Inspiration

Percher-style hat

Marshall & Snelgrove
Straw trimmed with shot silk
1937-1939
London, England
Museum no. T104-1980

Worn by Doris Langley Moore, the founder of the Museum of Costume in Bath (now known as the Fashion Museum)

Saucer hat

Simone Mirman (1912-2008)
Woven strips of coconut fibre
About 1955
London, England
Given by Mr Zika Ascher
Museum no. T.351-1985

Net-straw hat

Net and straw trimmed with feathers and horsehair
1938-1940
Probably Great Britain
Given by Mrs S Hitch Mough
Museum no. T.36-1986

Cocktail hat

Cristóbal Balenciaga
Silk satin and tassels on plastic hair comb
About 1960
Paris, France
Museum no. T.356-1997

Percher hat with snood-style veil

Designed by Graham Smith
Net with velvet appliqué
1984
Great Britain
Given by Mrs Wenda Parkinson
Museum no. T.480-1985

This hat was designed by the milliner Graham Smith for the 1985 Pirelli calendar and features the famous tyre tread pattern of the Pirelli P6 tyre. The calendar was introduced by the Pirelli Tyre Company in 1964 as a trade publication featuring women in 'glamour' photographs and it quickly became a cult item. Each year the company chooses one of the world's top photographers to shoot the calendar. In 1985 the theme of the calendar was 'Fashion' and photographer Norman Parkinson shot models Iman and Anna Andersen wearing accessories and clothes featuring the tyre tread pattern.

Known for his mastery and superb millinery technique, Graham Smith was a fitting choice to create the hats for this Pirelli shoot. Smith studied at Bromley College of Art and the Royal College of Art. At the beginning of the 1960s he moved to Paris to work for the house of Lanvin-Castillo, then later returned to London where he worked for Michael of Carlos Place. In 1967 Smith set up his own business in Mayfair, becoming one of Britain's leading milliners.

Turban

Designed by 'Paulette' - Paulette Marchand (1900-84)
Silk tulle and net
About 1960
Paris, France
Museum no. T.46-1977

Milliner 'Paulette' (Paulette Marchand) established her eponymous millinery shop in 1939, first on the Avenue Victor-Emmanuel and later the Avenue Franklin D Roosevelt. She worked throughout the war, designing for Robert Piguet. She went on to create hats for Schiaparelli, Chanel, Cardin, Ungaro, Mugler and Laroche. She designed hats for Greta Garbo and Edith Piaf, and designed the Duchess of Windsor's hat for the Duke's funeral. She received the Legion of Honour in 1974, and continued working up until her death.

Green straw hat

Cristóbal Balenciaga
Woven straw
Paris, France
About 1960
Bequeathed by Mrs Fern Bedaux
Museum no. T.755-1972

This hat is part of the collection of Mrs Fern Bedaux, given to the museum by Miss E Hanley, the heiress and niece of Mrs Bedaux. Mrs Bedaux purchased her whole wardrobe regularly from Balenciaga and the collection was very large; some was kept by Miss Hanley, some sent to the Costume Museum in Bath and some was received by the V&A.

Mrs Bedaux was the very wealthy widow of American millionaire office systems pioneer Charles Bedaux. Mr and Mrs Bedaux lived in the 16th century Chateau de Cand in France. The Duke of Windsor was married there after his abdication as King Edward VIII in 1936. Charles Bedaux had some ties with the Nazi party and was a controversial figure.

Hydrangea hat

Designed by 'Paulette' - Paulette Marchand (1900-84)
Silk hydrangea blooms and leaves
Paris, France
About 1955
Bequeathed by Ernestine Carter
Museum no. T.247-1984

Milliner 'Paulette' (Paulette Marchand) established her eponymous millinery shop in 1939, first on the Avenue Victor-Emmanuel and later the Avenue Franklin D Roosevelt. She worked throughout the war, designing for Robert Piguet. She went on to create hats for Schiaparelli, Chanel, Cardin, Ungaro, Mugler and Laroche. She designed hats for Greta Garbo and Edith Piaf, and designed the Duchess of Windsor's hat for the Duke's funeral. She received the Legion of Honour in 1974, and continued working up until her death.

Hat trimmed with poppies, cornflowers, daisies and wheat stalks

Designed by Aage Thaarup
Straw and fabric
London, England
Mid to late 1960s
Worn by Mrs Blair Cok and given by her sister, Mrs B Church
Museum no. T.261-1985

Ideal for a summer day in the country, this simple, broad-brimmed straw hat is decorated with meadow flowers and corn. By this date, fashion had lost its hard edge and softer styles were in the ascendant.

