Boudoir cap

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Mary Pickford wearing a boudoir cap and negligee in 1921 MaryPickfordPortrait.jpg
Mary Pickford wearing a boudoir cap and negligee in 1921

A boudoir cap is a form of lingerie nightcap that was popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries. [1]

Contents

Description

In its original form, the boudoir cap was worn over undressed hair, [2] and has been compared to the 18th century mob cap. [3] [4] Particularly towards the end it was designed to be worn in the privacy of the boudoir with negligees or nightwear. [3] It was often made from lightweight lingerie-type fabrics such as muslin, lace, crochet or net, and trimmed with silk ribbon and lace. [3] [5]

During its later revival in the 1910s and 1920s, it was used to protect short hairstyles whilst sleeping, [6] or first thing in the morning as ideal "for the smart bedroom woman" [7] to hide the morning hair mess. [5] [8] In London, during the WWI Zeppelin raids, women grew more self-conscious of their night attire as bombings often led Londoners to evacuate their houses in the middle of the night. Boudoir caps were a preferred choice to rapidly and stylishly cover their hair. [9]

Towards the end of the 1920s and into the 1930s, the boudoir cap evolved into a form of decorative hairnet. [6] The fashion of short hair for women contributed to the declining use of the boudoir cap. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

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A sailor hat is a brimmed straw hat similar to those historically worn by nineteenth century sailors before the sailor cap became standard. It is very close in appearance to the masculine boater, although "sailors" as worn by women and children have their own distinct design, typically flat-crowned, wide-brimmed and with a dark ribbon band extending into streamers hanging off the brim. Such hats could also be made in felt as an alternative to straw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelerine</span> Short cape covering the shoulders

A pelerine is a small cape-like garment that covers the shoulders. Historically, the pelerine possibly originated in a type of 15th century armor padding that protected the neck and shoulders by itself, if the padded fabric was reinforced internally with metal, and/or acted as padding between armor and the skin in the neck-to-shoulder region. The pelerine often had fasteners so that pauldrons could be attached.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pamela hat</span> Straw hat

The Chapeau à la Paméla, Pamela hat or Pamela bonnet described a type of straw hat or bonnet popular during the 1790s and into the first three quarters of the 19th century. It was named after the heroine of Samuel Richardson's 1741 novel Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded. While Pamela hats and bonnets underwent a variety of changes in shape and form, they were always made from straw. The mid-19th-century version of the Pamela hat was a smaller version of an early 19th-century wide-brimmed style called the gipsy hat.

References

  1. Cumming, Valerie; Cunnington, C.W.; Cunnington, P.E. (2010). The dictionary of fashion history. Oxford: Berg. pp. 55–56. ISBN   9781847887382.
  2. Lewandowski, Elizabeth J. (2011). The complete costume dictionary. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN   9780810877856.
  3. 1 2 3 Chico, Beverly (2013). Hats and headwear around the world : a cultural encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. pp. 295–296. ISBN   9781610690638.
  4. "Boudoir cap, ca. 1917, American". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  5. 1 2 Lina (2015-03-24). "1920s Boudoir Cap". Sew Historically. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  6. 1 2 Willett Cunnington, C.; Cunnington, Phillis (1992). The history of underclothes. New York: Dover Pub. p. 291. ISBN   9780486319780.
  7. "Boudoir cap, 1926-35". Museum of London. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  8. "1920s Cap | Boudoir Caps". www.victoriana.com. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  9. Zhang, Sarah (2018-02-07). "WWI's Zeppelin Bombings Popularized the Trend of 'Pyjamas'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  10. "Vintage Fashion Guild : Lingerie Guide : Boudoir Cap". vintagefashionguild.org. Retrieved 2020-08-30.