The Heritage of Dress: Being Notes on the History and Evolution of Clothes — John Shaqi
The Heritage of Dress: Being Notes on the History and Evolution of ClothesWebb, Wilfred Mark
History
The Heritage of Dress: Being Notes on the History and Evolution of Clothes
Webb, Wilfred Mark
Clothing and dress; Clothing and dress -- History
[Illustration: FIG. 45.--Band with streamers fastening on the head-dress
of an Egyptian woman. From a figure of the Sixth Dynasty, B.C. 3500.]
[Illustration: FIG. 46.--A lady's head-dress confined with a fillet,
fourteenth century (after Viollet le Duc).]
The modern Arab fastens his kefiyeh with a twist of camel's hair without
streamers, and the lady of the fourteenth century, shown in Figure 46,
has also an ordinary band.
The child's sailor hat and the Scotch cap are among the modern head
coverings which retain the strings (Figure 49). A twelfth-century
head-dress shown in a manuscript (Figure 48) has a great similarity to
the Scotch cap, as the band forms a kind of binding to the article in
both cases, and there are streamers to both.
[Illustration: FIG. 47.--A sailor hat with band and streamers.]
[Illustration: FIG. 48.--A twelfth-century head-dress with streamers
from a MS. (after Viollet le Duc).]
The strings or streamers are to be found in many other head coverings,
including the mitres of bishops (see Figure 50). The particular mitre
illustrated is that of the See of Durham, which is distinguished from
others in being plumed.
[Illustration: FIG. 49.--A modern Scotch cap with streamers.]
[Illustration: FIG. 50.--A mitre of the See of Durham showing the
strings (after Millington).]
An interesting suggestion as to the origin of the slit in the top of the
mitre may be mentioned here. Head-dresses were used in very early times
which were in the form of a fish's head, and it has been thought that
the slit in the mitre, so distinctly shown in chess-men, represents the
fish's mouth.
On looking at the inside of a modern hat, a little bow of silk ribbon
will usually be found at the back where the two edges of the leather
lining meet. Here, again, is a vestige. (See Figure 51.)
[Illustration: FIG. 51.--Small vestigial bow of ribbon in a modern hat.]
In some hats the ribbon does not simply make the bow, but it is threaded
through a greater or less number of holes in the leather, though now
fulfilling no useful purpose. (See Figure 52.)
[Illustration: FIG. 52.--A hat with the remains of lacing.]
In a hunting hat, however (see Figure 53), the lacing is continuous
round the hat, and the lining can be made to fit the wearer. It helps to
form a buffer, should the huntsman unfortunately fall on his head, and
it is claimed that many lives have been saved by this small detail.
[Illustration: FIG. 53.--A hunting hat with complete lacing inside.]
It may be gathered from the description that in times when hats could
not easily be got to fit their wearers, the lacing inside would be most
useful, as it ensured that the size could be adjusted.
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