Colourful, hat-shaped parasols bring joy to people and tourists in Nanjing, China in a world governed by isolation and uncertainty.
With millions across the globe affected mentally and emotionally by Covid-19, we started to rethink and prioritize certain aspects of our lives, and therefore the new concept of parasols in Nanjing is meant to cheer people up and give them a dose of optimism. Besides their actual purpose, they are also an embodiment and a symbol of powerful and stylish personalities, hats being automatically associated with the upper class of the social hierarchy.
The tiny, vintage, red hat sends us back to the 1920s, the decade of the cloche when women started to adopt a more liberated style. The flat newsboy cap, on the other hand, revives the Oliver-Twist-style of the 1900s, when the working class and many kids used to wear the ivy cap which was later on adopted by women.
In the 1940s the idea of hat became very innovative especially because many women could not afford them and therefore they re-fashioned and accessorised the men’s one, creating the famous fedora hat.
The everlasting timeless model of floppy hat, such as the light-blue one, has a bohemian touch and since the 1970s has become synonymous with elegance and femininity.
As cliche as it sounds, 2020 has proved us once again that it’s the small things that bring joy and keep us going.
Do you wish these huge hats were in your town? Let us know what styles you’d want to see on Twitter @Fashion_North!
