Hats off to style

At a glance, it’s a small thing: a dainty, feminine bit of frothy frippery.

And yet, the words — Oh, the words — that have been spilled, the heads that have turned and the hearts that have soared over a fabulous hat.

Both a capricious piece of whimsy and an immeasurable account of femininity, they inspired O Magazine to note — albeit floridly — that "women wearing hats are at once sophisticated and whimsical … they carry themselves differently, daintily, like deer. Their voices flutter a bit, even when it’s clear they’re very much in charge of their lives."

Once considered the difference between dressing and dressing up — you cannot hide in a hat, it begs to be noticed — delightfully impractical hats did lose favour as fashion moved beyond formal rules and into something more responsive to street cred and the latest thing on Instagram.

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And yet thanks to the young Royals and the old-is-new approach to reviving the styles of the post-military ’40s, the wasp-waisted ’50s and the bohochic ‘60s, the jaunty cap is making its way back onto the well coifed heads of women, particularly brides and their attendants.

Whether a percher (which sits forward on the head like a drunken parrot), a fascinator (a brimless bit of ridiculous joy) or a cocktail hat (a small, extravagant bling-mobile for the head), hats by two Ottawa milliners Paulette Sanderson and Madeleine Cormier are packing plenty of pizazz.

"There’s something magical about them," says Sanderson, who studied British hat-making and began designing in earnest by 1998 as a second career, after taking early retirement as an RCMP forensic librarian. Her hats will be featured at the upcoming Tie the Knot Wedding Show, being held at the Canadian Museum of Nature on Feb. 21.

"A hat finishes off the outfit, but doesn’t take over. I prefer the small, well-tailored hat of the ’40s," she adds, "a hat with a big brim can be very bossy."

For 2015, bridal headwear trends not only nod to Sanderson’s favourite era, but to the head wraps of the ’20s and ’60s and pillbox hats, elevated with small veils and beaded lace or appliques in soft pastels.

Bling, floral and petals also feature in Cormier’s Chapeaux de Madeleine pieces, along with Swarovski crystals and veils.

Cormier, who has designed forAline Chrétien, Gov. Gen. David Johnston’s wife, Sharon, and Francophonie secretary-general, Michäelle Jean, spent last autumn in Paris studying the latest French offerings.

"I love the beauty, softness and style of hats. They add so much character and attitude to an outfit. And when women have the occasion, they go crazy for hats," she says, noting that she also rents hats and fascinators for a fraction of the retail price.

But is it worth it?

In the immortal words of Tina Brown, fashion arbiter and the 20thcentury’s foremost female editor, "a hat alters the image we have of ourselves, and the image others see as well. For the hours we wear it, it brings out different dimensions in our personality," she once wrote.

"Few women have ever been able to resist the temptation to try on a hat," she added, "and discover in the mirror a person they never suspected they were."

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