There are a few fashion lessons that we can receive from our fellow women in Europe and to be fair, a few lessons we can give to them ourselves. The first one we should learn constitutes: European woman and their hats. Viewed as an extra, non-essential item, the hat has a very minor place in the everyday American’s woman’s wardrobe, yet in Europe it is considered one of the most feminine touches to any wardrobe. To understand this difference between continents, one must look at the very first and continuing trendsetters of Europe: the Royal Houses. In Europe there are ten Royal Houses out of the worldwide twelve- that is a whole lot of royal trendsetting concentration. Here are some examples on how hats and royalty come together in marriage of fashion and trendsetting:

                       World War II has been accredited to the downfall of women wearing hats in America, particularly because it was not able to transform itself fast enough to the fast pace of the time. Thus, it was abandoned and with no American icon to continually wear it, it failed to become an important accessory in the American wardrobe. In Europe on the other hand, this was the time that the hat took a turn and became smaller, less extravagant, and more suited to numerous activities within a woman’s day. In addition, the style icons of Europe were still wearing them- continuing their lifeline in European fashion.

                   The hat did make a comeback to American fashion with style icon Jacqueline Kennedy’s signature Pill Box hat, designed by Oleg Cassini- which is still in my view one of the most fashionable hats to ever exist- portraying the 60’s woman, classiness, cleverness, and sass all in one. Today, the closest America has to a royal style icon is First Lady, Michelle Obama. Her fashion is covered from head to toe- what she wears and who she wears are all featured. Thus when she never wears a hat, then it no longer becomes an essential part of the American style nor is it given the chance to rise again from fashion accessory archives.

                       While the Royal Houses continue awing and pushing the bottom of millinery and inspiring European women all over, the US continues to oust the fashion essential. It is in my view, one of the major American faux-pas in fashion- when you lose the queen, you gain the trucker. I envy and applaud all women in America that take what is considered a fashion plunge and wear the most feminine article in existence- their hats. Large brimmed, small brimmed, but anything that beautifully frames the face while protecting against the sun and rain should not be given the secondary position that is has taken today.