All posts tagged: costume history

Terminology: What is a cloche?

First, have you seen that there is a ‘bonus’ post this week?  Yep, the ‘Deco Echo’ blouse from my Art Deco wardrobe is being featured over on the Sew Weekly.  I’ll be posting a tutorial on how to make it on Sat or Sun. Alright, turning our attention to the (suitable Art Deco) term of the week.  What is a cloche? A cloche is a tight fitting hat which comes low over the forehead and at the nape of the neck.  It can have a brim or be brimless. The word comes from the French for bell.  The first known use for a hat was in 1882. Cloche’s are famous as the hat of the 1920s.  Their sleek styling matched the shorter, sleeker fashions, and the new bobbed hairstyles allowed a low, tight fitting hat. 1880s origin or not, the cloche hats didn’t pick up steam until the 20th century.  A 1908 fashion article credits the invention of the cloche or ‘mushroom’ hat to Mademoiselle Cecile Sorrell “The Queen of French Fashion”.  Her innovation must …