Headdresses have been worn for religious, cultural, or fashion-related reasons since ancient times. They were a sign of royalty or high social status in ancient Egypt and Rome, and many religions have specific rules about headgear. Headdresses were also popular in Western courts during the 17th to 19th centuries. Today, headdresses are generally reserved for Halloween costumes or Renaissance fairs, but fashion trends may bring them back in style.
A headdress is a general term for anything worn on the head. It is generally different from hats and helmets, and generally does not serve a functional or protective purpose. Since ancient times, headdresses have been worn by men and women for religious, cultural, or fashion-related reasons.
Thousands of years ago, in ancient Egypt, headdresses were a sign of royalty or high social status. In famous depictions of King Tut, he is almost always shown wearing the striped headdress that only the pharaoh is allowed to wear. Noble women in ancient Rome also wore diadems or circlets in their elaborate hairstyles. In most of the ancient world, headdresses were worn as a status symbol; Even the crown of bay leaves placed on the head of the winner in the ancient Greek Olympic Games was a sign of his prowess. The tradition of state-related headdresses continues through modern times, with the use of traditional or ceremonial crowns to denote kings and queens.
Many religions have specific rules about headgear, out of modesty or to show humility. The shin worn by many orders of nuns is an important religious headdress, as are the yarmulkes worn by men in the Jewish tradition. In some traditions of the Islamic religion, women and some men wear a traditional headdress and veil called a hijab. Many religions have rules about when a headdress should and should not be worn. For example, in most Christian churches, men are not supposed to wear hats or headdresses indoors, but women are allowed to.
Headpieces often serve a mixed fashion and religious purpose at weddings. The bridal veil is popular in many cultures, although in Western society it is most often worn as a purely fashion addition to wedding attire. Until the 19th century, most Japanese brides wore wataboshi, an elaborate hood that hid their faces from all but their groom. Traditionally, bridal veils were meant to ward off demons, keeping the bride safe until she was under the full protection of her new husband.
The use of the headdress as a fashion statement developed throughout the middle ages. Although most Western queens would cover their heads or hair for specific purposes, the most regal of the royals would find ways to inject a bit of flair into the traditions. Gabled hoods, pointed hennins, and Juliet caps all came and went in fashion trends during the 14th-18th centuries. At this time, Western men mostly eschewed headdresses, typically relying on wigs for fashion.
From the 17th to the 19th centuries in Western courts, fashionable headdresses became incredibly elaborate, with feathers, flowers, and sometimes live birds adorning elaborately styled hair. With the advent of the Victorian era, the styles became more refined. Simultaneously in America, headdresses were worn for both fashion and protection against the elements, with a variety of bonnets and caps available to women in the pioneer era.
Today, the headdress has gone out of fashion in the West, although hats remain popular. Head scarves can be worn for a retro look, or simply to keep hair out of the face, but true headdresses are generally reserved for Halloween costumes or Renaissance fairs.
Japanese brides have abandoned most wataboshi in favor of a more Westernized tradition of wedding looks, and even some Islamic traditions have abandoned the hijab, although in other areas it is prohibited by religious law. For the most part, the world seems made in traditional headdresses, but as with most fashion, it may only be a matter of time before the old traditions come back into style. With fashion’s penchant for reinvigorating old trends, the fall fashion season may just make you a bit trendy.
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