The Story of a Straw Hat: From Peasants to Fashion Catwalks

An essential summer accessory, the straw hat adds a touch of style and elegance to any outfit. Before becoming a fashion accessory, its purely utilitarian function was to protect from the sun. Canopéa invites you to discover the history of the straw hat, from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The straw hat to protect the peasants

In the Middle Ages, the straw hat was an integral part of the equipment of peasants, men and women, who wore it to protect themselves from the sun, during the long hours spent working in the fields. Their hats were wide-brimmed, and woven with straw or reed.

The Straw Hat and Italy

It was not until the 16th century and the Renaissance that the straw hat changed status and became the fashion accessory of noble ladies. In Italy, in Tuscany, in the cities of Florence, Fiesole and Signa, new commercial and craft activities around straw appeared. The straw trade and the manufacture of hats provided a living for thousands of people. High-ranking ladies personalized their hats by accessorizing them with leaves, flowers and ribbons. The craze for this new accessory was such that the fashion for straw hats crossed the oceans to develop as far as the United States.

The straw hat in France

In France, in the 19th century, the straw hat seduced the bourgeoisie. The garden hat became the essential accessory for any elegant woman, not only for her walks in the garden, but also during social evenings. Nothing is too beautiful to accessorize this element emphasizing the rank and fortune of the one who wears it. Flowers, leaves and fabrics embellished it to give it a unique character. The straw hat was so popular that it inspired one of the most famous vaudeville authors of the time. In 1851, Eugène Labiche chose to make it a central element of his play An Italian Straw Hat , in which the accessory, devoured by a horse, is the starting point for a series of romantic misunderstandings of which the author is a specialist.

The Straw Hat and the Artists

As early as 1782, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun depicted herself wearing a straw hat in a painting soberly entitled Self-portrait with a straw hat . It was not until the 19th century that the straw hat became an accessory used in the composition of many paintings. It can be found in Cézanne ( The Man with a Straw Hat And The Child with a Straw Hat ) and in a series of self-portraits by Vincent Van Gogh.

The straw hat is part of many Impressionist country scenes: in Auguste Renoir ( The Luncheon of the Boating Party, The Boating Party at Chatou, The Dance at the Moulin de la Galette, The Swing, The Frog , among others). Gustave Caillebotte also seems to appreciate the accessory, which he wears on many of his characters, both female and male ( The Park of the Caillebotte Estate at Yerres, The Gardeners, Fishing, The Orange Trees, Périssoires on the Hyères ). In Edgar Degas, it is found as an emblem of The Modiste . The world of the Impressionists is also the atmosphere of the banks of the Marne, the guinguettes and the… boaters, a world specific to Paris at the end of the 19th century.

Boater hats, a special place in the world of straw hats

In Paris, in the 19th century, boaters were not yet the hats we know, but the men who maneuvered sailing boats on the Seine. They wore a straw hat, with flat brims and bottoms decorated with a wide braid, borrowed from sailors' outfits, and to which they would give their name. The boater hat, first worn by men, was then declined in feminine versions. It was sportswomen who first appropriated it, for hunting, cycling and horse riding. Coming from the masculine world, and stripped of all the frills that adorned women's hats, the boater hat had everything to please Gabrielle Chanel. She made it the emblem of her new feminine silhouette, at the beginning of the 20th century. The boater hat later became a sign of recognition for music hall artists such as Maurice Chevalier or Fred Astaire.

Simon Porte Jacquemus and his straw hats

All this brings us gently to the world of current fashion, and particularly that of the French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus. He has a marked taste for the straw hat and widely incorporates it into his collections. His first model appeared in the Spring-Summer 2017 collection, a flat and wide model decorated with a braid, which is reminiscent of the Provençal hats, the couturier's region of origin.

Two seasons later, the Spring-Summer 2018 collection unveils a straw hat of extraordinary dimensions, a very large wide-brimmed hat, which covers the head and shoulders. Never seen before. Such a hat can only arouse the interest of fashionistas. It quickly becomes a highly sought-after accessory for future brides, replacing the traditional veil. We thought it had been relegated to museum display cases, and now the straw hat is making a strong comeback with the elegant women of the early 21st century. Hats off!