History of Cloche hats:
The word cloche translates to bell in French and the bell shaped cloche hat was invented by a lady named Caroline Reboux. It was very well received and extremely popular in the late 1920s. It was said to have been created by felt, where Ms. Caroline used to fix a felt sheet on the client’s head and shape the cloche in a bell shape according the head size. It was used to cover the forehead of a lady for the sake of protection. The Bob hair style is inspired by the cloche. Initially, the cloche hat was big brimmed and later on it consisted of a tighter fitting bonnet. It fit very snugly and literally became a fashion icon for women of that era. A few years down the line and the crochet hats saw some variations, with embellishments and accessories such as ribbons, pins, beads and feathers being added on to them to add to the appeal. The outlines of the hat, near the brim area had fashionable applique work done on them. Embroidered designs were a hit as well. Some of the more suave versions included cloche hats that were made in silk, lace and other such fancy material.
Different types of cloche hats:
- A flight crochet hat: In this style, the pattern makes use of weighted yarn pattern with seamless design and striped lines.
- Cabernet Cloche: This cloche hat has heavy and bulky weighed yarn and the technique used to create it includes ‘in the round’ detailing.
- Sweetheart Cloche hat: This works well for Valentine’s season and consists of a contrast colored band at the rim having a heart shaped bow at the side.