MAREE’S MUSINGS

HATS OFF!

By Maree Roy

You may think that chat about hats is a strange topic for my column, but headgear has featured in the news of late. For one thing, there was the tragic death of Tehran woman Mahsa Amini after being beaten for allegedly breaking hijab rules. On a happier note, the coronation of King Charles. Closer to home, there’s been the local body elections, with hats being thrown in the ring, and later, in the air. 

The significance of the latter was a mystery. So to save head-scratching, I checked it out. It’s a tradition started in the US Naval Academy back in 1912; when sailors, after spending two years in training wearing their midshipmen hats almost constantly, celebrated by chucking them away. 

Other students caught wind [pun] of this; University graduates still delight in relieving themselves of those mortar boards. I learned these are not related to bricklaying, but developed from the biretta worn by priests in the Middle Ages. The board was possibly added to keep the rain off. Luckily for me, my graduation day was a sunny one. Thanks, Dunedin! And yes, I joined in the tradition.

As you know, I’m an avid reader of The Guardian. Recently, columnist A J Jacobs wrote a delightful tale about his experiment involving living for a month according to the American Constitution. Apart from (as he explained) ‘handing out pamphlets, fetching his own water, and annoying his wife’, he resolved to go the whole hog – from last month! – and wore an Alexander Hamilton outfit. I had no idea, either, so I looked him up. 

Hamilton was one of America’s founding fathers. Further digging on my part revealed that he was born on Nevis in the British West Indies, and arrived in the late 1700’s on the American mainland aged 15; a “bastard orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman”.

But I digress. As you know, nothing new there. Back to the subject; our Mr Jacobs’ costume was topped off by a distinctive tricorne hat. He explained “With [this], I somehow felt more dignified, even though I was mistaken for both a pirate and Napoleon – but, oddly, not Hamilton.” The tricorne hat has an interesting history as well. Before the adoption of the large curly wigs of the late 17^th Century, low-crowned, large-brimmed feathered hats were all the rage. 

With changing fashion the plumes disappeared and the brims were ‘cocked up’, generally in three places, like soldiers did with their broad-rimmed hats to channel the rainwater away. Thus the ‘tricorne’. The height of fashion was to wear the front point to one side at a rakish angle.

Anyway, that’s probably enough ancient history for today. Personally I have an aversion to hat wearing although the hood of my puffer jacket comes in handy occasionally. Thanks again, Dunedin. I still remember vain attempts to keep the hideous Panama version on while riding my bike to school in the wind. But justice was well served on the very last day of my Form VII term. I arrived home, parked my bike in the shed out the back and threw the hated headgear onto the shelf. By chance [seriously] there happened to be a large container of sludgey sump oil on the said shelf and the rest, as they say, is history.

I have many more stories to write for you, but sadly, there’s a cap on my word limit. So until another time, I’ll keep them under my hat.