Have you ever wondered where the names of different clothing styles come from?  Ok, some are pretty obvious, like bell-bottoms or straw hat.  But who decided that a sweater that fastens down the front should be called a cardigan?  Or that snood would be a good name for the crocheted thingy that women were tucking their hair into?

So, I put on my Googling gloves once again, and dug up some info on the origins of the names of different hat styles.  I bet you didn’t realize that some of them are derived from the names of people or places.

Take the fedora for instance; this brimmed hat that I described in a recent post was actually named after a woman – well, a character really.  (more…)

With all our talk about hats and hair accessories for women, you might know a guy or two who wants to get it on the fun.  Or you might just be really fashion-conscious, so you know that menswear-inspired hats are really in now – for women.  Either way, you need to know what’s what in the world of men’s hats.  Here’s a rundown of what guys – and girls – are wearing on their heads these days. Actually, men have been wearing most of these styles for a good hundred years.  These are all classics!

• Fedora – Everyone knows fedoras.  They’re defined by the fact that they’re creased down the length of the crown, and pinched in the front on both sides.  Fedoras can be made of straw, but are most commonly felt.  Ironically, they started out as a fashion for women in the late 1800’s; they became a runaway hit for men in the 1920’s. (more…)

The Tudor dynasty reigned in England from 1485 to 1603.  Famous Tudors that you may recall included Henry VIII, who had six wives (of which he divorced two and killed two), and his daughters Mary (aka Bloody Mary) and Elizabeth (who hasn’t heard of Queen Elizabeth?).  This was a time when kings and queens and their hangers-on did their best to show everyone how important they were by dressing the part.  Their clothing was rich and opulent, and involved large quantities of expensive fabrics and trimming.  Big ruffs around the neck, huge skirts, lots of brocade and velvet – and lots of perfume to hide the stench from all the sweat that they rarely washed off. (more…)

No matter how many hair coverings and accessories you have, you always need more.  A new color, a new style, something on sale, something because you’re hungry and trying to avoid the Ben and Jerry’s in the freezer.  I can come up with any excuse for needing a new accessory, even though my tichel drawer is overflowing and I keep knocking over my hat and headband box and making a mess in my closet.  So I got it in my head recently to count up how many tichels, headbands, etc., I have.  And here are my results!

• 5 pre-tieds (more…)

In honor of Independence Day this weekend, I’m skipping ahead in our History of Headgear series to the late 1700’s, to take a look at the kind of things people like Martha Washington and Abigail Adams wore.  Before you break out your barbecue and sparklers, take a look at some of these styles.

Rich women who had the time and money to bother with elaborate hairstyles went crazy with piled lots of puff on top and curls at the sides – and the fashion was to powder it white for special occasions. (more…)

I realized recently that I throw around certain terms all the time, assuming that everyone who reads my posts knows what I’m talking about.  But you all know what happens when you assume…so, I decided to post a handy-dandy list of hat and hair covering words that everyone should know, and I’ll also refer you to our ongoing glossary project as a reference.  If I ever use a word that is unfamiliar, comment and I’ll explain!

• Bandana – a square or triangular piece of cloth.  Comes from the Hindi bandhana, which means “to tie.”  Used around the head, around the neck, and wherever else you can think to put one!
• Beret – a soft, round, brimless cap with a flat crown.  Often made of wool.
• Bucket hat – a soft hat (usually heavy cotton) with a wide, downward sloping brim.  Bucket hats often have eyelets to let air circulate around the head when it’s hot. (more…)

Does it drive anyone else crazy to see people dressed all in black? Especially in the summer or at a wedding? I know it’s chic and slimming and whatever, but it’s also boring and depressing and hot!

Color psychology is the study of the effect that color has on mood, emotion, and even behavior. It’s sort of an alternative field of study used mostly by marketing and advertising departments and interior designers. According to experts, black does evoke style, power, and mystery – but it is also associated with death, formality, fear, evil, sadness, anger, and remorse. Too much black is overwhelming!Since today is the first day of summer, I feel obliged to point out that black absorbs heat more than any other color – and to better spot bugs, it is recommended that you wear light-colored clothing. Just something to keep in mind!

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You’re probably thinking of those weird pointy things that you associate with fairy princess costumes.  Well, so am I – see the bit about hennins below.  Here’s a run-down of some of the styles that were popular in medieval Europe (from around the 12^th century through the 16^th).  Click on the pictures in the gallery to see the whole thing!