Lady's veiled hat and hat pin

Plush, velvet and net with brass hat pin
Designed by Svend for Jacques Fath
Paris, France
1948
Given by Lady Alexandra Trevor-Roper
Museum no. T.185-1974

Lady Trevor-Roper favoured designs by Jacques Fath for her wardrobe and contributed a vast proportion of the V&A's Fath collection.

'La Langouste Fantasie' hat

Designed by Simone Mirman (1912-2008)
Padded silk
London, England
1959
Museum no. T.186-1983

Hat and snood

Designed by Lachasse
Maroon felt and brown net snood
London, England
1950s
Given by Mr Peter Lewis-Crown
Museum no. T.186-1990

Spiral hat ('Eisa')

Cristóbal Balenciaga
Silk
Spain
1962
Museum no. T.146-1998

This hat is a perfect example of the dramatic yet minimal sculptural shapes for which the Spanish couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga was known. It is worn like a pillbox hat, perching on top of the head. It is secured by three internal hair combs to support the dramatic sculptural spirals rising up at the back. The clean lines and solid block colour exemplify the couturier's desire to strip things back to their simplest form.

Balenciaga established his eponymous couture house in Paris in 1937 but he already ran three couture houses in Spain under the name of Eisa. The Eisa ateliers were based in Madridand Barcelona with a third in the chic summer resort of San Sebastian.

Cloche hat

Designed by Miss Fox
Felt
London, England
1928-29
Given by Mrs Read per Miss Harvey
Museum no. T.203-1931

This pink felt cloche hat was worn with a Lanvin day-suit of pink marocain. The ensemble was a worn by the donor for her second wedding in 1929. She recalled that this hat was a 'copy of a French model, purchased at the same time as the dress, and is characteristic of what was very smart indeed at that time'.

The milliner, Miss Fox, was based in Hanover Square, London which had been a popular address for exclusive dress makers and milliners since the late 19th century. In the 1920s Paris was still very much the leading fashion city and it was not unusual for milliners and dress makers to copy Parisian models of clothing.

'Pas des Deux' skull cap decorated with two miniature ballet shoes

Designed by Stephen Jones (1957-)
Velvet, brocade and net
London, England
1982
Given by Stephen Jones
Museum no. T.62-1983

Round-crowned hat with scalloped brim

Designed by Hubert Givenchy
Silk
France
1960s
Museum no. T.157-1998

Cap trimmed with ostrich feathers

Designed by Hubert Givenchy
Velvet and ostrich feathers
Paris, France
1967-1970
Given by Mrs Pierre Schlumberger
Museum no. T.259-1974

Beret-shaped decorative hat

Cristóbal Balenciaga
Straw and cloth
Paris, France
About 1950
Given by Miss Catherine Hunt
Museum no. T.115-1970

Harlequin Day hat

Designed by Chris Clyne
Velvet and satin
Scotland, Great Britain
1979
Museum no. T.224G-1980

Trilby

Bernstock & Speirs
Felt
London, England
1989
Given by Paul Bernstock & Thelma Speirs
Museum no. T.168-1990

Paul Bernstock and Thelma Speirs established Bernstock Speirs in London in 1982 with an aim to create fashionable hats for men and women. With a special emphasis on detail and quality, the designers make classic hats with a difference. In this design from 1989 they subverted the formal trilby style by making it in cream felt and crushing the exaggerated elongated crown to create an interesting crumpled texture. Their witty approach made hat-wearing fun for their young clients.

Iridescent feather hat

Possibly designed by Caroline Reboux (1837-1927)
Silk and pheasant feathers
Paris, France
Mid 1930s
Given by Sybil, Marchioness of Cholmondeley
Museum no. T.375-1974

This stylish hat with its dramatic profile would have been worn for an evening event. In 1934 Vogue magazine featured similar hats in an article entitled 'Dinner-Dancing Hats' for autumn to give 'just the right note of elegance when you're dining and dancing'. The pointed crown and thick feather brim echoes the shape of a traditional tarboosh hat, historically worn in Egypt and across the Middle East. The tarboosh had a pointed crown and often formed the base around which a turban could be wrapped.

