A halo hat (sometimes halo brim hat) is a millinery design in which the headgear acts as a circular frame for the face, creating a halo effect. The design is said to date back to the late 19th century, when it was known as the aureole hat; this name is sometimes still used.[1] It may also be known as the angel hat or bambini – the latter said to derive from Italian for terracotta plaques depicting the infant Christ.[2]
A halo hat may be a wide range of sizes – some lying close to the head in the style of a bonnet or cloche and others that are similar in dimensions to a picture or cartwheel hat. Typically, designs are worn towards the back of the head to create the 'halo' effect.[3] Some designs with open crowns may also be referred to as halo hats or as diadems.[4] Popular from the 1930s on, the halo hat was created in a variety of fabrics – knitted or crocheted versions could be made at home – and could be a circle or semi-circle in shape. The halo became popular with brides; one of the most famous examples is the blue straw half-circle halo created for the wedding of Wallis Simpson by the Parisian millinery house of Caroline Reboux.
- ^ Grantland, Brenda; Robak, Mary (2011). Hatatorium: An essential guide for hat collectors (1st ed.). Mill Valley, CA: Brenda Grantland. p. 66. ISBN 9780984785902. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ Chico, Beverly (2013). Hats and Headwear around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO LLC. pp. 211–12. ISBN 9781610690621. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
- ^ Brooks Picken, Mary (1999). A Dictionary of Costume and Fashion: Historic and Modern (1999 ed.). United States: Dover Publications. p. 164. ISBN 0486402940. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
millinery + halo hat.
- ^ Grantland, Brenda; Robak, Mary (2011). Hatatorium: An essential guide for hat collectors (1st ed.). Mill Valley, CA: Brenda Grantland. p. 76. ISBN 9780984785902. Retrieved 4 January 2015.