In a world rife with miniature handbags so small that carrying a tube of chapstick feels like a fantasy, Salma Hayek is taking a stand. On June 16, Hayek declared she was ready to “DREAM BIG” this summer, manifesting a style moment of epic proportions as she posed in an extraordinarily large sunhat on Instagram.
Unlike skinny sunglasses or micro skirts, Hayek promoted a controversial accessory that couldn’t be missed. Like a dramatized version of Audrey Hepburn’s hat in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” Hayek’s oversized sunhat featured an extra-wide brim nearly a foot and a half in diameter. For some, a hat this huge may be considered unwearable, blocking the view of everyone within a five-foot radius and making it nearly impossible to walk through doorways. The fact that the hat holds its own despite having the gravitational pull of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, though, stands as a testament to its construction. Vanessa Hudgens even deemed the look “stupid stunning.”
In her Instagram photos, Hayek served a more casual take on the “quiet luxury” trend celebrities like Kylie Jenner have come to adore. Her full outfit consisted of a strapless corset jumpsuit in a dark denim wash from Alexander McQueen’s fall/winter 2023 collection. Hayek completed her homage to summer elegance with a floral pendant necklace and a classic pair of black sunglasses (though the sun’s rays may never find Hayek again underneath her gigantic hat). The minute the accessory hit her head, it’s safe to assume the, “Oh, excuse me,” you find yourself mumbling when your bag accidentally brushes against a stranger’s arm in public disappeared from Hayek’s vocabulary. The hat is meant to take up space; it’s meant to be larger than life.
Hayek isn’t the first celebrity to try out the massive hat trend, which has been making the rounds since Jacquemus debuted its own capacious sunhat in the La Bomba spring 2018 collection. Still, there’s a particular sort of radiance to Hayek’s styling of the piece. It’s not a floppy straw hat paired with a breezy minidress, nor is it a bucket hat, blocking the sun and evoking the nostalgia of the 2000s all at once. Hayek’s hat is classy in its simplicity and bold in its magnitude.
The fact that she chose to debut the look indoors, no less, only further solidifies the statement she’s making, whether intentionally or not: the summer of unapologetic fashion has arrived.
