For sweet style, the obvious: BABY and Metamorphose are both carrying or have carried full-size hats. For about 15,000 yen, you can buy one of their straw hats with a signature-style bow, lace ribbon, or roses cluster. They're actually quite simple compared to other hats.






Innocent World is carrying a straw hat this summer also, in the range of about 7,900 yen. It's even simpler than the BABY hats, with just a few tiny bows. It does have the benefit of tying on with a ribbon however.


If super-simplicity is not your thing but you still want a Victorian look, I recommend several Victorian nostalgia sites. Several I have found include:


http://www.blanchesplace.com/id36.html (some suitable for Gothic)
http://roses-and-teacups.com/hats-victorian-bridal.php (some hats also suitable for Sweet)
http://pearlys-charm.com/category_31/Hat-Makers-by-Appointment-.htm (also available in children's sizes and some hats bordering on miniature size; suitable for all types)
http://3-f.jp/ (Gothic & Classic; will require shopping service)

These hats range in price from 40USD to 80USD.


If you're looking for something black and covered in veils, the above links have you covered as well - a lot of the hats are darker themed, as would befit an older Victorian lady or perhaps a lady in mourning. Black netting is especially popular, and I like the idea of a mysterious shadowed pattern across a Gothic Lolita's face on a bright day. And of course there are some similar, beautifully black rococo hats offered by BABY this season.




If you're handy in the crafts department, you can try to make your own hat. You can either buy a straw hat without decoration and then decorate it yourself with lace, broad ribbon, fabric sashes, false flowers, and false fruit; deconstruct another hat to use as a base for decorating (i.e, remove its ribbon to replace it, etc.); or you can find a millinery book and learn to make your own hats from top to bottom.