Hat, maker unknown

Maker unknown, hat, twisted straw and silk, France, about 1937 © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum

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been  freshly wound with each wearing: here, the huge amount of cloth  needed to build it up to the required shape has been replaced by a few layers stitched onto a card base.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 Punjaband 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

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.

Hat, maker unknown

Maker unknown, hat, twisted straw and silk, France, about 1937 © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum

Hat by PhilipTreacy

PhilipTreacy, hat, goose feather, London, 1995, given by the designer © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum

‘Kiss of death’ bonnet, Jo Gordon

Jo Gordon, ‘Kiss of death’ bonnet, satin with pheasant feathers, England, 1996, given by the designer © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum.

Hat by Stephen Jones

Stephen Jones, hat, velvet, London, 1983 © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum

Silk hat by Eisa (Cristobal Balenciaga)

Eisa (Cristobal Balenciaga 1895-1972), silk hat, Spain, 1962 © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum