The buds of spring are blooming, and we’ve firmly nestled into the season’s lighter layers —a winter wardrobe teeming with body ensconcing outerwear, dense knits, and tights is rotated out for spring outfits that incorporate linens, sporty stripes, and lawn party-appropriate dresses. What accessory rings in spring like nothing else? The Easter bonnet.
“Hat wearing,” the legendary London-based milliner Noel Stewart once shared with Vogue, “has been one of the most uniquely British conventions, as it plays to two of our opposing passions: Our love of tradition and also of tearing up the rule book at the same time. From punks to princesses, everyone loves the drama and elegance of a hat.” Stewart, for one, has crafted disco-ready chapeaux for Kylie Minogue, a feathered wreath headpiece for Pamela Anderson, and all kinds of ‘day at the races’ domed hats across decades.
The origin of the Easter bonnet dates back to medieval Europe, when women would dress up in their fresh new clothes to reflect their religious devotion during the Lenten season. The hats, often intricately made and adorned with bright ribbons and seasonal flowers like daisies and daffodils, symbolized rebirth—articulated the next arc of the year and the promise of spiritual renewal. From the 1930s in New York, the famed Easter parade drew crowds of women attempting to out-do each other with more flamboyant, fine hats, joining the Easter procession from Fifth Avenue to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. “In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it, you’ll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade,” as Irving Berlin wrote in the 1933 poem Easter Parade.
Fashion has long been locked in a transeasonal love affair with jaunty headwear. I think of the radical and important work of British milliner Stephen Jones, particularly, the mushroom-style hats at Marc Jacobs fall 2012 collection. Then there’s the Pilgrim-esque hats of John Galliano’s Dior Fall 1999 collection, and Vivienne Westwood and Anna Sui’s continuous return to the seven seas with swooping peaked pirate hats. Last year, Simone Rocha x Jean Paul Gaultier couture looks were topped with white sailor hats, while spring 2025 saw Nina Ricci ring in the return of the pillbox with femme fatale-worth net veils, Valentino with turban-inspired designs, and Loro Piana’s denim iterations.
This springtime, the most joyous hats-as-works-of-art are being crafted by independent designers. Celestina is a small scale knitwear studio based in Warsaw, created by Marta Weronika Orlikowska who crafts every piece by hand—she makes her own style of hats inspired by traditional Albanian shepherds hats called ‘qeleshe’ or ‘plis’—hand-knitted with raw Polish wool, and hand felted using traditional wet felting techniques. They sit proud and tall on the head. Kyiv, Ukraine-based designer Ruslan Baginskiy is inspired by Ukrainian national costumes, vintage fashion, and art, to make a range of styles including fedoras, baker boy caps, visors, and berets in straws, leathers, and linens. Baginskiy has found fans in Madonna and Bella and Gigi Hadid. This spring and summer, he’s brought back the HatBag, a transforming hat/bag hybrid inspired by the wicker work traditions of Ukraine.
“My springtime pick would be our Classic Buckets,” says Emma Brewin, the Kent-based designer who creates luxury faux fur hats. You’ll have seen her bucket hats in a range of colors from rose pink to wine red most often on Rihanna, as well as Dua Lipa and Nadia Lee Cohen. “[It’s] small enough to chuck in your bag and bring out when the sun goes behind the clouds. I’m at the beach today with a Limited Edition Lilac in my bag.”
What’s popular right now for Brewin? Well, this writer wears her Pistachio Bucket all year long—it’s been through the depths of winter and on the Marseille seaside strip. Brewin’s latest style, the Nancy Bonnet—a brilliant halo of faux fur fastened with a satin ribbon under the chin—has been a new bestseller. “They took me years to finish, and I can safely say they are perfect,” she says.
This Easter, Brewin has been running a delightful Easter bonnet competition for children, where kids can enter their drawings of their own imagined hat. “Since having my son, I have been toying with the idea of launching kids wear,” she says. “When I first started making hats, dreams of dressing up as a child were a huge inspiration for me. My hats are made to be pieces that are playful and make people feel good, and I want the same for kids too. It feels like a natural extension of the brand and there’s no better way of getting an idea of what the kids want than asking them to draw their dream hats.” So far, the next generation of milliners have submitted some fantastical, whimsy designs.
Hannah Cawley is the creative director of Cawley Studio. She works from south London using heritage, time-honored British textile practices to make cow-hide flying jackets, British wool suits and tailored Japanese linens. We’re talking hats, though, and Cawley’s hats are resplendent: From sheepskin bobble hats in graduating tones to butter colored silk sailor hats. “We think our Sun Hat is the perfect companion for this time of year,” says Cawley. “[It’s] made in London from British Dry Oilskin, which has been wax-treated for waterproof protection. The fabric gives the hat structure allowing you to create some interesting silhouettes. For spring, we have made the hat in 12 different colors—with matching bags! It is great for unexpected showers or offering shade when basking in the sun.”
So what should your seasonal headwear say? As Cawley says, a hat must be hardy and nimble to weather April showers and intense glimpses of sun. Think fresh color palettes and frothy, light textures too. “This time of year, more than any other,” Noel Stewart previously told Vogue, “we want to be inspired and provoked by newness.” Consider a style at the top of the jaunty scale this year: Cloche hats that introduce a new color to your palette, a textured ushanka for chillier days, a more masculine and stiff-bodied sailor hat in thrilling contrast to your more feminine outfit formula. Spring outfits abound, and the season brings with it wedding invites and garden parties—ample space to test out the springtime hat in full bloom.
“There is no better way to express your individuality than the right hat,” Stewart said. “You just have to find it. [Once you do, it] will provide power and protection. What more can you ask for?”
