Hats are funny things in that they have the power to kindle parts of our personality that might otherwise remain dormant. A change in our outlook or feelings can be triggered simply by what we choose to put on our heads.

For this reason, we love that this Summer sees the welcome return of the 70’s floppy hat. This is a hat that evokes all the right moods for long Summer days. They are at once romantic and glamorous, casual yet sophisticated – something you can throw on your head in the morning, feel like a superstar all day and turn heads in the bar at night.

That Seventies Hat (as worn by Mila Kunis)

Practically, their wide brims offer shade and UV protection, while their unstructured nature are a nod to the informality of hot days. Seventies floppy hats (or flopenties!) were actually born in the Summer of Love, 1969, their debut came at events like Woodstock.

Travelers on their way to Woodstock, 1969

The strain of war and confusion led the young and idealist to embrace everything ‘Au Natural’, a return to the land, the sea, the simple. A floppy hat is as basic as one can get in millinery and is known in the industry as a ‘capaline’ – an unstructured base the wearer can adorn with emblems of their own personality. They became symbolic of free spirits, a connection to the earth and a carefree attitude towards life.

Karen Carpenter on the cover of Rolling Stone

Musicians like Janis Joplin, Karen Carpenter and Carly Simon were drawn to them and their wordless ability to express a liberal philosophy. It was a time of hope, a belief that people power could turn the tide on all the woes of the world and that good things were on the way. Worn with a flower stuck in the side all along the West coast, they soon travelled the globe bringing with them that feeling of the Never Ending Summer.

Carly Simon

On the flip-side, Flopenties also offer more than a pinch of glamour. Movie stars in maxi-dresses and large shades dashing around New York City in their platform wedges, style icons like Faye Dunway and Bridget Bardot understood the power of a seductively drooping brim and the ‘dont look at me but look at me’ effect of a Floppy Hat.

Brigitte Bardot

In more recent years Jenneifer Lopez did her bit to bring the look back. Adding this hat to an outfit of funky shorts and simple shirt upgrades the look instantly from street to chic.

Wear with: Shorts and shirts, wide leg denim, maxi-dresses.

Tags: bridget bardot, faye dunway, flopenty, floppy hat, janis joplin, jennifer lopez, karen carpenter, seventies, Style, summer 2011, trend