When you think of the world's most expensive hats, it's hard to imagine headwear reaching astronomical prices, but some of these are way beyond what the average person could afford to pay. Although not every hat featured here is worth millions of dollars, a few are, with the most expensive hat reaching close to a cool $3 million. Take a look at the list and see what qualifies these toppers as some of the most costly ones in the world. You might be surprised that several are not what one would describe as a fashion hat.
At $2.7 million, this fashionable hat was designed by Louis Mariette- a celebrity couture designer for the stars. It ranks as the most expensive hat on this list. It appears to be a mini top hat with a triangular brim that has feathery extensions, forming a large U-shaped design behind the wearer's head. It's one of those hats with designs that are not for the faint of heart and includes an all-over layer of sparkling diamonds garnished with ivy and bluebells. Actress Alicia Witt modeled the hat in London, England in 2004 at a Christie's auction. In case you're wondering, there was no lucky buyer that day because the hat was not for sale.
Who would've thought that the black Vivienne Westwood "mountain hat" that entertainer Pharrell Williams wore to the 86th annual Academy Awards show would rank as one of the most expensive hats in the world? Certainly not the designer, Westwood, who originally sold the hat for a mere $180. After wearing it on the show, Pharrell was kind enough to part with it so that the hat could be auctioned off for an astounding $44,100. All proceeds were given to a non-profit organization called One Hand to AnOTHER.
In 1972, iconic pop art artist Andy Warhol covered a black straw hat Halston hat with bands of $10 bills to create a piece of unique headwear. He gave it to his good friend, Dr. Robert Giller, as a birthday present for Giller's 30th birthday. In 1979, Warhol included a picture of Giller wearing the hat in his book, Andy Warhol's Exposures. In 2015, the hat was consigned to auction by Giller's widow with an estimated value of $800,000 to $1.2 million. The fact that Warhol autographed one of the $10 bills probably has something to do with the hat-sky-high value.
In the era of silent films, Charlie Chaplin was a comedic superstar who was well-known for his "Little Tramp" character. Chaplin's signature outfit was a pair of baggy trousers, tightly buttoned jacket, oversized shoes on the wrong feet, and a bowler hat that didn't quite fit right. One of his bowler hats, along with a cane, sold for a combined $62,500 during an auction by Los Angeles auction house Bonhams & Butterfields in November 2012. The cane was estimated pre-auction to sell on its own for between $7,700 and $11,650, so the hat alone could be valued at somewhere between $54,800 and $50,850.
Inspired by the Great Barrier Reef and designed by milliner Ann-Maree Willett, Deep Blue Sea was never meant to be worn as an everyday chapeau. Instead, it was designed as a wearable piece of sculpture. It's a piece of headwear that can be included in the "exclusive hats category." The hat is fashioned of Australian wool felt and set with 26 gem-quality opals, weighing 1447 carats, which were extracted from a mine in Lightning Ridge, Australia. Swaying feathers and flower-shaped adornments round out the look of this hat. Deep Blue Sea's debut was in February 2007 in Milan, Italy and the hat was exhibited at many other events, such as the International Opal Jewellery (sic) Design Awards. This fancy hat was valued at $150,000 to $200,000 by Bonhams & Butterfields auction house.
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