First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy popularized the pillbox hat, a small, round, brimless style, in the early 1960s.
The name comes from the hat’s resemblance to the small cylindrical or hexagonal cases once used to carry pills. Its defining features are a flat crown, straight upright sides, and no brim. Unlike many traditional women’s hats, it was usually worn perched high on the head and secured with pins.
Pillbox hats existed in military and historical forms before becoming fashionable womenswear. Milliners developed the modern style in the 1930s, often making it from wool, velvet, fur, or stiffened fabric. Kennedy’s elegant wardrobe helped turn the minimalist design into a symbol of early-1960s sophistication.
Her hats were designed by Halston, who created several signature versions. The best-known example is the pink pillbox worn with her pink Chanel suit during President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas in 1963. A fascinator is typically a lighter decorative headpiece, while a beret has a soft, flexible crown; neither matches the pillbox’s structured, brimless shape.