This Hat is Worn a Great Deal

This is probably the hat I've worn the most.

It looks like a basic felt fedora but not made to a traditional style instead it has made to a practical design. 

A mixture of cotton and felt with a wide elasticated band inside which grips the head very softly and stops the wind whipping it away. Its ventilated like a bush hat, water resistant and the elasticated band is also covered in a absorbent material to help sweaty heads

I purchased this hat somewhere near Tintagel while on holiday in Cornwall sometime in the late 80's, made by Kangol, its looking a bit tired now, but seen years of use.

It still kept on my the coat stand by the front door and grabbed whenever the weather is sunny and I don't need to be too smart.

 Its also visited the Tardis.

Dr Livinstone I Presume

The Pith Helmet is a light weight helmet made of cork (or pith) and then covered in cloth with small holes for ventilation.

Helmets rather than hats in that they are designed to provide physical protection against hard things hitting the head. 

I mainly think of these as worn by European gentlemen (and women) explorers but they were more often worn by the government officials, army, police and navy.  

Worn in for the most part during the 18th and 19th by people from colonial countries in the tropics, although it seems they were worn as official headgear as late as the 1960's 

Also worn by travellers from United States and adopted by the Vietnamese army.

Pith Helmet also know as Safari helmet, Sun helmet, Topee, Sola topee, Salacot or Topi

This one was found in a Army Surplus Store and was possibly (I did say possibly) made post WWII in India from Shola Pith

As Good as Sun Cream

This straw hat purchased for protection from the sun and was frequently used when I was doing medieval reinactment on hot days. 

The wide brim protects the back of neck and straw is in my opinion the best material for keeping you cool in the sun by letting your sweat easily evaporate.

The photo below is inside Muchelney Abbey where in 2002 I was playing a monk as part of a living history event.

Straw hats are unfortunately easily damaged so care must be taken in storage and transport, this one despite being 20 odd years old is still in good condition.

The only thing I added was tight string to keep it tied to head since even the lightest breeze can blow it off the head.

This hat was purchased at Tewkesbury Medieval Festival.

Bicorne Hat

This bicorne is a stiff felt hat, unlike the bicorne in my earlier post it won't fold flat, its also can only be worn fore and aft.

What I call hard hats might be better called stiff felt hats, they are hats made of felt where the felt is soak in water then steamed and then pressed in a mould and or rolled into shape. Once formed the hat stays to its formed shape and becomes quite rigid. Top Hats, Bowler Hats are usually made this way.

Purchased from a medieval market, this style is much flattened compared to some.

Fezzes Arn't Just for Comedy

The Fez is either truncated cone or short cylinder sometimes with a tassel on top and made of red felt.

One of the worlds top ten hats, worn by Tommy Cooper, Dr Who, Madness, Laurel and Hardy, wind up or evil monkeys and people from Cyprus.

Heavily associated with people from north Africa and other countries around the Mediterranean like Morocco, Turkey and Greece. 

They were worn back at least as far as the 15th Century and even adapted as part of the German army uniform. Some military fez's even had different coloured detachable tassels to signify rank or unit.

I've have had this fez so long I can't remember were I got it.

A hat for casual use and fez-tive occasions.

Hat Art

I thought I would include a couple of drawings of Richard in a Hat, since my hat collection seems to have inspired a card.

Above me including orange beard wearing a yellow hat and surrounded by various other hats including one that looks like a crown.

Below a stack of hats, the top one is very tall top hat.

Produced by a talented 5 year old girl.

Peaked cap

A peaked cap as used by many military organisations and the odd civilian services such as the police, post office.

This one is clearly RAF at least that what the hat badge would indicate, a quick search says its airman's no.1 SD hat badge whatever that means.

The visor or peak is made in this case of plastic, but originally the peaks would be polished leather.

Peaked cap also known as Forage Caps, Barrack Covers or Combination Cap.

The Turban

Turbans or what is a length of cloth wound around the head.

