is it true what they say about hats?

i have read (though i can't find it just now) that the japanese hairstyles that were 'discovered' in prints and in visits to japan had a great influence in the hats of the day.

what is it with hats, and hair? why is it that century after century we do things with our hair or wear things on our heads that seriously increase its volume?

is it a frame for the face? a crown? an unconscious wish to appear threatening? a wish to enhance beauty?

in any case, at that point in time, japanese styles were influencing everything, so why not hats?

As the 19th century drew to a close the hats got big enough to use as fire buckets... (more)

immense, yard-wide hats, laden with plumes and feathers or with basket-loads of artificial flowers... (more)

(left: edouard vuillard, georges de feure, utagawa kuniyoshi, and again kuniyoshi. right: not known yet, kunisada utagawa, jules-alexandre grun, gabriele munter.)