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A Breton (or Bretonne) is a woman's hat with a round crown and a deep brim that is turned upwards all the way round, exposing the face. Sometimes the hat has a domed crown. Typically it is worn tilted to the back of the head.
The style first appeared under this name in the 19th century and was generally made of lightweight and malleable material such as straw or felt. It is said to derive from the straw hats traditionally worn by Breton agricultural workers. It is not to be confused with the Breton cap, a fabric cap with a peak at the front associated with fishermen.
Such was the hat's popularity that ''
1962 Jan Leslie modified breton from the collection of University of North Texas
{{hats Hats 1950s fashion 1960s fashion History of fashion Fashion accessories
A Breton (or Bretonne) is a woman's hat with a round crown and a deep brim that is turned upwards all the way round, exposing the face. Sometimes the hat has a domed crown. Typically it is worn tilted to the back of the head.
The style first appeared under this name in the 19th century and was generally made of lightweight and malleable material such as straw or felt. It is said to derive from the straw hats traditionally worn by Breton agricultural workers. It is not to be confused with the Breton cap, a fabric cap with a peak at the front associated with fishermen.
1960s popularity
The Breton had a revival of popularity in the 1960s, with high-profile wearers helping to make it fashionable. During this era it also appeared in more extreme styles, with oversized turned-back brims. After British modelJean Shrimpton
Jean Rosemary Shrimpton (born 7 November 1942) is an English model and actress. She was an icon of Swinging London and is considered to be one of the world's first supermodels.
She appeared on numerous magazine covers including '' Vogue,'' ''Ha ...
caused a scandal at the Melbourne Cup Carnival in Australia in 1965 by attending Derby Day hatless, bare legged and in a short summer frock, she returned three days later to the Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...
in a sober tailored suit with a large ice-blue straw Breton hastily created by local milliner Adele Chapeaux of South Yarra
South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a populat ...
. In 1968, a neat straw version was worn right on the back of the head by Mia Farrow
Maria de Lourdes Villiers "Mia" Farrow ( ; born February 9, 1945) is an American actress. She first gained notice for her role as Allison MacKenzie in the television soap opera '' Peyton Place'' and gained further recognition for her subsequen ...
in the horror film '' Rosemary's Baby''.
Such was the hat's popularity that ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fo ...
'' fashion editor Prudence Glynn
Prudence Glynn, Baroness Windlesham (1935–1986) was a British fashion journalist and author, best known for her long-running role as the first fashion editor of ''The Times''.
During her 15 years presiding over the fashion pages of one of th ...
singled it out in 1966 as part of the British 'uniform' at official summer events. In a feature warning of the perils of choosing an expensive occasion outfit in a country where the weather could not be relied upon, she said: "Look at the photographs taken at the Derby. The weather couldn't have been more unpromising, yet there were the British ladies staunchly parading the British Special Occasion Outfit (Subsection: Race Meetings) – Sling back shoes, wind-torn Bretons clapped onto untidy damp hair, nodding and smiling away under tons of artificial pansies and draped tulle."
As well as coming in a variety of sizes, Bretons may feature additional details such as feathers, flowers and ribbon trims.
Variations
In 1955,Christian Dior
Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Christian Dior SE, which is now owned by parent company LVMH. His fashion houses ar ...
introduced the wide-brimmed Breton – also known as the padre hat – for its resemblance to ecclesiastical headgear. Unlike the more traditional tipped back Breton, this model was worn flat on the head.
See also
* Bumper brimReferences
External links
*1962 Jan Leslie modified breton from the collection of University of North Texas
{{hats Hats 1950s fashion 1960s fashion History of fashion Fashion accessories