Cartweel hat

Headpieces

Showstopper
Wow, a hat the size of a wagon wheel! Hats with a huge brim are also called wagon wheel hats, or cartwheel hats. Because of the wide, sometimes downwards curled brim, the hat protects well against the sun. Often this type of hat has a shallow crown, sometimes even as flat as a pancake. Wagon wheel hats were popular in the eighteenth century and also in the period before and after World War II, until the late 1950s. They were made of different materials such as felt or straw. Around 1945 you also saw versions with an open crown. Dior presented wagon wheel hats around 1947 as part of its New Look. Hats the size of wagon wheels still turn up as showstoppers on the catwalk or at celebratory events such as a wedding. 

Image: © 1950s, vintage G. Howard Hodge

 

 Tweet