d.). The term "millinery" refers to hats that were produced in Milan at that time, but the name became more generalized after that. In England, millinery started to become fashionable around 1700. The word millinery has been used to refer specifically to women's hat making.
Women's hats were different from men's hats in terms of their social function and their appearance. As social norms changed, so too did women's dress and hats were an important part of personal self-expression or fashion (Steele, 1998). Many women's hats became heavily decorated, in comparison to their plainer male counterparts. Plummassiers, for example, were feather designers who provided decorations for hats (Thomas, n.d.). In the nineteenth century, hats were varied and diverse. They included straw hats, hats with feathers, and bonnets. Bonnets ranged in size and were often very large to protect the wearer from the sun but also to preserve the woman's chaste image ("The History of Women's Hats," 2013).
More masculine style hats became acceptable for women, and fashionable, in the late nineteenth century. This reflected changing gender roles and norms. "Masculine...
In the 20th century, hats took on a whole new meaning as a fashion statement. Although their styles, functions, and forms have changed, hats remain an integral part of fashion in the 21st century.
References
Amphlett, Hilda, 2003. Hats: A History of Fashion in Headwear. Courier Dover.
HatsUK (n..d). Retrieved online: http://www.hatsuk.com/hatsuk/hatsukhtml/bible/history.htm
"The History of Women's Hats," (2013). Vintage Fashion Guild. Retrieved online: http://vintagefashionguild.org/fashion-history/the-history-of-womens-hats/
McDowell, Colin, 1997. Hats, Status, Style, and Glamour. Retrieved online: http://www.bookforfree.org/pdf-download_3/Hats:-Status-Style-and-Glamour-by-Colin-Mcdowell-ID13183.pdf
Steele, Valerie, 1998. Paris Fashion: A Cultural History. Berg.
Thomas, Pauline Weston, n.d. Fashion history of hats. Retrieved online: http://www.fashion-era.com/hats-hair/hats_hair_1_wearing_hats_fashion_history.htm
