Wednesday 20 January 2016

Sometimes Wearing a Sack is Good

Yes its me 


These hoods where made by Julie for creatures called scarecrows in larp event 




Later re-used one for the role a hangman

Thursday 14 January 2016

A Hat for a Character.

This post is not about a tricorn but about a much loved hat.

If any hat qualifies as well worn, this one does, worn over many weekends for last 15 years.

I will say this hat is extremely comfortable.


This is good quality felt tricorn and cost a £ 80 quid or more back when purchase at the end of the last century.

Its been through many fights, been trod on, crushed in the back of car, survived horrendous rainstorms, snow and regularly deals with sand and sweat, its loosing its shape a bit, the crown as lost its stiffness but survives.


The photo above is fairly current taken about 5 months ago, as you can see its not in too a bad condition, the hat not me that is.

 I think its doing so well, simply because it was quality hat to start with.



The early years of the hat it had a black band as above.

I later added a purple band and emblem as the character it belongs to costume mutated as below




Friday 8 January 2016

I don't Smoke so this is a Leisure Cap

The smoking cap is a hat designed to be worn indoors, whilst not Victorian in origin that is the period I mostly associate with them.



Smoking Cap is pill box hat that is usually worn with a smoking jacket which is thick short velvet or silk jacket.



They were worn by high class gentlemen while drinking port or brandy and smoking Turkish cigarettes & cigars home, both the cap and jacket where worn to stop normal cloths and hair smelling of smoke, they also keep the head warm.



The decorated smoking caps as I'm wearing here is a result Victorian men's sweethearts using their leisure hours to stitch and embroider these caps whilst they were fighting in Crimean war.



Smoking caps became high fashion after dinner wear in the Victorian period, today they are making come back with men and women, however someone has suggested they should now be called the more politically correct 'Leisure Cap'.





Friday 1 January 2016

Sherlock Holmes Left His Hat Behind

The deerstalker through its association with Sherlock Holmes has become stereotypical headgear for early detectives. 


Its a hat is also still used in rural areas of Britain but dates from the Victorian era when you wore correct fashion to do your deer hunting.


The deerstalker was possibly first associated with the character of Sherlock Holmes in a 1899 play, but it was a book cover illustration that probably cemented the two together. Although it may have been several Basil Rathbones films that final pegged them permanently together.


Made of usually of tweed with its distinctive fore and aft brims and ear flaps that are usually seen tied up at the top of the hat rather than over the ears and tied under the chin.