This hat was designed by the House of Reboux. From the 1870s until the 1930s the label of Caroline Reboux dominated Parisian millinery fashions. Caroline Reboux began her career as a penniless but talented young milliner. Her work was discovered and promoted by the fashionable Princess Metternich and in turn attracted the custom of the Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III. In later years the House of Reboux was run by the milliner Lucienne Rebate. Reboux was known for her clean, simple style using fabrics such as satin, velvet and felt which were draped or cut with a minimum of added or fussy details. Feathers were a favourite embellishment. In the 1920s Reboux was highly regarded for her cloche style hats, which were often cut and formed on the client's head.

Child's hat with a ribbon showing an aeroplane and the words 'Aero Club'

Straw and silk ribbon
Great Britain
About 1910
Given by N A Bicknell
Museum no. T.59-1936

The printed hat band on this child's straw hat depicts the aeroplane flown by French aviator Louis Bleriot (1872-1936) on the first flight across the English channel, in July 1909. The flight is significant in aviation history because it was the first time a plane was flown across a large body of water.

The hat is of a popular shape for children in this period. The green petersham edging on the brim of the hat is also used at the centre of the crown. This green ribbon motif is decorated with large silk embroidery stitches, a style of embellishment which was frequently used in women's fashionable dress at the end of the first decade of the 20th century.

Feather hat

Designed by Philip Treacy
Hand stitched goose feathers
Great Britain
1995
Museum no. T.182-1996

Philip Treacy describes his style as ‘modern millinery with a British influence, aimed at an international clientele’. A graduate of the Royal College of Art’s millinery course (founded in 1988), he began his career as one of a new generation of innovative, art school trained designers who, during the 1980s, revitalised the British hatmaking industry by reworking traditional hat shapes and materials. Treacy designs occasion and daywear hats for established fashion houses such as Chanel as well as for his own couture and diffusion ranges. His most flamboyant creations are popular with women attending ‘Ladies’ Day’ at Royal Ascot, the world's most famous race meeting, where extravagant millinery is as much a part of the occasion as the horse racing.

Milliners have traditionally used feathers to trim and decorate hats. Here Treacy skilfully manipulates the shocking pink goose feathers to create the entire hat. It is a technique Treacy describes as ‘painting with feathers’. This hat was modelled by pop singer Kylie Minogue for the cover of Tatler magazine in July 1995

Black straw hat with wired velvet bow

Designed by Otto Lucas (1903-1971)
Straw and velvet
London, England
1954
Given by Mr Robin Allanson
Museum no. T.218-1985

Worn by Mrs Barbara Allanson, this large-brimmed sculptural hat was designed by balance the full-skirted fashions of the period. Dyed black straw has been expertly and painstakingly joined to compose elegant curves.

Otto Lucas was both inventive and prolific. In his final year of designing he created 55,000 hats.

Lady's hat

Designed by Stephen Jones (1957-)
Velour and satin with feathers
London, UK
1982
Given by Bouke de Vries
Museum no. T.222-1989

This dazzling hat appeared on the cover of Tatler magazine’s Christmas 1982 issue. Sculpted in spiralling, luminous fabrics and delicate featherwork, it perches gracefully on the head, like the plumage of an exotic bird.

Stephen Jones is the consummate milliner: an inventor with thorough technical expertise. He is one of the most outrageous and daring of Britain’s milliners. Jones studied at Central Saint Martins School of Art and trained in millinery part-time with Shirley Hex of Lachasse. He opened his Covent Garden salon in 1980. He also creates hats for leading designers including Benny Ong, Zandra Rhodes, Steven Linard, Jean Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler.

Denim hat

Made by Mr Denim
Denim with artificial flowers and wire
Great Britain
About 1970
Museum no. T.126-1996

This hat belonged to Patricia Harmsworth, Lady Rothermere. Famed for her colourful parties and generosity as a hostess she was also known for her exuberant and unconventional style of dress.

The informal, casual style of the hat with its large floppy brim and patchwork construction indicates the change in attitude toward hat wearing which occurred in the mid-20th century. As the high fashion world turned towards the emergent youth culture, traditional accessories such as hats, handbags and gloves were suddenly identified with an older generation and no longer regarded as essential items of dress. The use of recycled denim jeans, the inexpensive method of construction and the colourful, roughly applied nylon flowers show that his hat was designed with an eye toward the fast fashion of the youth market.  Denim was not such a universal fabric and was still very much identified specifically with jeans, giving the hat a novelty value.

