He is wearing a long riding coat, a white waistcoat, shiny black riding boots, and jodhpurs. One hand rests on his hip, the other clutches a riding crop, and he looks straight out of the canvas in a strong, forthright manner with his top hat jauntily perched on top his head. The Sargent painting is a study in refined self-assurance. And that is precisely the attitude the top hat was intended to help convey. This is the hat, after all, that inspired the expression "high hat" as a designation of arrogance and snobbishness.

The top hat dominated the nineteenth century after quite a beginning. A top hat caused a riot the first time it was seen in London. The first person to wear it was also the one who designed and made it on the street. According to a contemporary newspaper account, passersby panicked at the sight. Several women fainted, children screamed, dogs yelped, an errand boy's arm was broken when he was trampled by the mob, and the haberdasher who wore it was hauled into court for wearing "a tall structure having a shining luster calculated to frighten timid people."

Put a Lid On It
I love hats but am usually to chicken to wear them today. In high school and college I often wore hats even though I couldn't get any of my friends to join me (in the 70's and 80's almost no hats were to be seen in public or in fashion magazines). Now I have 3 daughters and enjoy buying them each a new hat every spring for Easter and Haley and Kiley (5 and 7 year-olds) often wear a hat that coordinates with their outfit just because they want to.

Today the word "hat" probably brings to mind either a baseball or cowboy hat. Both of these are utilitarian in function as well as something to hide beneath. Baseball caps shield the wearer from the sun and cowboy hats protected cowboy eyes from the sun, necks from the rain, and could also double as a water bowl. Since their invention, hats have come and gone as status symbols, uniforms and fashion statements, as well as being functional sports and protective headgear.

Early in the 1900's most hats were enormous and adorned with flowers, feathers, ribbons and tulle, by the mid 1920's women's hair had become much shorter and bonnets fell out of style and smaller hats were in. Soon after WW1 hats or any sort were seen less and less until Princess Diana's enthusiasm for wearing hats revived their popularity.

The Cat in the Hat
By the time Sargent the portrait described above in 1902, the top hat was actually nearing the end of its century-long popularity, soon to be replaced by the more compact homburg. In short order, the top hat settled into the status it has today - that of a costume prop, a graceful anachronism worn with white tie, tails and gloves on only the rarest of formal ceremonies.

The top hat is a piece of history now, not really a part of the contemporary wardrobe despite its occasional uses and the help of Dr. Suess.

Hats convey many messages when worn as part of a uniform, but when worn as a fashion accessory a hat gives the wearer a feeling that only each individual wearer can explain. The wearer of a hat has an advantage over other mortals in that they appear to project an air of authority and confidence.

Hats can conceal but mostly they reveal a great deal about those who wear them. Hats express things about their wearers. They stand out and attractively frame your face - the most expressive part of the body. They can also serve to hide your "bad hair day" hair, and if they coordinate with an outfit, can be the cherry on top. Some hats are practical, like the hard hat; some are symbolic, like the police officer's hat; some hats are both, like the baseball cap, and some hats are neither.

Today faith and fashion unite in churches across the U.S. where African Americans worship. On display are hats of every description -- from the demure to the why'd-you-have-to-sit-down-in-front-of-me variety. Hats are so prominent here because of their heritage: the African tradition of adorning the head for worship. Slave women, for example, would cover their heads with bandanas, giving them that special touch by decorating them with wildflowers.

Today, maybe you are like me. You think hats look beautiful – on someone else! If you can get up the courage try on a hat the next time you see a pretty one. See if you don't look like a feminine lady in one. They can also serve to hide your "bad hair day" hair, and if they coordinate with an outfit, can be the cherry on top. Still not convinced? Okay, at least buy one for your daughter!

Lorrie Flem has been honored to be the happy rib of Randy for 20 years. They make their home in Maple Valley, Washington until they reach the mansion Jesus is preparing for them. She considers it a privilege to be a stay-at-home homeschooling mom to their always precious and often precocious eight children.

Lorrie has always been prone to talk and as a result she has written a number of books, is the publisher of TEACH Magazine, a FREE bi-monthly ezine, and speaks nationally at conferences, retreats, and teas. Lorrie is known for her humorous and gentle words of encouragement to other keepers of the home. See her and get a sample of TEACH -- The Magazine that Puts the Home in Homeschooling -- For Mothers of Today with Yesterday's Values, at www.TEACHmagazine.com.