5 superb Sydney Opera House hats

Hold onto your hats, folks...

Welcome to Opera House: Unexpected, where we look at lesser known chapters from a 48-year career in the cultural spotlight. This time, we're crowning the best buckets and bonnets that are for some reason modelled on the Sydney Opera House.

Half a century ago, Jørn Utzon had a vision. Of glossy white sails protruding from Bennelong Point. Of an immensely complex design made up of glorious stratified shells. Of an expressionist icon that would define a city.

But what Utzon was really envisioning was a bloody great hat.

While times are tough here in Australia, it’s important we keep level heads. And what better way to do that than with these five spectacular, impractical hats.

2. The Star Trek hat

This little number was put together by costume designer Robert Blackman for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine character Winn Adami. Doesn’t it just scream ‘I’m wearing a globally renowned performing arts venue on my head’?

Blackman said of the headpiece, "I didn't sit down and say, 'Oh, the Sydney Opera House – let's make a hat out of it!'". And yet, Rob, you've done just that. You'll be hearing from our lawyers.

4. The high fashion hat

The Opera House’s first real foray into high fashion. We in the business call this the ‘spherical solution’ – a term coined by Jørn Utzon referring to the mechanism by which a headpiece protects its wearer from the biggest sphere of them all: the sun.

“It stands by itself as one of the indisputable masterpieces of human creativity, not only in the 20th century but in the history of humankind... Also, it's sun safe.”