Tuesday 25 October 2016

Swiss Baseball cap

This baseball cap was purchased as I left Switzerland on business trip would not think to buy from a airport shops normally but there was deal on and I fell for it.


Not got anything to add other than its well made and I got a t shirt as below in the deal





Monday 17 October 2016

Sir Tis My Hat

This medieval hat is made in the style of a chaperon


It was made for me around 1990 for medieval theatre style reenactment at Warwick Castle for group called Knights Errant. 

Errant Knights being knights with no particular lord that wandered the country looking for adventure, duels, jousts, or just pursuing the values of chivalry.


Made from a platted band of brown, red and white wool forming the bourrelet around the head and separate wool cornette lined with linen, it forms a very comfortable simplified chaperon style hat.



I've worn this hat many time, for many characters, its still worn today and in excellent condition after 25 years of life.





Monday 10 October 2016

Chaperon

The Chaperone is soft fabric hat worn in medieval northern Europe, it consist of a ring fabric around the head, a crown of loose fabric and long scarf like tail called a liripipe thrown over the shoulder.


The Chaperon developed from a woollen hood, where the hole for face in the hood ended being rolled until it become the band around the head and the large open neck hole becoming the cape hanging from the top.

A touted reason for this is possibly because it was cooler to wear it that way in hot weather. 


The hood evolved and became a actual style of hat that we call the Chaperon worn by the wealthy and nobility in the 13th to 15th Centuries, until it went out of fashion around 1480


Chaperons continued to evolve as the one I'm wearing here with the ring of fabric which was once a rolled up hood becoming padded Bourrelets around the the head in some cases growing almost turban like in proportions and cornette or cape which is the loose fabric hanging from the padded ring and the liripipe becoming extremely large and flamboyant.


Most contemporary portraits show Chaperons in one colour of fabric, but the belief is that was just the simplify the artist job since extravagant fabric from silks or damask were listed as being used.


One thing I note in England particularly during this period the chaperon was also a name for some styles of hood as well as the head covering I'm wearing here 

Wednesday 5 October 2016

Hexagonal Hat

This is one of those hats that falls into the category unknown, from a theatrical production, its has a Arabian Nights feel about it.


The hexagonal shape of this soft head covering is also odd, so far I've not found any images of anything similar to it.


It sits uncomfortable because of its design, resting too high on the crown of your head, but that adds to its unique look.




It also could have been for a male or female character, it seems to suit both.