The Ugliest Hat in the World
Vogue Australia, August 2012I put it to you: is this the ugliest hat ever designed in the history of millinery?
Very well, I admit I have not seen every hat in creation, but this must be a strong contender to take the title. The vertical stripes, the lurid colour scheme, the wisps of hair trailing down the model’s face … it’s the Cheshire Cat in human form. Marc Jacobs what were you thinking?
More of Marc’s mad millineryThis is nothing graceful or elegant about this hat. The best that could be said about it is that it is humorous. But would you really want to run the gauntlet and wear this down the street? I suspect few would dare.
These gargantuan furry hats are an interesting contrast with the hats Jacobs turned out for Louis Vuitton. Also of exaggerated shape, taking their inspiration from the Edwardian era, they nevertheless create a far more elegant silhouette, especially in conjunction with the garments.
Louis Vuitton, A/W 2012
Louis Vuitton, A/W 2012
Louis Vuitton, A/W 2012
Louis Vuitton A/W 2012; click through to see more images 
A cartoon satirising excessive use of feathers in hats at the turn of the twentieth century; from Hats, McDowellThe last time hats transmogrified into enormous caricatures, was back then at the turn of the century. High society had gone utterly mad for feathers, prompting the slaughter of exotic birds on a global scale until there was a public outcry and Queen Alexandra herself had to step in: By that time, feathered hats had run so completely out of control that tail feathers – or even a wing – were no longer enough. Fashionable Edwardian ladies frequently demanded the whole bird, stuffed and mounted, as the crowning glory of their hats. (Colin McDowell, Hats – Status, Style and Glamour, Thames & Hudson, 1992.)
Sadly, speaking as a hat-lover, I am not sure if Marc Jacobs is really serving the millinery industry and bringing hats back into fashion with these monstrosities.
‘Chapeau de Chantecler’, caricature, 1910; from Hats, McDowell