Did you think that the only milliners of respect were Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones? That unless you are from a royal family or attending greyhound races, hats are definitely a no? Well, it is certainly not so, as the launch of Love Hats proved yesterday.

In the vaulted rooms of the Dover St Arts Club, the participants sticked to the dress-code: hats, ça va sans dire. In the middle of white mannequin heads crowned in designs sold by Love Hats, a plethora of fedoras, caps, headpieces – headbands are out if they are not an excuse to play with extravagance, cocktail hats, berets and so on made the place a feast of colours and shapes with the notes of Top Shelf Jazz in the background.

If the event could not represent the whole range of formal occasions taken care of by Love Hats, nor fully show their wonderful ‘Try on a hat’ feature, both are to be found on the website. Dividing the products not only by type but also by occasion is a clever way to simplify the shopper’s task, as one might be confused by the (admittedly half-forgotten) etiquette of millinery.

Yet the website is not only an elite and amusingly anachronistic remnant from a past era, as the second feature well shows. By uploading your picture and virtually trying your hat on, your headpiece becomes part of our century’s social media. It also has the privilege to make you dream of outfits you would never have thought of. Some of our favourites include Emma Yeo‘s collaboration with Corrie Nielsen, Gabriela Ligenza‘s berets, Gina Foster‘s Russian hats and Louis Mariette hat-jewellery.

In case you need help for your shopping, here is our small selection…

Fabienne Delvigne Toque Russe Black; Louis Mariette Clematis Blush; Olivia Roat Millinery Opium; Philip Treacy London Burnt Orange Widebrim; Mark T Burke Eve;  Marie Mercié Expresso; Gina Foster Florentine …and for men: Worth & Worth Casablanca; Christys’ Fur Ascot Grey Top Hat; J Smith Esquire Grey Cut Out Hat

Images from lovehats.com