Fabulous, Frivolous and Functional:
150 years of head wear in Melbourne

Hat craft and culture has been a social phenomena embraced by Melburnians since John Batman first set foot in Port Phillip in August 1835, bracing against the cold winter gale with his firmly brimmed colonial hat.

Hat wearing in Melbourne traverses all social strata and demographics, and the range of hats available is just as broad. The wearing of a hat can serve many purposes; it may be indicative of class segregation, it may be a reflection of the personal tastes of its wearer, it may signify a position, post or a level of authority, it may be to prevent the falling of rocks on one’s head or it may purely serve to dissuade the presence of rain fall or blow flies about one’s face.

Regardless, the study of hats – their forms, intent and meaning – can provide a thorough and comprehensive account of the changing fortunes and tastes of a community, and Melbourne is no exception. Ever one to prove itself an international city of class and sophistication, Melbourne hat wearers have been quick to emulate overseas trends, while always being reflective of our unique cultural and environmental conditions.

Whereas the story and significance of hats in the vast pool of humanity that is civilization has been written about in great depth, the story of hats in Melbourne, from first white settlement to the present day, has received markedly less attention. It is a story that deserves to be told, not merely from the point of view of a hat as a fashion accessory or head warmer, but as a vessel capable of engaging all cultures and all periods, enabling all voices to be heard through an unusual and engaging means.

One of the factors which has fuelled Melbourne’s obsession with hats is the annual Spring Racing Carnival, and in particular, the nation’s greatest horse race, the Melbourne Cup. Since it was first run in 1861, the Melbourne Cup has showcased the talents of Melbourne’s finest milliners, while at the same time, has provided an definitive overview of the hat wearing trends of the epoch. Today, thousands flock to the fields in November, as much to sample the latest fashions in headwear as to gamble on a filly.

Hat Tricks represents a survey of hats which have some connection with Melbourne, and which in some way may be considered to throw light on our unique cultural condition. These are hats which were either worn by notable Melbourne citizens, or by everyday people, which represent a particular religion, class or sensibility within Melbourne, which were used as either fashion accessory or industry accessory, or which perhaps symbolise a greater undercurrent within our society as only a hat can do.

Hat wearing in nineteenth-century Melbourne was less of an exercise in class distinction as it was in England, with the descending order of social status typically being the top hat, the Trilby, the Homburg, the bowler, the military cap, the felt pudding and the cloth cap. While the elements in the early years of Melbourne settlement dictated that a man’s hat be rigid and tough, as befitted a country whose first white inhabitants comprised largely of convicts, the top hat remained virtually supreme for men, especially for the man about town.

For the ladies, the bonnet dominated the first half the century. The most popular style was the ‘Capote’ bonnet, which had a large soft crown and a stiff brim. Also popular was the ‘Poke’ bonnet, which had a higher, stiff crown, and a brim so deep which, in some cases, completely obscured the face. Fashionable ladies wore huge bonnets decorated with ribbons, flowers, feathers and gauze trims, while others preferred the simpler approach of a handkerchief pinned to the head and ornamented with flowers. These European styles were most popular in Melbourne as newly arrived immigrants sought to retain something of their sophisticated culture amidst a new, savage frontier.

With Melbourne heading into a boom period in the 1880s and with the International Exhibitions of 1880 and 1888, Melburnians wanted to show off their wealth and newfound urbanity to the rest of the world. Men continued to flaunt their civilized prowess with ever sleeker and sturdier top hats, while the ‘Trilby’ – a soft felt hat with an indented low crown also became popular, as did straw hats such as the ‘Boater’. Early incarnations of an Australian icon, the ‘Akubra’, appeared at this time, immortalised by countless swagmen and balladeers such as Henry Lawson, with the occasional embellishment of corks festooning the rims as a device for deterring another Australian icon - the blowfly.

From the earliest days of settlement, Melburnians devoured each fashion trend from London and Paris, but adapted it to suit their own needs. “A mode was not arbitrarily created and slavishly followed,” wrote The Age’s fashion writer in 1934 of Melbourne’s first trendsetters. “If it were not suitable to its surroundings it quickly died.” The practicalities of the harsh Australian environment dictated the adaptation of trends, as she wrote: “Women came to this country not to lead leisurely, useless lives, but to help their menfolk find new homes and settle in new surroundings”.

The mid-World War period in Melbourne was one that remained staunchly traditional and Euro centric, with its hat trends following imported fashions, such as the toque (small, flat-topped hat) and the cloche (bell-shaped hat which covered the head), which was famously identified with the ‘flapper’ style. It was not until after World War II with the first major European migration to Melbourne that any real cultural diversity in hat wearing could be detected.

As with the earlier 1880s ‘Boomtown’ period, in the 1950s, and particularly with the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, Melburnians considered themselves to be ‘on show’ to the rest of the world. All conceivable attempts to Modernise the city were made, from tearing down anything remotely suggestive of Victoriana and replacing it with bold new Modernism forms – which extended to fashion and to hat wearing.

The annual spectacle of the Melbourne Cup and the Spring Racing Carnival has long provided attestation to Melbourne’s claim to being ‘Australia’s fashion capital’. And while Melbourne millinery trends have to a large degree mirrored world trends, there is undeniably a Melbourne ‘look’, which is recognised by visitors from around the world, as being both sophisticated and unique. Milliners in Melbourne today are producing work which is arguably as rich and as adventurous as the colourful history of our city itself, ensuring that the culture of the hat will never go out of fashion.