'Kiss of Death' bonnet

Designed by Jo Gordon
Satin and pheasant feathers
Great Britain
1984
Museum no. T.139-1996

Jo Gordon has taken the traditional structure of a poke bonnet to extremes. The long, menacing feathers project forward over two feet in a tunnel-like brim, which almost obscures the face.

Gordon initially trained as a fine artist, studying sculpture at Grays School of Art in Aberdeen. She then undertook a two-year millinery course at the Royal College of Art. After 1995 she branched out into knitwear, an area in which she continues to specialise and experiment.

Lady's hat decorated with pink roses

Made by Woolland Bros
Straw and velvet
England
About 1910
Worn by Miss Heather Firbank
Museum no. T.103-1960

Summer day hat

Designed by Jacques Fath
Velvet and felt
Paris, France
1949
Worn and given by Lady Alexandra Dacre of Glanton
Museum no. T.175B-1974

This hat forms part of the Cecil Beaton Collection, brought together by the society photographer Sir Cecil Beaton (1904-1980). With great energy and determination, Beaton contacted the well-dressed elite of Europe and North Americato help create this lasting monument to the art of dress. The Collection was exhibited in 1971, accompanied by a catalogue that detailed its enormous range.

Hairnet wig

Hair and silk
Great Britain
About 1840
Museum no. T.23-1936

Tartan turban

Silk and velvet
Great Britain
1820-1835
Given by Mrs P Barclay
Museum no. T.847-1994

The turban was a popular form of fashionable headdress from the 1790s until 1820s. Inspired by interest in the classical world and exotic ideas of the East, the form and style of fashionable turban changed frequently. This tartan turban, with its emphasised front and velvet banding is typical of styles of the mid-1820s. Traditional Scottish dress and tartan in particular, had been popularised in the late 18th century by the Prince of Wales, later George IV. Tartan appears frequently in fashion plates of the first two decades of the 19th century, mostly in the form of accessories such as shawls, ribbon belts or turban style hats such as this.

Gentleman's bicorn hat

Silk
Possibly made in Great Britain or France
About 1800
Given by Miss O Matthews
Museum no. T.106-1968

Coal scuttle-shaped bonnet

Silk satin with plaited straw
England
About 1805-1810
Given by Mrs K Henton
Museum no. T.81-1963

This light summer bonnet fits easily onto the head and protects the eyes and face from the sun whilst creating a strong but simple silhouette. Women's fashion of the early 1800s drew heavily on themes from the classical world. A surge in interest of antique sculpture, painting and architecture, due in part to excavations of ancient Greek and Roman sites, such as Pompeii, led to a vogue for clean lines, unadorned fabrics, draped shawls and hair worn close to the head.

Cloche hat/hood

Designed by George Mallard
Embossed and punched suede
Great Britain
1968
Museum no. T.346-1985

This suede hood exemplifies a new direction in fashion which emerged towards the end of the 1960s. Reacting against the futuristic minimal fashions of the preceding years, designers began to look towards flowing forms, natural materials, hand-craft and traditional fabrics, drawing inspiration from folk dress, historicism and romanticised ideas of a gypsy lifestyle. This hood consists of a close fitting cap with an extending piece of fabric, known as a bavolet, covering the neck. The bavolet is attached to the cap with leather ties and has scalloped edging, decorated with perforations and embossed circles to give a hand-tooled effect.

The piece was designed by George Mallard, a London based milliner who established his business in 1954 under his own name. In 1966 the company was renamed Malyard Hats. Known for his innovative and fashionable hats, Mallard designed for both men and women and catered to the retail and wholesale trades. The company ceased trading in 1985 upon Mallard's retirement.

Fez

Silk and silver thread woven in a design of leaves
Egypt
1100-1500
Museum no. 45-1899

Found in a Coptic tomb in Egypt as part of funerary items.

Bandeau hat

Designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga
Velvet alice band and varnished leaf shapes
Paris, France
1955-1960
Given by Mrs Loel Guinness
Museum no. T.61-1974

Gloria Guinness née Gloria Rubio y Alatorre (1912-1980) was an elegant socialite and writer of the mid 20th century. Her third husband, whom she married in 1951, was Group Captain Thomas Loel Guinness, a Member of Parliament (died 1989) and an heir to the Guinness beer fortune. She was voted 'Best Dressed Woman' in the world by Time magazine in 1962 behind Jackie Kennedy in first place. She owned seven homes, with a full wardrobe in each so that she would never have to pack or wait at customs. She spread her patronage widely and amongst donations to the V&A of pieces by Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy etc, are pieces by lesser known couturiers such as Chaumont and Lafaurie.

