When the oldest human mummy in Europe, dating back 5,300 years, was discovered and named Ötzi, archaeologists were convinced that even during the Copper Age, there were people who wore complex woven clothing. Along with Ötzi's well-preserved attire, a hat made from bear fur was also found. It is unclear whether this hat, besides keeping the head warm, had any other significance for him. However, later in world history, it becomes clear that hats served not only as protection from the sun and cold but also had ceremonial or religious meaning and were tools for displaying social status.

In ancient Greece, a type of hat called a petasos was widely worn, primarily by craftsmen, sailors, and free peasants. This type of hat became so common that it was even part of the depiction of the god Hermes.

The Romans also used the petasos. Later, it became known as the workers' hat, but only for free people—slaves were not allowed to wear hats.

Among the Dacians, the hat was also used to indicate a person's social status. Nobles wore the pilleus and were called pilleati (wearers of the pilleus), in contrast to the comati (those with ordinary hair), who did not wear hats. This feature of the hat—giving the wearer a sense of status—would remain for many centuries.

Until the Middle Ages, hats remained largely a part of men's wardrobes. Particularly among soldiers, the hat had evolved into a helmet, playing an important functional role in battles. Women were mainly restricted to wearing headscarves, and the hats found in women's wardrobes were not much different from those worn by men.

However, in 1395, Queen Isabella of Bavaria introduced a new fashion trend with a type of hat known as the enen (or enien). Isabella was an influential woman who set the fashion trends of her time. She was very short, and to hide this fact, she resorted to various tricks, including wearing tall hats. After the queen, this headpiece became popular among women in nearly all European countries.

The height of the enen depended on the woman's noble status. Thus, princesses wore hats that were one meter tall, while court ladies wore hats up to 50-60 cm. When entering a room, women had to bend down, or else they wouldn't be able to pass through the door.

 

In the 15th century, men also began wearing tall hats called capotens to avoid appearing short, and this fashion quickly made its way into women's wardrobes as well. The capoten hats later became the prototype for the cylindrical hat.

The hats of the 16th and 17th centuries did not differ much from each other, perhaps only in width. In the 16th century, wide-brimmed hats were made of coarser leather and were not very wide. However, in the 17th century, France became the fashion capital. King Louis XIV introduced wide-brimmed cavalry hats made of felt into fashion. These hats were decorated with fox tails, peacock feathers, and ribbons.

In the 18th century, due to powdered wigs, hats were often held in hand and only occasionally worn on the head. Men's hats were triangular in shape, with the edges decorated with golden ribbon. As for women, wide straw hats became popular, often decorated with natural flowers. Noble women would wear the wide hats on top of their extravagant wigs to create even more volume. 

In the 19th century, men wore top hats during ceremonies and business meetings. Abraham Lincoln, for instance, kept letters, financial papers, and bills inside his hat.

While men's hats were more understated, women's hat fashion became much more unpredictable. Victorian-era hats started with the simple "capot" style, which covered a woman's face on both sides to protect her from unwanted gazes. However, this fashion quickly passed, and hats began to widen, adorned with artificial flowers, and eventually, feathers. The fashion reached its peak when exotic bird feathers were attached to these hats. Many wealthy women competed to wear the most unique and rare bird feathers. This fashion led to the destruction of paradise birds and other species on a massive scale until the trend eventually faded at the start of the Splendid Era.

During the Belle Époque (1870–1914), when women sought to have an ethereal, delicate appearance, dresses adopted the 8-shaped silhouette, hairstyles were elevated, and large hats were required to complement the look. Exotic colors were replaced with delicate hats adorned with refined ribbons and fabric embellishments.
 

The First World War left its mark on hat styles as well. In the 1920s, men abandoned top hats and switched to modified versions of the bowler hat, while women ditched long hair in favor of cloche (bell-shaped) hats that complemented their new hairstyles. These hats made a comeback in the 1960s and 1980s.

From the 1930s onwards, Hollywood exclusively dictated hat fashion. This era was marked by understated luxury. The hat continued to be an essential part of everyday attire, but the middle class began to favor more comfortable caps.

The decades from the 1940s to the 1970s were the years of the Borsalino and fedora hats. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, with their similar hats, made this accessory highly coveted by many.

Borsalino hats were once purchased by figures such as Al Capone and prominent members of the Mafia. In the 1970 French film Borsalino, two giants of French cinema, Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo, naturally appeared in matching hats. As a result, in the 1970s, many European men began wearing similar hats.

 

Since the 1980s, people have definitively abandoned the widespread practice of wearing hats as a mandatory part of their daily attire. While fashion still offers trendy hat options—such as caps, straw hats, and bob hats—these accessories are now either a part of one's personal image or a non-essential tool for sun protection. Why? It is likely due to changes in the dynamics of life, with people opting for simpler and lighter clothing. The hat, once a symbol of nobility, started to appear increasingly out of place, partly because cars and public transportation became more accessible and widespread. When driving a car or taking public transport, the primary protective function of the hat became irrelevant.

Although no longer an everyday wardrobe staple, this accessory has not disappeared from our closets. Instead, hats have become a means of self-expression and a way to highlight individuality. Every decade, the younger generation has reinterpreted hats in new ways. For example, in the 1990s, sports caps began to be worn not only by athletes but also by musicians, rappers, and their fans. Moreover, caps were worn both forwards and backwards.

 

In the 2000s, the bob hat became fashionable. In the 2010s, the newsboy hat, also known as the "gavrosh" in Armenian, gained popularity.

In recent years, the beret has become a favorite hat for women, not only in the classic Parisian red but also in more versatile colors such as black, brown, and beige. This summer, the most trendy version is the quilted or straw bob hat
 

Frank Horvat, an Italian-Jewish photographer, began his career as a photojournalist in the 1950s after moving to Paris. Before diving into fashion photography, Horvat captured what he described as the "immorality and ostentation" of the city, and he also produced photojournalistic works from Asia for the top American and European magazines and newspapers. In 1957, Horvat made a slight professional revolution when he photographed a series for the Jardin des Modes fashion magazine using an ordinary 35mm camera and available natural light.

As Horvat later recalled, he was given the task of "expanding the boundaries of fashion photography," but at the same time, he was bored with the monotonous, stiff images of models posed against white backgrounds. He was more interested in placing beautifully dressed models in scenes that felt realistic and achievable in real life. His approach led to photos taken in Parisian markets, bars, and subway stations, a style that resonated particularly well with prêt-à-porter designers, as it allowed them to showcase their work within the context of everyday life.

One of Horvat's most famous photographs, "The Givenchy Hat," was published in Jardin des Modes in 1958. In this image, a model, nearly hidden under a white scarf and iconic hat, gazes directly at the camera. Surrounding her are gentlemen wearing wide-brimmed hats and equipped with binoculars, yet they strangely do not seem fascinated by the mysterious beauty in front of them but instead look elsewhere.

Horvat himself did not particularly like this striking photograph, explaining that it was not his idea, but rather the concept of the magazine's art director, Jacques Motton, who had even prepared a sketch of the future shot.