• Chaperon – no, this does not mean a hat that accompanied children on class trips!   The chaperon started out as a hood with an attached cape that pulled over the head (hoods were really poular themselves).  Then people started making the tip of the hood longer (called a liripipe or tippet), and around 1300, they started putting them on so that what used to be the neck hole was now around the crown of the head, so that the tail and the cape were hanging down. (more…)

Anyone who covers as a rule ends up with a couple of funny stories to tell about the time they ran out of the house without a hat on, or the time a kid pulled it off in front of the rabbi, or something like that.  Just a couple of days ago, my friend’s boyfriend came over while she was babysitting for my daughter.  When I got home from work, I was schmoozing with them as I took off my shoes and went into my room to take off my sheitel (wig).  Someone said something I wanted to respond to, so I ran out of my room – then I realized a minute or two later that my hair was showing, and ran back for a tichel.

We’ve got some really good haircovering-fail anecdotes on our website that were collected a while back.  Here are some of the most exciting of the bunch – and feel free to comment below with your own!

Story #1 Michal, R

“It’s hot in Texas much of the year, so I may not cover during the day if it’s just me and my two young kids at home. I always have a beret ready by the door, just in case someone comes by unexpectedly. Last week, I kept getting after my kids for moving furniture around to climb up to my spray bottle of water (for disciplining the cat and, okay, the kids, too) and my spray bottle of vinegar & water (for cleaning).  A package arrived so I took my beret off the table with the spray bottles and slipped it on to get the mail. (more…)

I’d like to preface this post by letting you all know that I took my own advice.  Yesterday, I put on a black and white outfit, and was going to use a long hot pink scarf for a headband.  But on a whim I tied it around my waist and decided it looked much cooler that way – and it broke up the monotony of the black and white.  *Curtsies*

When you think of certain people, you automatically picture them with a hat on.  Or when someone mentions a certain hat style, you automatically picture a certain person.  Just like Superman and his cape, the man and the costume become inextricably intertwined.

I was going to leave fictional characters like The Man in the Yellow Hat, or Sherlock Holmes and his deerstalker, off this list, but I came across the term “alice band” and decided it was too cute to leave out.  So, here’s a short list of people and the headgear that made them great –or the headgear that they made great.

1. Nefertiti and her “cap crown” – the name of this Egyptian queen immediately calls to mind the famous 3000-year-old limestone bust of her wearing a tall, blue headdress – she’s famous for the beautiful face under it as well. (more…)

I don’t know about you, but if I don’t get out every day, I’ll crack up.  I don’t mind rain, I don’t mind snow, I don’t mind heat; what I need is fresh air!  And if I can find something enjoyable – or necessary – to do outside rather than inside, I’ll do it.  So grab a hat and join me this weekend at one of the following fun outdoor activities!

1. Do your grocery shopping at a farmer’s market instead of a supermarket.  You’ll get better fruits and vegetables for cheaper, and you never know what other funky products you’ll come across!
2. Hit a festival on the weekend; there are all kinds of hobby and craft events going on in the spring and summer, plus state and county fairs and so on.  My personal favorite is a Renaissance Faire; you’ll see people wearing all kinds of cool costumes, so feel free to dress however you want – a Crocheted Snood will fit right in and even be somewhat historically accurate!
3. (more…)

Why do you cover?

What are you doing here?

By which I mean, what brings you to a website and a blog about hair covering?

Last year, Coveryourhair.com polled Facebook fans, asking why they wear headcoverings.  The results: 18% of responders said that they love to look good, 79% cover their head/hair for religious reasons, and 4% aren’t sure.  No one involved in the poll answered that they cover for medical reasons, but it was a possibility.

Lots of people know that Muslim women have religious reasons to cover their hair; fewer people may realize that married Orthodox Jewish women cover too, albeit in a different style.  As a matter of fact, some Christian and pagan women do (more…)

Which hat will flatter you best?

Have you ever gone into a store, spied a really cute hat in exactly the color you wanted, and run to try it on – only to find that it made you look like an idiot?  Trust me, I’ve had that experience, and I’m willing to bet that most of you have as well.

It turns out that there’s an art to choosing a hat that will flatter you, and it has a lot to do with the shape of your face.  Once again, my googling fingers have worked their magic and found the following sage advice for hat shoppers everywhere.

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Would you go out like this?

Taste in clothing and accessories can vary wildly.  I knew a girl in high school who used to wear a stretchy, glittery, long pink skirt with a brown and green and orange floral t-shirt.   And I saw a guy yesterday who had on one of those urban kilts – definitely not the mainstream!  When it comes to clothing, most people have some sort of limit in their daring side.  I recently put my googling skills to the test, and came up with the following…um…unusual headwear.  Would you wear any of these on your head?

1. Hair Sculpture – can you do the ‘do?
2. Apparently, people wear things like this at the Kentucky Derby.
3. Marie Antoinette could pull off wearing a ship on top of her wig, but can you?
4. I once saw a mailman wearing a pith helmet, although I don’t think his had a built-in air conditioner.
5. Eat it or wear it?  I don’t know how long this would last in the sun, but I bet chocolate hats taste as good as chocolate bars!

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