While straw hats have been a farmer-favorite since man invented the plow, interior designers such as Lilse McKenna and Ariel ...

They’ve been used as a functional item for many hundreds of years, and as a fashion statement for a just a few hundred less; ribbon-adorned floppy straw hats, boaters, Panama hats and floral ...

The towering, jewel-bedecked church hats, for instance, are a big hit among ministers' wives, while the straw Panama hats come into vogue around derby time. Other items have more practical uses ...

HATS OFF: Karl Lagerfeld was known for his love of accessories, among them fingerless gloves, diamond brooches and customized iPhone cases. Though he rarely sported headgear, when in Saint-Tropez ...

Panama hats are hand-woven from straw, a process that takes an entire day. A weaver starts by stripping down straw harvested from a toquilla palm plant. It takes seven stalks to make one hat.