Time for a Pow Wow

A pow wow or powwow is a gathering of  Native Americans were they dance, sing, socialize, basically a party. in most western films they are also often portrayed as a political meeting between warring tribes or cowboys.

Headdress or war bonnets like this would be essential at any powwow as you need to look your best.

The Warbonnet is the chosen ceremonial headgear of the Plains Indian of North America, they were also worn into battle.

They are quite light and comfortable to wear they serve no practical purpose at all other than to announce your presence, which they do very well.

War bonnets are made around a buckskin skull cap and designed so the feather flare out around the head. 

The skull cap can also be decorated with beads.

Dyed horse hair mostly holds it all together and creatively provides additional decoration

Some war bonnets also included horns from buffalo.

A Hat for a Medieval Steward

While this style of hat is mostly considered peasant wear, even a single small feather can enhance it, this cap as also been enhanced by fur trim around the headband.

Not quite posh enough for royalty, this is the short hat that could be worn by castellan, steward or wealthy merchant character.

Outrageous Hat

I had to crouch down to get all of this hat in the photograph

This outrageous hat is possibly from an opera, purchased at a second-hand stall at a lrp fair by a friend and then donated.

This hat is an example of how a bunch of feathers can give your headwear volume and height and get you noticed.

This hat looks no other, is not from a historical period, not got any practical use other than to say look at me.

Hollywood Red Indian

This simple headband with feathers came to me when I purchased a job lot of ex-theatrical hats.

Half of the hats were useful, some really great, but the other half I gave away to the kid's school dress up box.

Feathers, eagle feathers to be accurate were awarded in some native American tribes as badges of honour, one or two might be given in the whole lifetime of a warrior, these were usually displayed headressess.

Ordinary feathers were also tied in the hair, mixed with beads around the neck and also tied around the head in bands of leathers

The coloured feathers and headband I'm wearing are probably from a fancy dress pack. 

Sultans Hat

This hat takes on a look of Ottoman sultans headdress

I would like to be more precise with its origin but I failed to find a contemporary image that matches, in the long run, it's a theatrical hat so could be pure fantasy.

Most images of Ottoman headwear are of oversized turbans, but particular later 16th/17th C period headwear starts to include headgear that looks similar to this.

Anyway, this hat is all about the accessories, the tall forward leaning feathers which ultimately make this hat stand out.

Feathers - Hat Accessories

In the next few posts, I'm going to select a few hats that have feather used as decorations.

Starting with this basic wide-brimmed felt hat which has been accessorized with feathers, braiding and nice broach.

By the way, depending on the lighting and background this hat much redder than it appears in most of the photos see the photo below.

Hats were often an indicator of social status, so extra accessories make them look much grander.

 Feathers add volume and height, certain feathers are rare and exotic so indicate wealth.

This particular hat given to me as a gift is intended to be a musketeer style hat from the 17th century.

Railway Conductors Hat

The is railway conductors hat.

What makes this a conductor hat rather than just a military peaked cap is the combination extra height of the crown combined with the peak pointed downwards.

The hat probably would have a had badge on the front with the name of the railway the owner or network it belonged to. 

The pointing down peak perhaps was designed to intimidate or avoid eye contact while checking tickets, pure guesses on my part, similarly pointed down peaked are typical to military drill sergeants.

Quilted Cap

This quilted peaked hat is little unusual as the crown sit quite high, like a baseball for someone with a lot of hair. 

I found this hat in a Sue Ryder charity shop in their retro section, it was with sited female apparel but to me it looks pretty unisex.

The hat sits comfortably and holds its shape well.