Hat Curiosities

The Hat Professor

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Do you think about headwear worn throughout history? For example, what was popular in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome? When did hats become popular in the West? How did hats become fashionable and stylish? When and why did hats lose favor in America? Are hats making a comeback? I hope so!

Reasons for covering our heads have remained the same. Class, protection, ritual, religion, military rank, modesty, and fashion are a few of the motivations. Prominent characters today, such as Queen Elizabeth II and the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex, delight us with their fancy hats and fascinators during special occasions. How lucky for us to watch. More about that theme in a later post!

Let us switch our focus to Ancient Egypt. Pharaohs wore distinctive headpieces. One was the psycent, a double crown, symbolic of dominion over Upper and Lower Egypt. It was placed on top of their shaven heads. Another familiar headcover was the nemes, a striped headcloth covering the whole crown and back of the head and nape. It had two large flaps that hung behind the ears and in front of both shoulders. It was often made of bright colored fabric. The akhat was a single-color cloth that covered the entire head and was tied in the back. It was held together with headbands of gold or other metals. The upper classes also wore these last two head accessories.

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The Hat ProfessorSandra SternHats in history, Ancient Egypt