13:33 February 13, 2009 | All news from "United Kingdom travel news, blogs, deals"

Titfers - an exhibition of glorious hats at the V&A

My grandad always used to wear a “flat hat” - an old tweed cap. I think he was one of the last generation for whom a hat was a necessary part of male attire; I don’t think I’ve ever seen my father in a hat. (Alas, Dad is not street cred. I’m sure I *have* seen him with a knotted hanky on his head.)

But everyday wear isn’t what this exhibition is really about. It’s about what hats have become - definite fashion statements, where the more over-the-top they are, the better.

Steven Jones, one of today’s top milliners, has put together this exhibition, trawling the V&A archive for materials. If you’re interested in fashion and design, it’s quite amazing.

For me, one of the most interesting parts is seeing how a hat is put together. It’s a very specialised business, far more so I think than making clothes. Felt hats, for instance, are formed using a ‘block’. It reminds me more of shoemaking, though the materials are different. And I suppose most hats don’t need to be as robust as shoes. The area of the exhibition set out like a milliner’s studio really intrigued me - I love seeing specialised workplaces like this and feeling that I’ve learned a few craft secrets.

The selection of hats goes all the way back to ancient Egypt, but there’s a strong emphasis on modern couture hats. There’s a Jane Austen style silk bonnet from about 1810, there are flappers’ cloche hats, and there’s Marlene Dietrich’s iconic beret.

Then there’s an amazing hat called ‘Wash n go’ by Steven Jones himself, which looks like a splash of water frozen in time, perhaps by a fast camera and a sharp flashlight. It’s more an impression, a vision, or a meditation than a hat. You wouldn’t wear it to Ascot. You might wear it to a Damien Hirst first night.

There are some really interesting talks, too, many of them free. I’m particularly interested in one on feather trims; right from Shakespeare’s day all the way to our own, a huge feather has been one of the easiest ways to add distinction to a hat, but how they dye and treat the feathers is a mystery to me. I’m sure ostriches don’t come in bright red or purple!

(A little aside - whenever you go to one of the major museums, go straight to the information desk and check whether there’s anything going on while you’re there. I tagged on to a talk about the Titians in the National Gallery, and I’ve also seen ethnology films at the British Museum. The events that are put on are very good, usually last just 45 minutes or so, so you don’t have a chance to get bored, and can sometimes be the most interesting part of your visit!)

I do wish though that the exhibition had looked at the social history of hats a bit more. Why don’t we wear hats any more, except for weddings and funerals? Why have certain hats - like the bobble hat - become totally non-street cred to the extent of being considered humorous? When did people start wearing baseball caps the wrong way round? (The exhibition will feature baseball caps, but apparently doesn’t answer this important question.)

By the way, if you know your Cockney rhyming slang, a hat is a ‘titfer’. Tit-fer-tat, hat. Geddit?

Where: Victoria & Albert Museum (South Kensington tube)

When: 10-1730 daily, Fridays till 2130: starts 24 February

How much: £5 on the door: £5 booked online but with a £1 handling charge

Flickr photo by Don Sambandaraska; the ‘Ascot’ hats are actually at Pattaya!