Folded hat

Designed by Charles James (1906-1978)
Silk grosgrain
London, England
1936
Museum no. T.901-1974

The couturier Charles James began his career as a milliner  in Chicago. He opened his own shop in 1926 under the label 'Charles Boucheron'. In 1928 he began designing dresses using the same 3- dimensional constructive approach found in millinery. James referred to himself as a 'sartorial structural architect'.

This hat is made of one piece of grosgrain silk fabric which is cut and folded in an origami style to create a peaked hat with a crown which flows into a high blunt brim. It came straight from the studio of Charles James into the V&A collections and retains a paper label stitched to the side, which reads 'PLEASE DO NOT UNPICK SEAMS OR STITCHES', presumably a warning to those working with fabrics in his studio. The hat is a great example of James's structural approach and his talent for creating volume out of flat materials.

The hat forms part of the Cecil Beaton Collection which was brought together by the late Sir Cecil Beaton. With great energy and determination, Sir Cecil contacted the well-dressed elite of Europeand America to bring this lasting monument to the art of dress. The collection was exhibited in 1971, accompanied by a catalogue which detailed its enormous range.

Cap

Velvet embroidered with silver gilt thread
1800s
Museum no. T.1031-1913

Woman's evening wig

Silver metallic thread (marcel-wave style) on a linen cap
Probably France
1928
Given by the Honourable Mrs Eric Bailey
Museum no. T.103A-1949

Percher or 'doll' hat

Designed by Madame Suzy
Plaited raffia and artificial flowers
Paris, France
1937-39
Given by Lady Glenconner
Museum no. T.62-1967

This hat was designed by Madame Suzy, who first rose to prominence on the Parisian fashion scene in the 1920s. Suzy was known for her exotic hats and colour combinations. Her boutique at 5 rue de la Paix was an incredibly popular destination for both fashionable Parisiennes and visitors to the city. It was illustrated by René Bouché for the cover of British Vogue in May 1939. During the war Madame Suzy designed hats for the American market. She closed her business in the 1950s.

The large red and white straw braids from which this hat is woven give an artisanal feel to the structure of the hat. The crown of the hat is cleverly sunken in but rises into a little point at the centre. The brim is heavily decorated with water lilies and the hat has a red veil with a large honeycomb pattern. Worn tilted forward on the head, this style of 'perch' hat was popular from the late 1930s and throughout the Second World War.

Triangular scarf attached to a cap

Designed by Germaine Bricard for Christian Dior
Silk taffeta and artificial flowers (camellias)
Paris, France
1969
Museum no. T.163-1974

Gentleman's pork pie hat

Woven straw and feathers with satin band
Great Britain
About 1898
Given by Walter, Webb & Baker
Museum no. T.84-1976

Lady's hat

Straw embroidered with straw-work flowers
Probably England, possibly Italy
About 1760s
Museum no. 158-1865

Fur hat

Designed by Caroline Reboux (1837-1927)
Sable fur, grosgrain ribbon
Paris, France
1865-1870
Given by Sybil, Marchioness of Cholmondeley
Museum no. T.374-1974

This hat was allegedy worn by the Empress Eugenie in 1865-70

Poke bonnet

Straw, velvet and silk
England
About 1830
Given by Mrs George Atkinson & Mrs M F Davey
Museum no. T.202-1958

In the early years of the 1830s, women's fashion was firmly focussed on the upper part of the body. Above the waist, pleated bodices, wide necklines, balloon-like sleeves and intricate hairstyles were topped off with striking bonnets such as this example in the V&A's collection. This hat is made from a base of straw plait, carefully stitched together to form the high crown and dramatic brim. The straw has been covered entirely with velvet and subsequently decorated with wide silk satin ribbons which have been carefully pinned into place. The ends of the ribbons have then been cut into a zig-zag finish. Bonnet trimmings were constantly changed and updated in order to give a new look, and as such ribbons and trimmings are often pinned into place as opposed to being sewn, especially on a fabric such as velvet which would mark easily. Until the mid-19th century, black dye was often created from wood components and was notoriously unstable, often fading to a brown or purple shade. The velvet on this bonnet has faded softly to a dark brown but the ribbons retain their colour.

The 'Merry Widow' cap designed by milliner Stephen Jones for his 'Albertopolis' collection, Autumn/Winter 2009 was directly inspired by this bonnet.

