Hat: Origins, Language, Style

Description

The hat is one of our most beloved pieces of clothing, appearing in virtually every society. Through the centuries, hats have represented the most important structures of culture - governance (the crown), religion (the turban), traditions (the bonnet) and much more. Yet hats have also always allowed for the very personal expression of style and feeling. In this beautifully illustrated celebration of the hat, Drake Stutesman uncovers the influence on our lives of this versatile headgear. Beginning in the Ice Age, the story of the hat is traced through its links with the origins of abstract thinking, through the complex evolution of the professions of millinery and hatting in the Middle Ages, through the rise of the superstar milliner in the 20th century, and, finally, through the work of the ingenious hat makers of today who continue to dazzle us with their creations.

Drake Stutesman is an adjunct professor at New York University. She edits the cinema and media journal, Framework, and is the author of Snake (Reaktion Books, 2005) and co-editor of Film, Fashion and the 1960s (2017).

"An excellent anthropological and sociological worldwide study of the importance and significance of hats from the beginning of time to the present day."--Christina Giorcelli, University of Rome Three