This survey on hats explores and illustrates every aspect of the subject. It catalogues the myriad styles from royal crowns to Rasta caps, and includes chapters on the etiquette of hats and the development of protective headgear. It recounts the achievements both of the great milliners of old, such as Caroline Reboux, Paulette, Lilly Dache, Schiaparelli, and Borsalino - and today's designers, including Philip Treacy, Philippe Model and Olivier Chanan. The text argues that, whilst they can be both glamorous and stylish, hats are also rich with significance for the societies which create them.