The hat is one of our most beloved pieces of clothing, appearing in virtually every society. Through the centuries, hats have represented the most important structures of culture: governance (the crown), religion (the turban), tradition (the bonnet), and much more. Yet hats have also always allowed for the very personal expression of style and feeling. In this exquisitely illustrated celebration of the hat, Drake Stutesman uncovers the influence on our lives of this versatile headgear. Beginning in the Ice Age, the story of the hat is traced through its links with the origins of abstract thinking, through the complex evolution of the professions of millinery and hatting starting in the Middle Ages, through the rise of the superstar milliner in the twentieth century, and, finally, through the work of the ingenious hat makers of today who continue to dazzle us with their creations. For all those interested in the history of fashion and the history of culture—and couture— Hat offers new perspectives on this stylish, practical, and important accessory. 'Professor Stutesman...on the whole: chapeau! Or, in English, I take my hat off to you.'- Stephen Bayley, The Spectator 'An excellent anthropological and sociological world-wide study of the importance and significance of hats from the beginning of time to the present day.'- Christina Giorcelli, Professor Emeritus of American Literature at the University of Rome Three and co-editor of Accessorizing the Body: Habits of Being (2011) 'a new book shows just how important the hat has been, economically, culturally and aesthetically, to us since prehistory... Hat is an engrossing story, full of curiosities...Stutesman places the hat at the centre of a fascinating account of consumerism and gender struggle...the hat remains potent as fashion statement, symbol or simple head-warmer; and Hat is a skillful and pithy handling of the subject. Chapeau!' - Nick Sharp, Royal Academy of the Arts, London, World of Interiors 'I am so impressed...by this new book on hats. This book is different and most stimulating - makes me re-think a great deal.' - Clair Hughes, author of Hats (Bloomsbury, 2018), Dressed in Fiction (Berg, 2010) 'From crowns, turbans and bonnets, the hat is given a turning over in this thorough text, with chapters examining its history, its ties with fashion, the making process and its public image. The hat differs from most items of clothing because it has only a tenuous relationship with the human body, which leaves ample room for examining its sculptural and performative equalities, as well as its links to power, status, and tradition - all of which are explored here.' - Crafts Magazine Drake Stutesman is an adjunct professor at New York University. She is the editor of the cinema and media journal Framework , the author of Snake , also published by Reaktion Books, and coeditor of Film, Fashion and the 1960s .