Lady's hat

Designed by Caroline Reboux (1837-1927)
Suede and pheasant feathers
Paris, France
1946
Worn and given by Lady Waverley through Cecil Beaton
Museum no. T.384-1974

This striking hat is constructed around a simple, unlined suede cap which fits close to the head and decorated with feathers. The hat was donated with matching gloves and would have been worn for evening occasions. It was designed by the House of Reboux.  From the 1870s until the 1930s the label of Caroline Reboux dominated Parisian millinery fashions. Caroline Reboux began her career as a penniless but talented young milliner. Her work was discovered and promoted by the fashionable Princess Metternich and in turn attracted the custom of the Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III. In later years the House of Reboux was run by the milliner Lucienne Rebate.

Reboux was known for her clean, simple style using fabrics such as satin, velvet and felt which were draped or cut with a minimum of added or fussy details. Feathers were a favourite embellishment. In the 1920s Reboux was highly regarded for her cloche style hats, which were often cut and formed on the client's head.

Cap

Knitted wool and felting
Possibly London, England
Early 16th century
Museum no. 1566-1901

This cap was part of lot 89 of the sale at Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge on 19 November 1901 of the collection of the late Mr James Smith of Whitechapel. It was originally found (along with eleven others) in an old house in Worship Street, City of London.

In England, the manufacture of caps was of sufficient importance to merit control by Act of Parliament from 1488 onwards. The 'Cappers Act' of 1571 stated that every person above the age of six years (excepting 'Maids, ladies, gentlewomen, noble personages, and every Lord, knight and gentleman of twenty marks land') residing in any of the cities, towns, villages or hamlets of England, shall wear on Sundays and holidays (except when travelling), 'a cap of wool, thicked and dressed in England, made within this realm, and only dressed and finished by some of the trade of cappers, upon pain to forfeit for every day of not wearing 3s. 4d.'. This act was intended to keep domestic production alive, as caps were outmoded by this date and there was a danger that a fall in demand for them would have a detrimental effect on the makers. This cap is fairly small, and, as a result, it has always been assumed that it belonged to a boy. Evidence from drawings of the 1530s by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/8-1543) suggest that this assumption may not necessarily be accurate. In these drawings the rounded caps worn by adult men are relatively small, worn off centre, on the side of the head rather than resting on top of the head. Nonetheless, the head for which this cap was intended was not large. An alternative explanation of its size is the possibility that it might have shrunk over the hundreds of years of its existence. There is however no obvious sign of shrinkage.

Knitted or felted caps were designed to be warm and waterproof, some protected the neck, some had ear flaps and many were trimmed with ribbons to imitate expensive silk versions. Wealthy Londoners would have worn European fashionable bonnets/caps of silk velvet decorated with ostrich feathers, aglets and brooches. Knitted caps were heavily felted so that their surface texture imitated velvet. Wool absorbs colour easily, so many caps were dyed in strong colours, such as red and black which were fashionable at the time. A large number of 16th century knitted caps, most of highly fashionable shape, have been discovered in Greater London in the early 20th century during building works. The context/location of the find and the fact that the caps themselves were knitted suggest that they were not intended for the upper strata of society, but rather for the middle classes.

Lady's bonnet

Leather
England
1500s
Museum no. T.619-1913

Lady's hat

Designed by Eric Braagaard
Velvet and feathers
New York, USA
About 1941
Given by Mrs Frank Wooster
Museum no. T.72-1974

This green velvet hat is trimmed with green-tipped feathers and a green and pink velvet bow. The hat was made by the Danish milliner Erik Braagaard for Marie Cecile Wooster, the daughter of Baron Gustav Von Springer. Mrs Wooster and her first husband Baron Eugene Fould left Europe for North America at the outbreak of World War II, during which time she bought this hat.

Braagaard frequently used velvet and feathers in his millinery designs. In 1935, French fashion magazine L’Officiel de la Mode reported that ‘velvet, very much in favour at Braagaard’s, lends itself to all the movements of wings and bows which are characteristic of this collection’. The article also reports that ostrich and egret feathers were incorporated into hat designs.

Braagaard had a small, high end millinery salon which in 1941 had a mauve and white interior. The shop operated from the 1930s to the 1950s and was located on 17 West 57th Street, New York. In 1943 Braagaard was conscripted to war service. He had an international reputation and his hats were featured not only in American publications but in the French and English media. The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has five hats by Braagaard in their archive.

