Clair Hughes

Hats (eBook, ePUB)

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Although a hat may be designed for the purpose of practicality or aesthetics, it is part of a complex interplay of wider cultural meanings. Throughout history hats have played a significant role in expressing and revealing notions of class, gender, authority, fashion and etiquette. By examining the consumption and production of hats from the 18th century to the present day, this book explores their significance as markers of social and cultural change.

Taking a thematic approach, Clair Hughes charts how headgear during the modern era has been shaped by status, gender and necessity. Using case studies such as the bowler hat, which has moved up and down classes and professions, Hughes reveals that although a hat might seem bound to its status and context, it is as susceptible to subversion and reinvention as the society which creates it. From the transition of pilots' helmets from practical headgear to fashion items, to the Slouch hat and the baseball cap, hats have responded to cultural or political movements, often becoming conscious displays of identity and social allegiance.

Drawing from material and historical research as well as depictions in art, literature and film, Hughes provides a fascinating insight into hats as a visible performance of social values and culture.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury UK eBooks
• Seitenzahl: 288
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. Juni 2017
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9780857851581
• Artikelnr.: 48413885

Autorenporträt

Clair Hughes is an independent scholar. She previously held the position of Professor of English and American Literature at the International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan. Her publications include Dressed in Fiction (Berg, 2010) and Henry James and the Art of Dress (2001).

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction

1 Hat-Making, Makers and Places
2 Hats and Power
3 Affiliations and Occupations
4 Etiquette and Class
5 Bowlers and 'Bergères'
6 Entertaining Hats
7 Sporting Hats
8 Fashion Hats

Bibliography
Index

Rezensionen

A sprightly social and cultural history of headwear. The Glasgow Herald