Another Easter has come and gone and I often think of the movie Easter Parade at this time of year. I haven’t watched it in a while so maybe I will sometime this week. All those lovely Easter hats and bonnets!
The Victorian era marked a golden age for milliners. With the rise of the middle class and increased emphasis on fashion, the demand for stylish headwear soared. Milliners were artisans, meticulously crafting bonnets and hats that were both fashionable and reflective of the wearer’s social standing. Milliners also make for great characters in historical romance books!
Bonnets were more than mere accessories; they were statements. Crafted from materials like straw, silk, and lace, and adorned with artificial flowers, ribbons, and feathers, each bonnet was a unique creation. I have a few books on millinery, and it doesn’t look like an easy process. In fact, it was quite labor-intensive, requiring skill and creativity to balance aesthetics with the structural integrity needed to support the elaborate decorations. So, one can only imagine what a milliner’s shop became when suddenly everyone’s ordering a new hat or bonnet for Easter! Let the milliner’s marathon begin!
Easter was the pinnacle of the millinery calendar. Women flocked to millinery shops, eager to commission the most fashionable and elaborate bonnets for the Easter parade. The parade began in the 1870s in New York City as a tradition of wealthy New Yorkers strolling down Fifth Avenue after attending Easter mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. And all to show off their spring fashions! This tradition quickly spread to other urban centers and grew each year. By 1947 New York’s Easter parade down Fifth Avenue attracted more than a million people!
For milliners, this period was both exhilarating and exhausting. The demand for Easter hats and bonnets meant long hours, 
with artisans working tirelessly to meet deadlines. The pressure was immense, but so was the opportunity to showcase their craftsmanship to a wider audience.
Victorian hats and bonnets varied in style, reflecting the changing fashions of the era. Early Victorian bonnets were modest, with small brims and minimal decoration. As the century progressed, bonnets and hats became larger and more ornate. Decorations evolved as well. In the 1880s and 1890s, bonnets featured lavish embellishments, including feathers, artificial flowers, and even entire birds—fake ones of course!
Not all women could afford custom-made hats or bonnets. For those of modest means, creativity was key. Old bonnets were refurbished with new trimmings, ribbons, and flowers to give them a fresh look for Easter. This practice allowed women from various social backgrounds to participate in the tradition, showcasing their resourcefulness and personal style.
Millinery shops also offered ready-made hats and bonnets, making fashionable headwear more accessible. These items were often designed to be versatile, allowing wearers to add their own embellishments to suit personal tastes and current trends.
By the early 20th century, the popularity of fanciful bonnets began to wane, replaced by hats with broader brims and different styles. However, the tradition of the Easter bonnet persisted, especially in the United States, where it became a symbol of the holiday.
The Easter parade, immortalized in Irving Berlin’s song “Easter Parade,” kept the tradition alive, celebrating the joy of spring and the creativity of milliners and wearers alike.
The history of millinery and the Easter bonnet is a testament to the artistry and cultural significance of fashion. For Victorian milliners, Easter was more than a holiday—it was an opportunity to display their skill, creativity, and understanding of societal trends. Their legacy endures, reminding us of a time when a bonnet was not just an accessory, but a statement of identity, faith, and artistry.
Are you a hat wearer? Do you wish fanciful hats were still part of modern-day fashion? I have a collection of vintage hats that yes, it would be fun to wear them!
USA Today bestselling author Kit Morgan is the author of over 180 books of historical and contemporary western romance! Her stories are fun, sweet stories full of love, laughter, and just a little bit of mayhem! Kit creates her stories in her little log cabin in the woods in the Pacific Northwest. An avid reader and knitter, when not writing, she can be found with either a book or a pair of knitting needles in her hands! Oh, and the occasional smidge of chocolate!
I wear a plain baseball cap.
My sister is always wearing some sort of baseball cap!
I am not a hat wearer but do remember everyone having a new bonnet for Easter in late 60’s early 70’s!
Teresa, I remember my mother had one Easter bonnet but that was it. Still it was fun to play dress up with it!
I don’t wear any type of hat. I remember when my sister and I were little girls, and mom would buy us Easter bonnets to wear to church.
I vaguely remember wearing an Easter bonnet to church, but I was really little!
I will wear a baseball cap or visor.
Sharon, I’ll wear a baseball cap when we go camping, but that’s usually the only time I’m wearing a hat. Except for maybe the occasional sun bonnet!
I’m not a hat person.
I still have three Easter hats from childhood.
Oh how cool! I have a vintage hat collection, but none of them are Easter bonnets.
I don’t wear hats, though if I found one I liked I’d try it, at least. The only hat I saw anyone wear at church this year was worn by a little boy.
I guess it also depends on what part of the country you’re from. When I was in New York city, a lot of women wore hats to church. Nice ones.
I’m not a hat wearer because they tend to make my head itch, but I like to see them, and I have worn a few over the years.
I have a few sun bonnets and of course baseball caps, but I don’t wear them to town or anything.
I have tried to be a hat wearer but I am not comfortable.
Debra, I hear that’s a lot of people. They don’t even like wearing baseball caps.
I do wear a straw hat during the summer to protect me from the sun.
Me too, Barbara!
Hey Kit! I loved Easter bonnets as a child! Mama kept a few of them and one of mine. I’ll have to send you those pictures! I rarely wear hats/caps. My husband purchased me a pink one when he went to the Gator Nationals(drag racing) this year and I have purchased a few to wear at the beach or fishing. I just purchased a Fedora hat with different colored hat bands! Like I say, I’m usually not one to wear them, but I do occasionally and like to wear them with style! Hehehe…
Thanks for the Easter Bonnet article today! I love the Victorian era! Everything is just too contemporary for me these days. Sadly.
Best wishes to you Kit! Happy writing!
I’d love to see pictures, Tracy! I have a vintage hat collection, but I don’t wear any of them. For me it’s the occasional baseball cap and of course sun bonnet.
I very seldom wear a hat only if I’m going to be in the sun for hours (my scalp has been sunburned before). I remember wearing hats for Easter as a child.
Same here! There’s nothing worse than a sunburned scalp!
I do not wear hats at all. When Easter came around and my siblings and I were little our mom would get us and Easter hat, which were pretty cute. I just dont wear any kind of hat. I think they look nice on other people I just dont care to wear any. Have a great day and a great week. Thank you for sharing this info, it is very interesting.
Alicia, our mother got us Easter bonnets too, but we were all pretty little. I don’t remember her getting them for us when we were a little older even though they were still in fashion at the time.
Alicia, our mother got us Easter bonnets too, but we were all pretty little. I don’t remember her getting them for us when we were a little older even though they were still in fashion at the time. I had no idea though that there was such a fascinating history for Easter bonnets!
I wear a hat sometimes.
I like a fun hat now and then, Bridgette!
I am not a hat wearer. I really do not look very good in hats. I do have some vintage hats from the 50’s and 60’s. Some were my aunt’s and I am not really sure where the others came from.
Thank you for the interesting post on both the Easter bonnet and the millinery trade.
You’re welcome, Patricia. I have some vintage hats too! Mostly from the forties and fifties.
No I do not wear hats. Thanks for the interesting article.