History of Edwardian Hats

The Edwardian period began when Queen Victoria’s eldest son, Edward VII, born November 9, 1841, became King of England; his reign ended in May 6, 1910.

This period saw the first phases of the larger wide brimmed Edwardian hats; although there were very many hat styles that were popular during this era, we remember it mostly for the wide brimmed Edwardian hat style. This era also spawned the Gibson Girl hairstyle which also generated very wide brimmed hats that required hat pins to keep them perched upon the head. The movie Somewhere in Time is set in the Edwardian Era and the costuming gives you an honest portrayal of the hats worn.

The Edwardian hat styles actually encompassed the Titanic Era as well as WW I. The hats virtually remained very wide brimmed although the hems were rising and ankles were showing. Although this era is known for wide brim hats, Toque hats (a turbin style) were also very popular, Great Britain was having a love affair with the cultures of the rest of the world, especially India and Asia and the styles reflect this.