Halo

The halo hat is named for its shape and how it frames the face. It is also called the aureole (meaning corona or halo) or the bambini (derived from the halos portrayed in Italian images of the Christ child).

It has been a popular style since the late 19th century and was called the aureole throughout the 1930s. Halo hats showed off the new hairstyles of the period, continuing into the 1940s, when they took on a range of sizes and could also be made by home sewers or knitters during the war. They began to be embellished with a variety of trims and the larger brims suited post-war New Look proportions.

The design was revived in the 1950s and 1960s and became stylish again in the 1980s. Philip Treacy created famous halo hats in the 2000s for his muse, Isabella Blow, and for the wedding of Camilla Parker Bowles to Prince Charles.

Written by TheSpectrum

1940s wide brim halo hat

Courtesy of vivavintageclothing

1940s beaded straw halo hat

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1940s suede halo hat

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1940s Halo Hat

Courtesy of Veracious Vintage Co.

1950s velveteen halo hat

Courtesy of thevintagemerchant

1950s fabric Breton halo hat

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1970s Jack McConnell halo Breton hat

Courtesy of BonniesVintageClothesLine