Mad for Hats!
Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Gallery
Wed – Sun, Noon to 5:00 pm; Open through September 25

The popularity, size, and shape of hats has changed measurably over time.  In past decades, a respectable lady or gentleman would not have ventured outdoors without one.  The design of women’s hats has been influenced by hairstyles, haute couture, new materials, even the popular use of the parasol.  The impact of men’s hat designs – such as the top hat and the fedora – has also been remarkable.

The exhibition Mad for Hats! explores women’s hats as social and fashion phenomena.  More than 100 hats and related photographs, selected from the Museum’s collections, showcase the various materials, styles, and shapes of ladies’ hats from the 1860s to the 1960s.