high on whimsy, but also highly functional in colder months.
mod squad cap at Callula Lillibelle/Image: S. Whittle for Style Wylde
floppy fedora at Norman Ambrose/Image: S. Whittle at Style Wylde
Drawing on the 1960's aesthetic, the design duo behind Callula Lillibelle hit a high note with their sharp Mod Squad Cap in candy apple red (pictured left). Free-spirited and fun as well as easily imagined working with a variety of outfits from weekend jeans to night-out dresses, this made us almost wish for more bad hair days.
Taking a more 1970's approach to the trend, Marin County-born Norman Ambrose won raves with his wide brimmed fedora paired with a printed mini dress (pictured right).
Eric Javits cloche hat on the Douglas Hannant Fall 2011 runway/Image:S.Whittle for Style Wylde
Eric Javits cloche at Douglas Hannant/Image:S.Whittle for Style Wylde
For the vintage-minded, especially those enraptured by the gorgeous costumes featured in HBO's smash hit Boardwalk Empire, Douglas Hannant's Fall 2011 collection featured 1930's-inspired cloche hats by Eric Javits. Often thought of as the most universally flattering hat shape, the cloche hat has a timeless wearability. The day version (pictured left) and the night version (pictured right) caught our eye for this very reason. Unlike the trendier shapes that look dated in just a few months, the cloche is everlasting.
Interested in making your own style statement? These San Francisco Bay Area milliners create handmade hats of all shapes and sizes:
Deanna Gibbons Millinery- one of the few true milliners in the San Francisco Bay Area, Deannna Gibbons hand blocks each of her hats in the traditional way. Pieces from her collection are available at Barneys, or at her San Francisco Studio. To learn more about Deanna Gibbon's work check out our previous feature article here.
Jasmin Zorlu Millinery- self described aficionado of all things Art Deco, Jasmin Zorlu creates to-die-for cloches, and other speakeasy era pieces.
Wayne Wichern Millinery- an institution in the San Francisco Bay Area for 25 years, Wayne Wichern's Redwood City shop has supplied ladies who lunch with stylish hats for ages.
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