You Can Leave Your Hat On

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Donning your best Easter bonnet might seem like a quaint tradition today. There was a period around the 1870s when showing off your Easter hat was the fashionable thing to do this weekend. The crème of New York society, after attending church on Easter weekend, would parade around on Fifth Avenue to show their fashions and their spectacular head gear.

Today, few people make the effort to wear a hat to church or anywhere that requires a sense of decorum for that matter – which is a shame. Because a hat – while very much in vogue, thanks to Kate Middleton and television shows like Downton Abbey – gives a sense of formality and the air of a special occasion. Thankfully, we still see them at weddings and the Queen’s Plate.

Just look at Joan Collins, who recently not only wore a chic chapeau but also went all out with some stylish face netting when she accepted her damehood at Buckingham Palace.

While you might not have anything that grand to attend this Easter weekend, why not don a hat – for style’s sake!

Lady Margaret, $635, David Dunkley

Yellow Wool Pillbox, $285, David Dunkley

Jacques Vert Double Bow Hat, $269, Available at Hudson’s Bay

424 FIFTH Embellished Neoprene Cap, $79, Exclusively at Hudson’s Bay

 Raffia Hat, $26, Zara

Jacques Vert Open Weave Large Hat, $249, Available at Hudson’s Bay

Ombre Fedora, $18, Reitmans

Two-Tone Brown/Blue Fedora, $26, Reitmans

Panama Hat, $22, Reitmans

Colour Block Hat, $40, Ann Taylor

Eric Javits Hat, $160, Holt Renfrew