'Martian's Claw' wedding headdress

Designed by Lachasse
Pointillé and metal spangles
Great Britain
1955
Worn and given by Mrs June Gordan-Gottschalk
Museum no. T.398-1988

Mrs June Gordan-Gottschalk commissioned this futuristic headpiece for her wedding in 1955. Evocatively named 'Martian's Claw', it reflects 1950s interest in science fiction and space travel.

Corono Ducal hat

Silk and metal brocade, metal braiding
Venice, Italy
1675-1699
Given by Learden McCormick-Goodhart
Museum no. T.212-1920

From 700AD until 1797 the Italian city-state of Venice was ruled over by the chief magistrate known as the Doge. The Doge was chosen by a committee formed of members of the leading aristocratic families of Venice and held the office for life. This hat is an example of the 'corono ducale', a ceremonial crown which was worn by the Doge over a cap of fine linen known as a camauro. These caps were hand-made by the nuns of the Convent of San Zaccaria and a new cap was presented to the Doge every Easter Monday, following a procession from San Marco to the convent.

Cap

Knitted wool
England
About 1700
Museum no. T.984-1913

Lady's hat

Designed by Stephen Jones (1957-)
Velvet, silk, lace and feathers
Great Britain
1982
Museum no. T.63-1983

Bonnet

Straw, artificial flowers and net
Great Britain
1870s
Museum no. T.163-1923

Lady's hat

Woolland Bros
Silk plus, fur (black mink or sable) and feathers
London, England
About 1910
Worn by Miss Heather Firbank
Museum no. T.106-1960

Lady's hat

Designed by Lucile
Straw and artificial flowers (silk and velvet tiger lillies)
England
About 1920
Worn by Miss Heather Firbank
Museum no. T.113-1960

Wedding hat

Designed by Paul Walser Limited (Reslaw)
Ostrich feathers and velvet
Great Britain
1947
Given by Mrs E M Northover
Museum no. T.42-1996

Hats were one of the few un-rationed commodities during the gloom and deprivation of World War II and its aftermath. They were often highly decorative. This hat was worn just once by the donor's mother when she married Alex Lower on 12 July 1947.

Bonnet

Printed cotton twill and undyed linen
Great Britain
1850-1890
Given by Tita Parker & Kenneth Carlyle-Parker
Museum no. T.43-2005

It is thought that the bonnet originally belonged to the donor's great grandmother, Mrs Fletcher of White Farrows Farm in West Halham, Derbyshire. It came into their possession through her daughter, Rachel Fletcher, who was born in 1869. She came from a generation of farmers. It is typical of the style of bonnet that women wore in the countryside during the period 1800-1900 to protect their eyes and complexion from the sun.

Nightcap (undress cap)

Hand-painted silk
Italy
1700-1730
Bequeathed by the Rev Dr N H C Ruddock
Museum no. 528-1898

Nightcap (undress cap)

Silk embroidered with silks and metal thread
Italy
About 1740s
Museum no. 711-1899

Scuttle-shaped bonnet, possibly for a wedding

Silk satin ribbons, net, silk lace and artificial silk flowers
England
About 1840-45
Museum no. T.120-1963

Pillbox hat

Designed by Yves Saint Laurent
Wool felt
Paris, France
1979
Museum no. T.354-1997

Conical cloche hat with a fringe

Made by James Wedge for Liberty & Co
Felt and fringing
London, England
1957
Given by Mrs G Shilling
Museum no. T.14-1968

This hat was designed in 1957 by one of London's most prolific young milliners, James Wedge. Wedge had graduated from the Royal College of Art and was offered a workroom space in London's famous Liberty department store. Wedge was not charged rent but merely had to give the Liberty buyers first pick of his hat creations. He went on to open his own millinery store in Sohoin 1962, situated at the heart of the fashionable Carnaby Street area. His shows attracted numbers of buyers and press.

The sculptural style of blocked felt hat which perches at the back of the head, presaged the pill box style of hat which was to become incredibly popular in the following years of the early 1960s. It was a style most notably worn by America's First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The fringing around the edge of the hat gives it a youthful feel with its whimsical suggestion of a lampshade and adds movement to the hat when worn.

'Fashion Rasta' hat

Designed by Philip Treacy for Rifat Ozbeck
Pampas grass matting
Great Britain
Spring/Summer 1991 collection
Museum no. T.933-1994

With reference to his Rasta collection, for which Philip Treacy was commissioned to make the hats, Rifat Ozbek stated 'I got my inspiration from the Rastafarians in Notting Hill Gate and mixed elements with high tops to make it more ‘streety’'. The hat was worn with stretch body suits in 'Rasta' colours.

