Spring/Summer 2011 Trend: The Statement Sun Hat

The sun hat: no longer just a summer essential - these hats range from retro-inspired floppy hats, futuristic sculptured pieces, and colourful brights. Functional, practical and all about making a statement. Marc Jacobs added two such statement sun hats to two of his lines this season. For the Marc Jacobs show, we saw floppy 70’s inspired straw hats in bright warm shades accompany pieces such as hot pink flares and see-through vests. At the Marc by Marc Jacobs installment, hats similarly took centre stage, teaming up with girly striped dresses and feminine frocks, pepped up with orange lipstick and frizzed hair.

Dsquared2 added small straw hats with a striped band to their floral infused designs, while Junya Watanabe shunned the norm by opting for towering hats teamed with stocking-style sheer balaclavas for a startling, futuristic look. Missoni and Prada took sun hats to a new level - Missoni added over-sized floppy black hats to counter-balance their zigzag Aztec prints, while Prada added boldly striped hats to coordinate with her daring vision of tropical inspired designs.

So here is to the sun hat - providing us with a show-stopping alternative to the IT clutch or the statement sunglasses we also saw this season, and allow us to get adventurous with our headwear - now to procure a Galliano piece and head poolside.