As the 1920s began wide brimmed garden sun hats with round crowns were the thing to wear outside. France is a leading country in the fashion design industry, along with Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States. Fashion is an important part of the country's cultural life and society, and the French are well known for their good taste in fashion. Haute couture and the prêt-à -porter, among other fashion styles, remain part of French traditional life. A postcard is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Postcards were made because people were looking for an easier way to send quick notes.