inspiring or bizarre?

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding last month has sparked a surge of interest in hat design. Princess Beatrice's hat designed by Philip Treacy has been compared to a variety of things (octopus, fallopian tubes, etc.) and was recently sold on ebay for £81,100 with the proceeds going to charity.  Hats are a staple of the summer social season and are almost a must at any British wedding.  Designers can be inspired by a variety of subjects, although there has always been a strong link between floral motifs and hat design.  The yellow 'sunflower' hat below was worn to the Louisville Derby, similar to attending Ascot.  The reference to floral imagery is obvious in this design; however, some can be much more subtle.



Below are Philip Treacy hats from his Autumn/Winter 1998-99 collection, they are more surreal, more bizarre and perhaps even a bit alien.  However, they too are abstractions of floral forms, basic structures of petals, organic forms linked with the body and feathers that could be inspired by either birds or flowers such as the bird of paradise or elaborate chrysanthemums.



What would you wear?