Hats Off to Royal Wedding Attire

It seems you can’t pick up a newspaper, turn on the TV or the radio, or click onto a website without hearing about the Royal Wedding. Viewers across the world tuned into the extravagant affair, hoping to catch a glimpse of history being made – and of course, wondering what Kate Middleton would wear.

The wedding will certainly influence fashion trends over the next few months. There is no doubt brides everywhere will want copy cat versions of Kate Middleton’s beautiful Alexander McQueen Studio gown. But most impressive? The outfits of the wedding guests – particularly, their hats.

Popular for formal events in the U.K., these hats aren’t just fashion statements, they’re true works of art. Milliners spend hours constructing these unique, eye-popping pieces. Hats have an insanely long history, and have really come a long way. In the world of avant-garde fashion, royal wedding guests certainly lived up to the challenge.

With so many fabulous hats, we were inspired to look up the evolution of the hat. Through the ages and throughout the world, "The Mode in Hats and Headdress" showcases headwear from nearly every walk of life. We've selected a few new hats for the Royal Wedding participants to try for their next big event. Check 'em out...

Kate Middleton selected a graceful gown and paired it with an elegant tiara and veil that fashion experts all love. But what if she’d chosen something more regal? Perhaps something a bit more Elizabethan?

Prince William donned his official military hat for much of the ceremony, but should have considered one of these dapper military styles – even if they are a bit outdated. Feathers look good on everyone, though, especially if they hide a growing bald spot!

Victoria Beckham is known worldwide for her sense of style, and though her O-shaped chapeau was certainly chic, it's not hard to picture her in some of these styles. She might catch some flack from PETA with the third hat, though!

Lady Gaga wasn’t invited to the royal wedding, but had she been there, there’s no doubt she would have outdone everyone. It’s not hard to imagine her in one of these get-ups, be it lamp-shade shaped, dart board themed, or masked – Gaga could work them all.

As Kat'es maid of honor, Pippa Middleton looked the part of lady-in-waiting in her slimming white bridesmaid dress. But she needed a hat!

Elton John is known for his dapper style, and while his purple tie was certainly fabulous, he needed a hat to really set off his outfit.

All of these pictures come from the book "The Mode in Hats and Headdress" by R. Turner Wilcox, which is available - along with many other books about hat history -  for your perusal at the Chrysler Museum of Art Library.

 - CD

Brides Across Borders

During the summer, we asked Interns Emma, Gabrielle, Brendan and Jessica to create a virtual collection by collecting digital images of some aspect of the library collection to be decided by them. For example, they could collect images of bookplates in the collection, of details on binding, books with funny titles, or books on a particular subject – the possibilities were endless. On July 31, at the Library Open House, each collection was presented. In the coming weeks, we’ll be posting each intern’s collection along with a few other posts they created during their time in the Library.



This week’s collection comes from Gabrielle Barr who is a student at Johns Hopkins University. Gabrielle described her collection “Brides Across Borders” as follows:

"For little girls, weddings are about the flowers, cake, and most of all their dream dress. Magazines and reality TV shows emphasize this fantastical view of matrimony, and occasionally distort the true meaning of the event. As I hope this collection demonstrates, weddings have always been a fundamental component of cultures throughout time and across borders. These paintings and photographs depict not only the individual subject but also his or her society. From the ancient Egyptian couple to the modern photograph of the bride in an unusual setting, viewers can observe how the world’s perspective on marriage has changed and remained constant. The scary sculpture of the bride who holds roses in one hand and babies and reptiles in the other differs vastly from the formal portrait of Queen Victoria. In turn, the regal and religious works vary greatly from the representations of peasant weddings. This cultural discrepancy between eras, nations, and classes can give the viewer a sense of how one ritual is performed in so many different ways.

Religion and ceremonial customs play a significant role in the event as well. Marriage is frequently seen as a religious rite of passage and a transforming ceremony, especially for the bride. In the depiction of the young girl flanked by her mother and grandmother, the artist is showing the Portuguese, Jewish bride at her beddekah ( a ceremony before the wedding where the bride sits on a throne like chair surrounded by female family members and greets her guests). While fashions have changed over the years, this custom and the kettubah are still important aspects of an observant, Jewish wedding. Similarly, the religious imagery seen in many of the works display the Christian view of nuptials and include certain symbols that westerners would associate with weddings today. The depiction of the Muslim wedding procession underscores Islamic values with the woman fully cloaked beneath a litter. An Englishman captured this scene which prompts the question, “How do other societies interpret foreign ceremonies and how have the traditions merged in our connected world?” From the colorful Berber and African weddings to Hogarth’s dark criticism of the institution, weddings have always been a part of art and the human experience. "

A better view of all of the images in Gabrielle's Collection is available here.