Hats

A History of Fashion in Headwear

Hilda Amphlett

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9780486136585
• Topic: Conception
• Subtopic: Stylisme

"One must always wear a hat when lunching with people whom one does not know well, " observed Coco Chanel, "because one appears to one's best advantage." The couturier' s regard for the power of hats to confer dignity and attractiveness upon the wearer stems from a long historical tradition. In addition to its practical uses — warding off the effects of harsh weather or an enemy's assault, for example — a stylish hat has always made a statement of rank, elegance, or self-esteem.
This remarkable book presents an illustrated view of 2, 000 years of head coverings. Over 800 drawings by the author — adapted from rare paintings, sculptures, and illustrations — accurately depict headgear in various aspects, including gender, class, and nationality. Crowns, wigs, tiaras, and helmets appear among the varied forms of headdresses, which include conical leather caps worn by the Danes in 70 B.C.; metal Viking helmets with horns; feathered Flemish berets (1410); petite straw hats, adorned with a rosette and ribbons (1870); handsome English top hats (1957); as well as ecclesiastical regalia, traditional and ethnic styles, and hats and head adornments from far beyond the European shores.
Organized chronologically by century, the fetching drawings appear alongside an interpretive text that documents the development of styles, their changes with the passage of time, and the influences that both created and altered them. Engaging and literate, this valuable reference for designers, art students, and costume historians will also captivate anyone who appreciates the age-old allure of a fine hat.

6

Fifteenth Century

WOMEN

IN THE FIRST quarter of the century women still wore warm and comfortable hoods for travelling abroad, as in Fig. 95. But indoors fashions were very different.

By the beginning of the century the crespine and reticulated head-dress had become more exaggerated and now formed large box-like bosses over the ears. These projecting masses were given the name templettes and varied greatly in size and construction. Lady Joyce Thorpe in Fig. 96. lies in effigy on her tomb wearing a handsome example of this head-dress. The large templettes are covered with a reticulated design of gold fret studded with jewels, which continues above the fillet across the forehead. A coverchief with daintily scalloped or dagged edge is draped over the templettes and falls gracefully to the shoulders and above all this is a coronet of triangular shape moulded in metal and studded with jewels. It seems obvious that this unwieldy but exciting head-dress could have been lifted off entire by a handmaiden, when Lady Joyce’s hair, which had been confined in the side boxes, would have fallen freely—doubtless to her great relief.

Another English style, but somewhat smaller and simpler, is worn by Catherine, wife of Michael de la Pole, whose effigy lies in the church at Wingfield, Suffolk (Fig. 97). The Earl died at Agincourt and his wife herself erected this monument during her lifetime, as was the custom among many of the nobility to ensure a suitable and lifelike memorial. Thus the style of dress may belong to a date considerably earlier than their recorded deaths. The same discrepancy might arise when pious and grateful descendants erected memorials to their predecessors after a lengthy interval.

Catherine de la Pole’s hair is confined by an open-ended fret of gold, surmounted with a plain band. A coverchief is draped over the back of the head and the open ends of the templettes fall in graduated flutes to the shoulder.

Fortunately plenty of examples of the templettes are available in pictures and carvings, and this interesting style, which lent itself to so many decorative effects, must have been extremely popular among the nobility. It was a time when the wealthy indulged in display. Many of their garments were covered with embroidered fruit, flowers, birds and heraldic designs, and contemporary fashions afforded the opportunity to lavish rich materials on head attire as well. Fig. 98 is a young French queen whose templettes and the crown are entirely studded with precious stones. Another French version, in Fig. 99 shows how becoming the bosses could be on a young and beautiful girl. Her hair is parted in the centre and the locks at the side are coiled under the reticulated templettes. The rest of her hair is allowed to escape and cascade down to her waist. Here is a real fairy princess with her pearl necklace and ermine-trimmed cote-hardie.

FIG. 95 French (1410)

FIG. 96 English

Fig. 100 is from a corbel in Southwold Church, Suffolk, and although it is claimed to represent Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII the style is earlier, probably dating to before 1420. It somewhat resembles the head-dress worn by the Countess of Arundel in 1416. Here, in Fig. 101, is a fantastic version of the contemporary mode. She has the cylindrical templettes over her ears, and draped over these a dagged kerchief which, instead of lying over the closed ends, is extended on wires to form two horns. The total width is 22 ins, and to fit this structure her coronet has had to be enlarged proportionately.

Jan Van Eyck painted his wife, Margaret, wearing the new horn head-dress (Fig. 102).

Another head-dress which, like its forerunners, could be lifted off in one piece and is a further development of the style we are considering appears in Fig. 103. Here the templettes enclose the ears and are extended above the coronet, which follows its contours, into two crescent-shaped horns. The coverchief flows from beneath the coronet to the shoulders at the back.

FIG. 97 English (1415)

FIG. 98 French

FIG. 99 French

FIG. 100 English

This upward trend of the templettes merged into another style...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• FOREWORD
• Table of Contents
• I - The First Millenium A.D.
• 2 - Eleventh Century
• 3 - Twelfth Century
• 4 - Thirteenth Century
• 5 - Fourteenth Century
• 6 - Fifteenth Century
• 7 - Sixteenth Century
• 8 - Seventeenth Century
• 9 - Eighteenth Century
• 10 - Nineteenth Century
• 11 - Twentieth Century
• 12 - Crowns
• 13 - Ecclesiastical Head-dresses
• 14 - Traditional or National Styles
• 15 - Non-European Hats and Head-dresses
• A list of Sources
• Glossary