A fichu is a lightweight scarf worn over the shoulders, often made of linen and edged with lace. It was historically worn by servants and poor women, but became popular among the upper classes in the 18th century. Today, it is worn for warmth or as an accent to clothing.
A fichu is a type of scarf that is usually made of lightweight fabric. Fichus are often square but folded in half to create a triangular shape before use. Fichus are worn over the shoulders and can be tied in a loose knot at the front, kept closed with a pin, brooch or pick, or the ends can be tucked into the wearer’s other garments. Alternatively, the points of the fichu may extend past the wearer’s front to their back, where they are then fastened in a knot or pin.
Both historically and in modern times, most fichus are made of linen cloth, although they are often edged with lace, and are sometimes made entirely of lace. The term “fichu” is derived from the past participle of the French word “ficher,” which means “to fix.” The English word “fichu” should not be confused with the French word “fichu,” which is a rough curse of the English “curse.”
Before the 1700s, the fichu was generally worn by servants, ladies who were poor, and old women, who often received elegant dresses from upper-class women with the fashionable collars of the time. While the ladies needed clothes and sometimes required those clothing donations to meet their needs, they were not willing to sacrifice modesty for the sake of fashion. To solve this problem, they used fichus to cover the exposed areas around their necks.
At first, wealthy and fashionable women scoffed at poor women’s use of the fichu as a cover-up. However, the fichu gradually became more popular among the upper classes as an accent to other garments and eventually became a standard item of clothing. This occurred during the first half of the 18th century, and fichus were used until the late 19th or early 20th century. Ironically, as the fichus became popular among the upper classes, more and more women of limited means, even those who were not given second-hand dresses, donned fichus to imitate the styles of wealthier women. Today, women who wear a bit of warmth or accentuate their other clothing, but don’t want to wear a larger scarf, sometimes wear fichus.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
