‘Vessels for joy and play’: Sarah Jessica Parker cements big hat moment

And just like that, Sarah Jessica Parker kicked off a mood. On Monday, the actor posted a photo of herself on the set of the next season of the Sex and the City spin-off wearing a gingham hat the size of a car steering wheel.

It cements a brewing moment for the very big hat that has seen actors such as Margaret Qualley and Anya Taylor-Joy wearing scene-stealing headgear at the Cannes film festival this week.

While the look might represent a style of aspirational Tender is the Night-adjacent riviera dressing, it is also possible on a more modest budget. At Cos, the oversized straw hat has an oversized brim that will keep the sun off your face, neck and shoulders for £65 and at Toast, a £69 handwoven palm leaf hat has a generously wide, floppy brim.

On the secondhand resale site Depop, searches for big and oversized hats have increased by 145% since the start of the year. While on Etsy, sellers such as Stephanie Beck, who sells as Bottega Apparel, are seeing an upsurge in interest – and sales – in their oversized hats. “The fabric of choice seems to be straw,” says Beck, “which evokes and adds an element of a luxurious feel of beachside glamour.”

Most of these large hats are made from understated straw – the original being the Jacqumus La Bomba that took over sun-loungers and beach bars in 2018 – but Parker’s strikes an even more flamboyant note. Commentators have likened it to one worn by the 1979-issued Strawberry Shortcake doll, as well as a nappy bag. Others have credited the hat with being the making of the look. The hat is the work of artist Maryam Keyhani – her designs range from a souffle hat to a clown nose hat – who said she felt “pure pride and joy” on finding out it would be worn by the fictitious Carrie Bradshaw.

It felt right for the character in And Just Like That …, she says, because “she looks like she’s completely disregarding what mainstream culture tells her – her inner world is much more important than that of the outside world”.

The message it promotes, she says, goes beyond fashion and into “the freedom to look totally unhinged if you want to – and as women, at a certain age we truly don’t care what people think of us – as long as we feel right about it!”

In high fashion, there is a definite moment for what is being called the personality hat, which leads with character over practicality. At Prada that meant feathered military caps, at The Row it was translated into pillbox hats. Chanel, which just announced a revenue rise, went big on big hats for its last collection.

There might be a reason some personality hats are better suited to catwalks, the Croisette or social media. “Huge hats are not so wearable,” says the owner of Etsy shop Katarina Hats, “but they stand out in TikTok and Instagram, which contributes to the appeal.”

But the time feels right for some of that fun to enter the mainstream, with Bradshaw as the catalyst. “We are ready for bold statements, and ridiculously big hats make big fashion statements,” says Katarina.

Keyhani sees big fun hats as a form of playing dressup, even as grownups. “Hats to me are absolutely vessels for joy and play,” she says. “Not only for the person wearing them but those witnessing – every single smile I get when I wear a giant big funny hat goes straight to my heart.”

She hopes that summer 2024 continues to be a big hat summer. “In the crazy world we live in, we all can use some lightness – some fun, and hats are to adults just like toys are to kids. Toys to use to elevate our sense of lightness.”