Hat

This enlightening and cogent volume reveals that author Drake Stutesman is much more than a clothing aficionado. Hat: Origins, Language, Style is a multi-discipline, cross-cultural study of what probably is the oldest known wearable object. It incorporates scholarly research, imaginative literary and visual insights, and historical curiosity focused on variations and diverse meanings surrounding the hat . . . for readers seeking stimulating intellectual and humanistic insights, this publication is a welcome addition to writings that engage new notions in the history of ideas. * Beverly Chico, Dress *
For all those interested in the history of fashion and culture, Hat offers a fresh take and joyful celebration of this most adaptable, practical – and stylish – accessory. * The Hat Mag *
a new book shows just how important the hat has been, economically, culturally and aethestically, to us since prehistory . . . Hat is an engrossing story, full of curiosities . . . Stutesman places the hat at the centre of a fascinating account of consumerism and gender struggle . . . the hat remains potent as fashion statement, symbol or simple head-warmer; and Hat is a skilful and pithy handling of the subject. Chapeau! * World of Interiors *
You might assume that hat-wearing is now a thing of the past, but Stutesman insists not. Look at the baseball cap or the beanie. But what is a hat and what is it for? One thing we can be sure of is that hats are not garments in the usual sense of the word. * Literary Review *
Nice that a reverence for the decoration of your head unites Park Avenue ladies who lunch and Waugh’s savanna tribesmen who, behatted, dance. Professor Stutesman . . . on the whole: chapeau! Or, in English, I take my hat off to you. * Stephen Bayley, The Spectator *
The book is attractively if unpretentiously produced, and, while wide-reaching in its scope, admirably concise. Though a cultural rather than a historical study, Stutesman’s narrative covers millennia, exploring the origins, manufacture, and language of hats, ending with hats today as works of art and milliners as celebrities . . . Stutesman’s elegant, deeply-researched and always interesting book, draws the reader in to share what she happily calls “the joy of the hat.” * Fashion Theory *
A captivating exploration of the history and symbolism of headwear . . . The book is engaging, well illustrated, and well researched. Recommended. * Choice *
In Hat, Drake Stutesman has undertaken a wide-ranging survey of all types of headwear. Investigating their history and cultural significance, she charts the development of the hat from its beginnings in the Ice Age to the hatmakers of today analysing "how people are affected by hats and how and why hat forms and hat ideas communicate vital information". * The Journal of Dress History *
From crowns, turbans and bonnets, the hat is given a turning over in this thorough text, with chapters examining its history, its ties with fashion, the making process and its public image. The hat differs from most items of clothing because it has only a tenuous relationship with the human body, which leaves ample room for examining its sculptural and performative qualities, as well as its links to power, status, and tradition – all of which are explored here. * Crafts Magazine *
An excellent anthropological and sociological world-wide study of the importance and significance of hats from the beginning of time to the present day. * Christina Giorcelli, Professor Emeritus of American Literature at the University of Rome Three and co-editor of Accessorizing the Body: Habits of Being (2011) *

I learnt a lot from Hat: Origins, Language, Style - the range and interpretation was fabulous.

* Ulinka Rublack, author of Dressing Up: Cultural Identity in Renaissance Europe *
I am so impressed by this new book on hats. The book is different and most stimulating - it makes me re-think a great deal. * Clair Hughes, Author of Hat, and Dressed in Fiction *