In honor of a great designer/hat maker, Denise Tilley, who is on Fb... Ever since, the hat has reflected not only the mood of its wearer, but the spirit of the time. Hats were the crowning glory, the pinnacle, the grand finale of an outfit. Stories of the history of millinery from Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Greek and ancient Roman through to the present time are told depicting the fashion of its time, and in most cases some type of head dress was included. Hairstyles of the time determined the interesting interpretations of the head wear that was worn with each of the evolving fashion changes. When hairdos were large, hats became either large enough to envelop the hair, or small enough to perch pertly on top. The Art Deco cloche worn in the 1920s called for a smart short geometric hairstyle. History and Lifestyles had a huge impact on what was being worn on the head. Therefore, to give a true representation of the changing fashions, I need to include the hairstyles of that particular time. The term millinery was not known until the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries when fine felt, fabric and straw hats were made in the Duchy of Milan and were known as Millayne bonnets. This is where the modern English word Milliner comes from, as the London maker of these feminine caps and bonnets was called a millianer. The Anglo-Saxon word for hat, Haet or haett appears to have signified the shape resembling the petasus; meaning, with crown, wide brim and easily removed from the head. Until the sixteenth century, any hat other than the ‘hood’ was a ‘cap’ in English, or a ‘bonnet’ in French. Only the Scotsman calls his cap a bonnet today. Headwear does not always consist of a crown and brim. In the second half of the fifteenth century, the history of millinery shows that feathers appeared for the first time as an ornament on European headgear. At first a single, long, upstanding feather secured in a golden socket or held by a jeweled medal. Feathers were costly and by the end of the fifteenth century, the fashion had assumed the proportion of the craze. The plumage of rare Oriental birds were imported and ostrich and peacock were considered very elegant. The Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans included metallic headdresses and also ribbon entwined in elaborate coiffures, so over the centuries, it is apparent that there has not been much in the line of head wear that hasnt already been fashionable at some stage. As you work through the centuries of the history of millinery, many different hat styles appear, and in many cases the places in which they originated, or prominent people, such as kings and noblemen started trends, thus the introduction of named styles such as the Homburg or the Monte Cristi.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 19:45:15 +0000
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