Three-cornered turban

Stiff papier mâché, gold and silver thread, sequins and cotton
Pune, India
About 1865
Museum no. 0363(IS)

This hat is identifiable by its flat, three-cornered shape and gold wiry loops criss-crossing it. These are traces of the rolled turban-cloth that would form a network over the original type of Maratha turban. This hat would have been worn by a boy or young man of the upper classes. This flat angular style was popular in Central India and to the east of Puna where this one orginated.

Turban

Silver ribbon on papier mâché
Punjab, India
Mid 19th century
Museum no. 5778(IS)

This unusual turban is a version of the turbans worn in the Punjab hills.

Turban

Cotton
Pune, India
Mid 19th century
Museum no. 0333(IS)

This a turban of the type which would in its original form have been  freshly wound with each wearing: here, the huge amount of cloth  needed to build it up to the required shape has been replaced by a few layers stitched onto a card base. Large flat 'pagris' like this were worn by the clerical classes and teachers. This one was acquired as a Pune Brahmin's turban from a 19th century 'Workmans' Exhibition'. Flat turbans like this would often be worn tilted sideways on the head.

Padded hat

Satin wadded with cotton
Bhuj, Kutch, India
About 1865
Museum no. 0337(IS)

Hats of this shape are frequently seen in paintings, worn by attendants and grooms. Foreigners in India were often recognisable by their domed hats and hats of this shape continued to be associated with foreign servants, such as Muslims of African extraction.

Crown-shaped hat

Cotton, lined with velvet and embroidered with sequins, tinsel, seed pearls and glass beads
Lucknow or North India
Mid 19th century
Museum no. 0348(IS)

The European concept of the crown as a symbol of kingship was adopted in the Indian courts by the Nawabs (later Kings) of Lucknow. This European style crown was likely to have been worn by a royal female or young noble

Hood

Knitted wool lined with coarser undyed knitting
Ludhiana, Punjab, India
Mid 19th century
Museum no. 4719(IS)

Knitting is not a craft traditional to India, but was introduced by Europeans, probably in the late 18th century. This piece was probably knitted by the Kashmiri immigrants who created the woollen shawls. Kashmiris left their homes because of a famine and settled in Ludhiana in 1833, where the piece originates. The knitted hats are strongly reminiscent of Kashmir shawls in their use of the 'boteh' or paisley motif.  Knitted garments made in the Punjab and Kashmir include socks, stockings and gloves as well as headgear. It is likely that the shawls and knitted items found a market in Simla, the summer hill-station of the British administration.

Turban

Papier mâché covered with red velvet, gold thread and sequins
Madras, India
Mid 19th century
Museum no. 0336(IS)

This turban is based on the shape of a cloth wound round the head, and incorporates an imitation knot of hair at the back. Although acquired in Madras, this type of urban headgear was widespread throughout the more southerly regions of Indiain the 19th Century. It shows traces of the ropes of turban-cloth over the top and hanging from the back.

Flat hat

Made by Pascal Amarante
Straw hat trimmed with satin and velvet ribbon, artificial flowers made of silk crepe and feathers, ears of wheat
Alpes-Maritimes, France
About 1870
Museum no. T.103-1923

Coniston hat

Designed by Frederick Fox
Velvet and feathers
Great Britain
2000
Given by Sir Frederick Fox
Museum no. T.33-2003

This hat is made of velvet, moulded into undulating folds which are permanently set to one side, giving the effect that a fast wind has just swished by the fabric. The design of the hat suggests the idea of speed and is named 'Coniston' after the lake where Donald Campbell broke the world land-speed record in 1967. The hat is lined with bird of paradise feathers which give an iridescent sheen to the interior of the folds.

Sir Frederick Fox retired from the millinery business in 2002, following 40 years of hat-making. Australian-born Fox moved to Londonin 1958 to work with milliners Otto Lucas and later Mitzi Lorenz. In 1964 he opened his own salon in London's Brook Street. Milliner to the Queen since 1969, Fox designed classic styles made to the highest standard and worn by an international clientele to important public and private events. He was noted for his technical skill in making hats and his use of the highest quality materials.

Following his retirement, Fox returned to Australiaand became a patron of the Australian Millinery Association.