“Hats are radical,” milliner Philip Treacy once told the stars. “Only people who wear hats understand this.” British actress Florence Pugh can now be counted among them, wearing a crimson embellished dress from Robert Wun’s spring collection, Style it with a matching sombrero and drag veil and sweep the London Critics Circle Film Awards. Although Pugh is a playful dresser, it was a surprisingly bold choice for one of the more low-key appointments on the awards season calendar. While it wasn’t the Wun accessory we chose for the star (the glass of wine a model carried on the designer’s runway was honored last month), it might be fitting for a night that celebrated drama.
Flo’s curving brim recalls another memorable head piece: Celine Dion’s white asymmetrical hat at the Oscars 1999 . As a custom creation by Stephen Jones, Dion wears her cocked fedora with a matching John Galliano design for Dior white tuxedos and some dazzling hues. A million miles away from the princess gowns that defined red-carpet attire in the late era, the look landed the singer a post-ceremony worst-dressed list, but since then Later — in the manner of young millennial rising stars unfairly maligned by the tabloids — is reassessed. (“It was avant-garde at the time,” Celine herself said.)
While directional tailoring is now commonplace during awards season, the hat still represents tricky style territory outside of fashion Weddings and Chapel Royal services (places where things can still go wrong, Princess Beatrice is well aware). But there are always those rare, awesome celebrities who are willing to wear top hats on the red carpet, whether they go the retro route — like Elle Fanning, who revived Dior in Cannes Mid-century styles, complete with lace hats—still tend to go the retro route potential memes, like Pharrell’s throwback to vintage Vivienne Westwood numbers that instantly spawned a parody Twitter account.
Vogue revisiting some An unforgettable outing for the hats on the red carpet below.
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