“And all your future lies beneath your hat.” quote of John Oldham, who was one of the most important English poets of the later seventeenth century.
I have a love affair with owning hats. When I place one on my head, I feel like an elegant woman from the 40s. I can’t pass a display without trying one on. However, I really don’t like wearing them, finding them heavy on my head. Also, I don’t know what to do with them when I enter a store.
I learned hats have been around forever! They have always been our most visible way of telling the world who we are. While hats started as simple survival gear for warmth and protection, they’ve changed over thousands of years to become symbols of status, identity and belonging.
People have always worn hats. Like, literally always. Ötzi the Iceman, who lived 5,300 year old was found wearing a bearskin cap with a leather chin strap. That’s just the oldest preserved hat we still have. Pictures of hats go back way, way further, like 15,000, even 20,000+ years old. You can see them in cave paintings and little carved figurines. Then in ancient Egypt around 3,300 years ago, hats gets fancy. These head coverings were about status and power, not staying warm. In the centuries that followed specifically from the 9th to the 13th centuries hats under went significant changes in design and functionality. This ultimately laid the groundwork for the more elaborate designs. The art of hat making flourished in cities like Venice and in France, where skilled hat makers gained fame. Additionally, the term milliner originates from Milan, a city known for producing high quality hats and other fine goods.
I graduated with a degree in comparative religion from DePaul University. I noticed that every faith has a distinctive head coverings that assumes a spiritual meaning. For Jewish people there’s the Kippah or yarmulke, for Muslims, the kufi or hijab, for the Sikhs, the turban, and in Catholicism, various hats and head coverings are worn for different purposes. An example is the biretta, a square-shaped hat worn by clergy, and the mitre which is a tall, pointed hat worn by bishops. Cardinals, wear red hats, and the Pope’s white zucchetto is a well known symbol of his office. Let’s not forget the hats worn by police officers, firefighters and the six branches of our military.
Hats have evolved through the centuries. Some of my favorite styles are the hennin. It was popular in the 15th century. This distinctive headdress is characterized by its tall, cone-shaped design. Adorned with veils or jewels, it signified social and marital status. The taller and more elaborate the hennin, the higher the woman’s social standing. It was also a symbol of modesty and virtue, as it covered the hair, which was considered a private aspect of a woman’s appearance.When I look at the hennin’s majestic and elegant design, it evokes images of a fairy god mother.
During the French Revolution in the 18th century the Phrygian cap, also known as the liberty cap, became a powerful symbol of the people’s desire for freedom and their rejection of the aristocracy. This hat (which I feel looks like the hat the Smurf’s wear) was a potent visual representation of the Revolution’s ideals.
By the early 19th century, the top hat was the craze. Made from beaver fur, it was highly valued for its durability and water resistant properties, which made it ideal for hat-making. The demand for beaver fur led to overhunting which severely impacted beaver populations.
Then during the Gilded Age, women’s hats became truly extravagant. The hats became larger and more elaborate, often featuring intricate designs, feathers, flowers and even live birds. The more outrageous the hat, the higher the social status.
During World War One, women’s hats tended to be smaller and more practical, reflecting the austerity of the times. Cloche hats, which were close-fitting and bell shaped, shaped women’s fashion. For men, it was the fedora, bowler or Homburg. In World War Two women wore turbans or headscarves to cover their hair. Men wore the newsboy cap, and the pork pie hat. Such a funny name for a hat, don’t you `think? Then in the 1950s-60s the baseball cap became the fashion.
Hats today attract attention, but I am not always confident enough to pull it off. I believe the true demise of hats came with the rise of the automobile, as people no longer needed to walk and hats became less of a necessity. Today, when I watch old movies, I’m struck by the stylish hats the actors wore and I often find myself yearning for the bygone era. It’s interesting to note how hats have evolved over time, from being a staple in everyday life to becoming more of a niche fashion statement. Historically, hats were used to express identity, status or religious affiliation with a particular group. Nowadays, the most common hat I see is the baseball cap, often worn to show allegiance to a favorite sports team or designer. So, now I wonder, since everything in life is cyclical, will hats make a resurge?