Simple they are not, there are multiple ways of tying them, different lengths of fabric, patterns, colours etc. creating a big variety of looks.

My way of tying a turban was taught by visitor from North Africa but they are traditional headgear all the way through Arabic lands across to India and Indonesia as well as North and other parts Africa some like the Sikhs wear them for religious reason and they all do a far better job than me who just wear them very occasionally to represent some fantasy culture in larp.

Other names for turban I have seen pagri, blangkon, saraki, jamandani, keffiyeh, kufiya, ghutrah, shemagh, ḥaṭṭah, mashadah, sudra, chafiye. cemedanî. 

I have 2 lengths of fabric I keep for specifically for turbans, both about 3 meters long and just under a meter wide you can get away with shorter but you start to loose shape and struggle to tie them, most fabric for turbans is even longer.

The Cork Hat

This tourist only gift hat was brought back from Australia by my globe trotting mother about 10 years ago.

A basic bucket hat with corks dangling from the rim in theory to keep away blow flies from Australians as they travelled through the Outback, I'm sure it works to some extent.

The Cork Hat has been relegated to a novelty item.

The original cork hats had the corks dangling from a slouch hat or bush hat which is proper stiff brimmed felt hat.

Some Hats Lower Your IQ

Some Hats Lower Your IQ and this hat made of hessian is one that does that.

A theatre prop picked up from Chows Emporium 

Its basically a cone hessian, with bit of hessian decoration dyed green.

Theatrical Hat = Hats made for use in plays and shows, 

often more dramatic or bigger than the real thing.

The Artist

This hat made of lightweight fabric is made of the same design as chef 'tall boy' hat but the pattern on the fabric said to me, artist.

This hat has a head sized band to which the larger bonnet piece of fabric is pleated and attached. 

This hat was a very welcome and unexpected gift 

Cloth hats = Hats made from cloth/fabric.

Chapeau-bras

Chapeau-bras is usually a bicorne but one that will collapse flat.

They were worn as part of 18th Century ceremonial, diplomatic, or naval dress, currently thinking of Admiral Nelson and Napolean Bonaparte.

It basic starting point is a wide brimmed hat with two opposing parts of the brim tied together.

This bicorne (bicorn works as a spelling as well) is at the cheap end of the spectrum, they get much more elaborate with feathers, emblems and gold and silver lace trim, often referred to as cocked hat once they get plumage or fancier. 

This was purchased at the Tewkesbury Medieval Battle Fair in 2013 according to the photo below

I also have none collapsing bicorne which I wear more often.

I have found a photo of someone else wearing it points front to back (fore and aft) in the photo below rather than side to side (athwart or port to starboard) as in photos of me above.

Stocking Cap

This is what I call a sock hat although its not made of socks, perhaps its made like socks, better known as knitted bobble hat or stocking cap.

On the day of purchase complete with label still attached, a friend took photos so I could see if I liked it before I handed over the cash.

In my opinion all good pirates crew need a sock hat and this was purchased with that idea in mind as in the photo below.

Oriental Straw Hat

This oriental/asian hat is a kind of rice paddy/coolie hat, however they normally go to a point on the top, so I guess this is more like the Japanese Kasa Hat.

Made overly large, the word kasa can also mean umbrella.
Also this is not made of straw but bamboo.

This hat was purchased at Larp fair, but I've seen its twin for sale on ebay

Straw hats = Any type of hat made of straw or bamboo

Medieval Felt Hat

This tall acorn style felt hat is of excellent quality purchased from a Medieval market in the UK and made in Poland.

A good hat to sleep in it would seem.

Its since become the hat of Merlin and where he stores his cakes. 

Yes I do keep cakes in the hat

Oops I bought a new hat

So I was walking around a charity shop looking for a old leather coat to cut up when I spotted a hat, so over the last 2 weekends of not looking for a hat we have leather coats found 0, hats found 2.

This cap is suede with a artificial fur lining. I would call it a hunting cap