Forget The Fedora — Are Face Masks The New Hat?

The bold, beautiful, and brash are all on display at Paris Fashion Week, but this year the emphasis has been placed on the latter category of wares. Just as street style bloggers have begun an all-abiding love affair with hats of every shape, size, and hue, it appears that the humble fedora is out and more peculiar headgear is in. Tuck away your cloche for another season, because veils and masks may be 2015's top accessories.

The face mask and veil trend was scattered throughout Paris Fashion Week, but two top proponents of the look were Comme des Garcons and A.F. Vandervorst, who took the term "avant-garde" to an entirely new plane. The Alice in Wonderland -esque Comme des Garcons collection was an experiment in aesthetics with voluminous pieces that defied categorization, but the collection's webbed, gnarled face masks were one of the collection's most disconcerting facets.

Not to be outdone, A.F. Vandervorst gave models a modernized Hitchcock tilt with bird-adorned headdresses and black breathing masks. On several models, pairs of oversized rabbit ears lent the collection an entirely supernatural air. Combined with Gareth Pugh's statement toppers and Anrealage's cranium-style caps, it seems fashion is in the midst of a major accessory upheaval.

Before you take your collection of hats on a one-way trip to the nearest thrift store, it may behoove you to wait for the veil and mask trend to hit the street style circuit. As enjoyable as a bit of sartorial experimentation can be, breathing masks may fall by the wayside in a matter of weeks, and nothing is quite so humiliating as attempting a trend the fashion world has deemed passe — especially one this extreme.

White Bows And Netted Masks At Comme des Garcons

Lace Layers And A Matching Mask At Comme des Garcons

An Embellished Lace Shroud At Comme des Garcons

A Multitiered Gilded Veil At Comme Des Garcons

Oversized Ears At A.F. Vandervorst

A Black Breathing Mask At A.F. Vandervorst

Downcast Ears And Draped Layers At A.F. Vandervorst

A Painted Veil And Breathing Mask At A.F. Vandervorst

A Cloth Crow And Black Breathing Mask At A.F. Vandervorst

Images: Getty