Medieval Headpieces Are Back, M’Lady
Dost thou knowest how to wear them though? We have a guide.
I’ve spent the past month at a shopping standstill, torn between buying an antique lace-and-crochet headpiece and a silver chain-mail bonnet. As someone who hasn’t previously called myself a “hat person,” my newfound desire to adorn myself with medieval-style headwear is perplexing — but I’m not alone. Iris Law has been attending celebrity events in a black bonnet (with the strings tied together) and fashion influencers are wearing Little Bo Peep–style hats and elaborately beaded headwear. Brands like All Is Gentle Spring, Ashley Williams, Les Fleurs, Caspar the Label, and Falconiere are catering to the growing market for old-timey pieces. Designed with either soft lace, wool, or stainless-steel chain mail, the results look straight out of Game of Thrones.
This year’s medieval-headpiece trend could be seen as the next interaction of winter’s “funny little hat” trend, when designers like Fforme and Altuzarra sent pillbox hats and knitted swim caps down the New York Fashion Week runway. It’s also adjacent to other cottagecore-esque trends like wearing bloomers as pants and styling your hair in tightly spiraled Marie Antoinette curls (like FKA Twigs and Julia Fox). While the fashion-trend cycle is known to run on nostalgia, we’ve now been sent back to the Middle Ages. The Dune-fueled Paco Rabanne revival and Zendaya effect may also be at play. After she wore chain mail to the 2018 Met Gala and Thierry Mugler’s fall/winter 1995 body armor during her Dune: Part Two press run, we’ve seen an FIT student wearing a suit of armor to class and some goth fashion creators with sword collections hanging on their walls.
María Bernad, designer and founder of Les Fleurs, says her latest pre-summer drop of lace bonnets sold out within a week. The longer pieces have been the most popular. “I wasn’t sure in the beginning if people would like them,” she says. But, after receiving a surprising influx of requests, she’s already working on a second release. Bernad expects to see them across weddings, beaches, and evening events this season. “Imagine you’re by the beach with a beautiful dress and a crochet headpiece,” she says. “Or on a summer night when you’re by the sea and going out for dinner.”
As with the nature of any more daring fashion trend, the key to pulling off an old-timey headpiece (not just while on vacation) is to make it your own. While Los Angeles–based creator Shuang Bright likes to slick her hair back, Amber Strickland, a production coordinator and vintage seller in New York, says she needs some hair pieces peeking out from the bonnet. “This makes everything less intense,” she says. Strickland even coordinates in a matching chain mail bonnet with her cat. “It’s one of my favorite pieces because of how comforting it is,” she says. “It’s almost like a weighted blanket.” She usually pairs her collection of medieval-style headwear with prairie dresses, slip dresses, or anything that “feels reminiscent” of a different time.
Outside fashion circles, you could easily be concerned that wearing an old-timey headpiece will give people the impression that you’re on your way to a Renaissance fair (although there’s nothing wrong with that). But, to avoid entering into costume territory, lace-maker and historian Elena Kanagy-Loux says it’s worth experimenting with elements from different historical eras. “The way I style bonnets is by unexpectedly layering different eras together with a focus on larger silhouettes,” she says. This includes opting for a voluminous skirt, chunky shoes, or layering your bonnet with (you guessed it) another old-timey headpiece. “People are afraid of wearing even one statement item, but if you wear two or more than two together, it takes the focus off just the bonnet and gives it a more balanced look,” she says.
Old-timey headwear can be a gateway accessory into other nostalgic pieces. And that seems to be part of the appeal. “There’s something very unsexy about it,” Kanagy-Loux says. “It feels like it’s not for the male gaze.” For Strickland, this includes chain-mail chest pieces and shoulder pads. To build up your confidence, she suggests microdosing the style. “Wear a headpiece around the house and see how you feel, then go on a solo date to a café to see how people interact with you,” she says. “Just take gradual, tippy-toe steps.” In chunky, gothic lace-up medieval boots, perhaps.